Announcing Hotel Vermont

Last night we were thrilled to join Governor Peter Shumlin, Commerce Secretary Lawrence Miller, and local developers Jay Canning and Chuck DesLauriers as they announced the start of construction for the new 126-room Hotel Vermont.

Kim Deetjen and the TruexCullins Interiors studio has teamed up with Israel Smith of Smith Buckley Architects to design the new hotel, named after the original Hotel Vermont that first opened its doors to guests on the corner of Main Street and St. Paul Street.

The new Hotel Vermont is located on Cherry Street, halfway between the Church Street Marketplace and the Burlington waterfront.  The hotel is being built with the goal of LEED Silver certification, and will be Burlington’s first LEED certified hotel.

The hotel lobby features a wood-burning fireplace, a granite-clad central core, and natural materials such as reclaimed antique red oak flooring.  From here, you can step up to Juniper Lounge, which will serve coffee, cocktails, and small plates throughout the day.  The bar opens to an outdoor terrace with an open hearth, overlooking the Burlington waterfront and a green roof garden.

The ground floor will also include a new Hen of the Wood Restaurant, featuring the farm-to-table cuisine of chef Eric Warnstedt.  Chef Warnstedt is the executive chef and co-owner of the current Hen of the Wood Restaurant in Waterbury, widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the state.

Calling last night’s event a groundbreaking ceremony would be a little inaccurate, as not a shovel was in sight. We do things a little differently in Vermont, so instead of tossing a small mound of dirt for the cameras, the Governor performed a ritual watering of a Cherry tree to signify the commercial growth that the hotel will bring to Cherry Street.

The stars that really stole the evening, however, were Mortimer and Mauve, the 2 pigs who go by the title of “Senior Global Brand Ambassadors”.  Mortimer and Mauve are the company mascots of WhistlePig Farm Distillery, makers of 100 proof WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey.  WhistlePig Whiskey is bottled by hand at WhistlePig Farm right here in Vermont’s Champlain Valley and available in select markets in New York, Illinois, and California.  At last night’s event it was served up in “carbon negative” cocktails with ingredients that balance our carbon footprint. 

The pigs milling among the crowd were a great reminder of what can be expected from Hotel Vermont when it opens for business in April 2013: employing world-renowned Vermont companies and artisans; using made-in-Vermont materials and products; and serving locally grown and produced food and beverages to tell the Hotel Vermont story.  It will be a place for travelers that provides a truly unique and authentic “Vermont” experience, exuding comfort and casual warmth.

Stay tuned for more details as the project develops over the coming year!