Luxury Triad hotel plans around $2M in renovations to celebrate anniversary
by: John Brasier, Triad Business Journal
December 11, 2017
by: John Brasier, Triad Business Journal
December 11, 2017
Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels (QW) plans to spend between “$1.8 million and $2.2 million” to renovate the guest rooms at the O.Henry Hotel in Greensboro.
Dennis Quaintance, CEO of QW, told Triad Business Journal that room renovations are expected to begin in March with completion prior to the luxury hotel’s 20th anniversary on Nov. 23, 2018. The company is calling the project “After 20 Years,” the name of an O.Henry short story.
Though the O.Henry also received updates and improvement in preparation for its 15th anniversary, Quaintance said the current project is the first major renovation of all the guest rooms since its opening at 624 Green Valley Road.
Quaintance said the plan was for the renovations of the rooms to be done one floor at time in the 7-story hotel, which has 131 rooms.
Quaintance and QW’s craft guild, which had made many of the furnishings at the company’s two hotels and four restaurants and will do much of the upcoming work, is experimenting with various colors, patterns and styles while developing a prototype for the rooms.
“We’re not going to push the “go” button until we get most of it figured out,” Quaintance said.
The work will include hand-painted ethereal sky views — including clouds — on the ceilings of each guest room, a feature popular in the hotel’s four Magi suites. The painting of the ceilings has already started. Quaintance is using a few rooms to assess colors and patterns. Guest rooms also will have new drapes made from textiles inspired by Jacobean Revival aesthetics and improved audio and video amenities. The rooms’ break front chests will receive a durable, ultra-violet cured, water-based finish.
Several improvements are scheduled for the bathrooms. The showers will be expanded 25 percent, and a dramatic ceramic tile pattern will cover the entirety of the walls, the soaking tub alcove and the ceiling. A deep soaking tub separate from the shower will be raised on a plinth next to a mirrored wall. Updated wheel stools will aid grooming. New toilets and copper pipes will be installed. Lighting and ventilation will be improved.
Quaintance said the O.Henry also will incorporate a popular feature at sister hotel Proximity — the addition of an apparatus with multiple hooks mounted on the wall near the entrance to each room.
“It will be noticeably different, but familiar,” Quaintance said of the appearance of the rooms.
The hotel’s public spaces will have new carpeting. The lobby’s serving tables will be redesigned and built by the craft guild.
In November, QW completed its first year since founders Quaintance, his wife Nancy King Quaintance and Mike Weaver made QW company-owned by selling their interest to the QW ESOP Trust.
In addition to O.Henry and Proximity and their adjacent restaurants, Green Valley Grill and Print Works Bistro, respectively, QW owns Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen restaurants in Greensboro and Cary.