ROCKPORT — The bell atop the front desk of the vacant Sandy Bay Motor Inn will indeed chime again — possibly as soon as next year.
Peter Anastos, a principal with Maine Course Hospitality Group, purchased the facility last month for $2.1 million, making sure life would return to Rockport's largest inn before too long.
Anastos said the hospitality group, based in Freeport, Maine, plans to complete substantial renovations to the property over the course of the next several months. The intent is to re-open the facility in time to house tourists for the 2009 summer season.
"The bones of the property are good; it's well built," Anastos said yesterday. "It just needs the updating we have the experience to do. We'll go through it top to bottom this winter; we just want to make it really, really nice."
Anastos, of Yarmouth, Maine, expects the Sandy Bay Motor Inn name to remain and added that the inn would "probably" remain an independent facility.
According to the group's Web site, Maine Course Hospitality Group manages several hotel properties, many of which are Hampton Inns and Marriott Courtyard hotels. Sandy Bay Motor Inn is the group's first Cape Ann venture.
According to the Rockport Chamber of Commerce, Sandy Bay Motor Inn's 79 rooms accounted for nearly 20 percent of Rockport's rooms for overnight guests before the facility closed its doors last June after 30 years in business.
The inn, located at 183 Main St., premiered on the market for $3.5 million through New Hampshire-based Wason Associates Hospitality Real Estate Brokerage Group. Wason eventually lowered the price to $2.9 million before finally selling the property for $800,000 less on June 6.
"What I liked about this (facility) was that it was close to downtown," Anastos said. "We saw the opportunity and went for it. As far as towns go, Rockport's as nice as it gets."
Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
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