Grand Re-Opening of the Center Harbor Inn

[mcdude]

By ADAM DRAPCHO, LACONIA DAILY SUN
CENTER HARBOR — Center Harbor's largest lodging establishment will be treated to a much-needed overhaul this summer, and one of the region's best-known hospitality names will have a lakeside property, when the Center Harbor Inn reopens later this year. The inn, with buildings that were built in 1920 and 1969, has been purchased by Steele Hill Resorts.
Justin Cutillo, vice president of Steele Hill, and part of the family that owns the resort company, said he expects the much-needed renovation project to begin sometime later this month, and hopes to complete the project in August.
"The plan we have is to tear off the entire facade," said Cutillo. The plain white exterior will be replaced with an Adirondack-style facade, featuring Douglas fir and a gabled roof.
An article published in the July 24, 1969, edition of The Meredith News heralded the the open house of the newly constructed motel, then known as the The Meadows of Center Harbor, built by "Mr. and Mrs. Clifford LeRoy," who had recently relocated from California. The LeRoys purchased the property, which had two smaller buildings constructed in 1920, and added a large hotel building, which ranged from two stories nearest the road to four stories at the shoreline.
"Each luxuriously furnished and attractively decorated unit has a private balcony overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. All are air-conditioned and have television and telephones," the article reported.
Nearly five decades of use had taken its toll on the luxury and attractiveness of the Center Harbor Inn. The carpets were worn, and the wooden decking for those private balconies had disconcerting holes in them. In recent years, rooms had been offered at a bargain rate, but deferred maintenance kept piling up until appearances hurt business. Cutillo said that the inn had occupancy rates around 30 percent last year.
The Cutillo family has been welcoming guests to Steele Hill Resorts since 1968. The 500-acre, well-known, hill-top Sanbornton property offers a scenic and quiet getaway, with condo-type accommodations, a pool, tennis and racquet ball courts, restaurant and golf course. The family become involved in the ownership of Summit Resort, in the Weirs, in 1989. But what the Cutillos didn't have was a lakeside experience, which is why, Justin said, the family three years ago began negotiating with the previous owners of the Center Harbor Inn. They finally settled on a price of $1.8 million, and the Cutillos expect to pay about that much again in renovation expenses.
Though the property is in need of renovation, Cutillo said it has unique qualities that make it worth the investment. The location is near a handful of excellent restaurants, sought-out hikes, and one of the M/S Mount Washington's regular stops. The inn is right next to Center Harbor's beach and lakeside park, and across the road from the town's band stand, which hosts weekly concerts throughout the summer. Cutillo was impressed with the many events that the Center Harbor Community Development Association has developed over the years.
The property is also just up the road from Meredith, and Cutillo hopes to serve as a comparable alternative to visitors who can't get a room there. He said that the previous bargain pricing will end, and that the rooms will carry charges more reflecting of its location and recent renovation.
"Our intention is to offer upscale hotel accommodations at rates competitive with other similar lodging options in the area," said Cutillo.
While guests at Steele Hill enjoy the chance to get away for peace and quiet, Cutillo thinks the Center Harbor Inn will attract visitors with a different mindset.
"People who want to get out and explore," he said. "We want to bring people to Center Harbor that are excited to go out to eat, excited to spend money in the galleries and stores around the area."
Perhaps the most compelling attribute of the Center Harbor Inn is its relationship with the lake. The hotel is built right up to a sandy, 175-foot beach, and has a dock with slips for 16 boats, and space for ten more boats in a mooring field.
"You would never be able to build this close to the lake these days," he said. "The spot itself, if you sit here and look at it, it's quintessential Winnipesaukee. It really doesn't get any better than this

pictured....old inn and new renovations

[jeffk]

... VERY nice. BIG improvement by the new owners. Pricey, as are all lakeside accommodations but very thoughtful and nice design and decor. Includes an outdoor hot tub and indoor workout area. ADA accessible rooms. They have several combo rooms with a door between for families. They have docking space for guests boats and their own beach area.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

I attended the open house. The nightly cost this time of year is 200+ and in the summer it will be 300+. If you want to bring your boat it will be $50 daily to park it at the dock. The rooms are very nice. When building they used wood from New England.The decks off the rooms are very nice. You will not see the decks in the neighboring rooms thus they are very private,.You are directly on the lake and there is a beach. Center Harbor has their basketball courts right there and you can walk to several restaurants. If you have children I am sure they will love staying there!

[Doobs41378]

Originally Posted by Greene's Basin Girl

I attended the open house. The nightly cost this time of year is 200+ and in the summer it will be 300+. If you want to bring your boat it will be $50 daily to park it at the dock. The rooms are very nice. When building they used wood from New England.The decks off the rooms are very nice. You will not see the decks in the neighboring rooms thus they are very private,.You are directly on the lake and there is a beach. Center Harbor has their basketball courts right there and you can walk to several restaurants. If you have children I am sure they will love staying there!

So with a boat in the summer it's almost $2800 a week after taxes? I think I would just pony up a few hundred more and rent a little place instead of staying at a hotel for that price. I am glad the restored it though, it does look great.

[fatlazyless]

Tennis: Center Harbor has two outdoor tennis courts way up top the hill at Rt 25 and Rt 25B. Nearby Moultonborough has four outdoor tennis courts located in the playground area not too far from the Aubuchon Hardware. Nearby Meredith has six outdoor courts, including two with outdoor lighting for playing at night. There is almost always an empty court available, all totally for free, at all three locations as playing tennis is apparently not all that popular around here.

Tennis is easily the greatest sport ever played, in the history of the world, for the last three thousand, four hundred, and twenty three years (period)!

[Standbyme]

Wow . Greatest sport . Yeah that's why there's courts available all the time. Put in Pickleball courts and the folks will follow.

[TheProfessor]

Originally Posted by Doobs41378

So with a boat in the summer it's almost $2800 a week after taxes? I think I would just pony up a few hundred more and rent a little place instead of staying at a hotel for that price. I am glad the restored it though, it does look great.

If they put in a Motel 6 the entire Lakes Region residents would be screaming holy h*ll.

We don't want to attract poor people. We want to attract rich people.

[wifi]

Think of all the light pollution from all those lights being left on !!

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by wifi

Think of all the light pollution from all those lights being left on !!

If you are talking about the two Meredith tennis courts with the big huge light towers, they work on a timer that shuts them off after one hour, plus the courts are located in an isolated area so no homes are bothered by light pollution.

One can go down there and play tennis at midnight or 3-am to avoid the mid-day heat.....no kidding.

Agree....pickleball is eating tennis' lunch with all these old farts who are too physically unfit to play tennis...... so they play the incredibly wimpy pickleball..... bleech!

A tennis court is exactly three times bigger than a pickleball court in area, and tennis is exactly 300-times better than pickleball!

And, the furthest tennis court in Moultonborough has two pickleball courts, one on either side of the tennis net, delineated with dark red pickleball line dimensions complete with a do-it-yourself storage box that holds pickleball nets, balls, and plywood p-ball paddles....all very good quality and very doable ......... but you is better off to be playing tennis......the greatest sport ever played!

[Loub52]

Originally Posted by jeffk

... VERY nice. BIG improvement by the new owners. Pricey, as are all lakeside accommodations but very thoughtful and nice design and decor. Includes an outdoor hot tub and indoor workout area. ADA accessible rooms. They have several combo rooms with a door between for families. They have docking space for guests boats and their own beach area.

My wife and I visited the open house on Saturday, 1/21. Completely agree with your overview. A very nice addition to Center Harbor.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

If they put in a Motel 6 the entire Lakes Region residents would be screaming holy h*ll.

We don't want to attract poor people. We want to attract rich people.

I disagree--I don't want the lake to ever become out of reach for the middle class. The Weirs is special to me for that very reason--we visited every summer of my youth on a machinist's and grocery clerk's income.

Motel does look nice, though.

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

[fatlazyless]

Oopsie.....the price has gone up......the correct price is $22/campsite, with five dollars extra for a second car. Just 22-dollars/night plus five extra for a second vehicle with maybe ten people or so can rent an overnight campsite at one of three different USFS campgrounds in Campton and Waterville Valley. Campton: WMNF Campton Campground, Waterville Valley: WMNF Waterville Campground, and WMNF Osceola View Campground. Campton Campground has showers.

Omg ..... at 22-bucks, this is getting expensive!

Waterville Valley is a great place for bicycling, and hiking.

Driving time is about 45-55 minutes from these campgrounds down to Center Harbor, via Rt 175 at exit 25-Rt 93 and the free-to-use Town of Meredith, Leavitt Beach, which has a good beach, and kayak/canoe/small sailboat launching area on Lake Winnipesaukee..... a totally amazing Lake Winnipesaukee location ...... Leavitt Beach and the on-the-lake small boat experience with the big lake, big water view.

22-dollars/night, for the group, for a USFS Campground is way less money than what it costs to stay at the Center Harbor Inn.

Heath's Super Market in Center Harbor offers free courtesy coffee in six different Vermont Kuerig coffee flavors as long as it's in a freebie, el cheapo styrofoam cup. For 50-cents, you can get your coffee in a luxurious, high quality, paper cup!

[webmaster]

I happened to take a few pictures during the construction last August:

[fatlazyless]

The new redone Ctr Hbr Inn looks totally super-duper, and these construction photos don't really show its' new adirondack pizzaz! Big, highly stylized oiled exterior timbers are all over the outside, and they look great from the road as you drive past it, going west.

[8gv]

The other day wifey and I circumnavigated the lake counterclockwise via car.

As we approached CHI wifey exclaimed "Hey, look at that nice new place!"

I suppose the old appearance blended in to the background.

Here's hoping the renovations bring the desired results!

[AC2717]

"If you build it, they will come"

[mishman]

I sure hope they rebuilt the septic system and maintain it to exacting standards. This thing is so close to the lake it is scary. All for having a nice place for visitors to stay but protecting the lake is the number one priority. Does anyone know what safeguards are in place?

[Descant]

The Winnipesaukee River Basin Program (WRBP) is the state-owned sewer system serving portions of the New Hampshire Lakes Region communities of Center Harbor, Moultonborough, Gilford, Meredith, Laconia, Belmont, Sanbornton, Northfield, Tilton, and Franklin. more …

[mishman]

So the building is connected to the town sewer system? That's great - never knew such a thing existed. What water body does the treated wastewater get discharged into?

[Descant]

The wastewater from the towns mentioned above all goes to the Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) in Franklin where it goes to the Winnipesaukee River (hence program title, Winnipesaukee River Basin Program). Just south of Franklin, the Winnipesaukee and the Pemigewasset join and become the Merrimack River. So, where does the wastewater go? Atlantic Ocean, eventually.

[pcmc]

Looks fantastic, nice job. 👍