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Repurposing History: Unusual Hotel Conversions Utilizing an old structure and turning it into a hotel may be more challenging, but the potential for a winning hotel could be higher. Wednesday, January 07, 2009 Lisa Rogak

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People reinvent themselves all the time, so why not a building? It’s not unheard of for people to live in converted churches, barns, even schools, but this trend isn’t just limited to private homes; the hotel industry is embracing it.

Buildings that include banks, shopping malls, even prisons are getting a second lease on life in the form of converted boutique hotels. Steve Dobson, author of the book Unusual Hotels of the World, www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com says that opening hotels in buildings with illustrious pasts is a trend that promises to continue, whether it’s accidental or deliberate.

“Some properties like Quaker Square in Akron, OH (www.quakersquareakron.com), a converted silo complex, are deliberate conversions, while others are more organic extensions, turning an existing family hospitality business like a castle or lighthouse into one that accepts paying guests,” he says. The 298-room Liberty Hotel in Boston, which opened in the fall of 2007, was definitely deliberate. Converted from the Charles Street Jail over a period of five years, the total price tag of the project was a whopping $150 million, but according to Stuart Meyerson, general manager at the hotel, it was well worth it.

“Owner and developer Richard Friedman fell in love with the building even when it was in its height of decrepitude,” said Meyerson. “He called it an architectural dream and an engineering nightmare.”

Friedman obviously isn’t alone. Leigh Hitz, president of Magnolia Hotels (www.magnoliahotels.com), with properties in Dallas, Denver, Houston, and Omaha, also cites the unique beauty of a particular property’s past. At Magnolia, they include a former bank, an office building, and newspaper publishing headquarters. “It’s both exciting and an honor to be able to bring new life to an old building and revitalize a piece of the city’s history,” she says.

Special Challenges
As is the case in life, love will only get you so far. In many cases, turning an unusual building into a hotel presents challenges that are equally unique. For one, problems can arise when dealing with local governments and building codes that lack experience in dealing with these unconventional structures.

Concerning the Liberty Hotel conversion, since the jail was on the National and State Registers of Historic Buildings, great attention to historic detail was required. “Many parts of the building had to be taken down brick by brick,” says Meyerson. In addition, the cupola that was originally designed for the building when it was completed in 1851 was never installed. “Once the design of the cupola was discovered, we decided it had to be a part of the hotel, and it now sits on the top of the rotunda for the first time in the building’s history,” he notes.

Leigh Hitz said that typical conversion challenges include problems such as the number of toilets that need to be added, since an outdated infrastructure may not be able to support such a change. “Before determining the number of hotel rooms, we need to look at the location of the windows and imagine the ideal layout for the hotel,” says Hitz, adding that she hasn’t run into any real regulatory battles because the cities she’s worked with are happy that someone is bringing a vacant building back to life.

Though there are hurdles when it comes to maintaining the historic preservation status of a particular building, she says this has been more of an exercise in creativity than a real issue. In each Magnolia hotel, designers have integrated some historic artifacts from the building’s previous incarnation into the new motif, such as framed original blueprints in the Dallas Magnolia’s elevator lobby, or the original bank vault in the Denver Magnolia Ballroom.

Stay Overnight in a Jail Cell!
It’s clear that reincarnated hotels have a definite advantage when it comes to developing a marketing program and gaining the attention of an often-fickle traveling public. For one, Dobson says that his website is the world’s largest resource of unusual properties and boasts 3,000 unique users on the site each day, a number that has grown over the years. “Guests want memories; that’s the driving factor for their vacations,” he says. “As we all work harder and have less to spend, vacations need to offer greater experience and value to make sure that they're memorable, and these properties definitely make a lasting impression.”

At the Liberty Hotel, the entire marketing campaign – as well as themes within the hotel itself – plays upon the building’s illustrious past, starting with the name. “The transformation of a jail into a luxury hotel freed the building from its past, hence its name,” said Meyerson. “We also want our guests to feel liberated from the typical hotel experience by providing personalized, unique services that make them feel welcome and comfortable.” He says this is accomplished by balancing the ‘jail-ness’ of the building with the modern luxuries required by discerning travelers.

And in many cases, it’s just plain fun. For example, the Do Not Disturb signs at the Liberty come on a large ring with an old key that says Solitary, and the restaurants are named Clink, Alibi (which is located in the former jail drunk tank) and Scampo, which is Italian for escape.

All marketing materials for Magnolia properties clearly mention that the hotels are in historic buildings. For a certain segment of guests, the chance to stay in an historic building is irresistible. At the Magnolia Dallas, for example, the famous flying red Pegasus that many consider to be an icon of the city perches on the rooftop. The hotel also has an historic floor, where more of the building’s original architecture and design elements were preserved during the transformation than on other floors.

In the end, Hitz cautions that while converting a hotel is ultimately satisfying and garners attention, the process is long and tedious. “Once construction begins there will be surprises, so be ready,” she warns. “Make sure you have someone from the ownership side of the hotel present during construction who can make design changes along with the architect when necessary.”

“Go for it!” says Dobson. “Unusual is the future. It’s worth it to stand out from the crowd and take the risk to be different.”

Meyerson is more pragmatic. “Be patient, be passionate, and have deep pockets.”