First Phase of Nassau Inn Expansion Underway at the Tap Room Courtyard

Dilshanie Perera

The Nassau Inn began construction on the outdoor dining area of the Yankee Doodle Tap Room earlier this month, with General Manager Lori Rabon estimating that this first portion of the larger expansion project should be completed in mid-May. The dining space will be located in Palmer Square West, and will incorporate a new entrance into the restaurant.

Expanding the Nassau Inn’s capacity and renovating the interiors of the rooms has been in the works for quite some time, with the end result slated to be “almost a brand-new hotel,” Ms. Rabon admitted. “We felt very strongly that we have to be able to compete with the hotels out on Route One.”

Approvals for the proposed expansion were granted unanimously by the Regional Planning Board in October of last year.

The hotel’s interior is scheduled to undergo renovations, with construction in the Colonial Wing beginning in July 2011. The 83 current guest rooms will be expanded by 52 rooms, with new mechanical, plumbing, and HVAC systems installed, Ms. Rabon said.

The Wilson Wing will be refurbished between January and April of next year, and is timed to be complete by the time the Colonial Wing is closed for construction.

Some amenities to be installed include “42-inch, flatscreen TVs, modern bathroom fixtures … what you might see in a boutique hotel,” Ms. Rabon observed.

While Ms. Rabon noted that specific plans had not yet been finalized for the remaining expansion items, the project also involves a six-story addition to be built along Hulfish Street that will connect with the existing structure and house 40 new hotel rooms, a ballroom, retail, and loading dock spaces. The building currently occupied by Lindt Chocolate will be demolished and replaced by a three-story edifice, the ground floor of which will be retail space, and the rest devoted to meeting rooms and a fitness area. The new structure would be rebuilt with the same footprint.

Spiezle Architectural Group is the design firm for the expansion project, and MOD Construction is the builder.

“We’ve had years to think about this, and we’re very excited,” Ms. Rabon admitted.

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