The Andover Inn opened its doors for the first time this Tuesday since undergoing extensive renovations, which began July of 2009. According to Kelly Scalia, General Manager, “The Inn was completely gutted and restarted from scratch.” The updated Andover Inn now includes 30 guest rooms, each of which has its own full bathroom. Prior to the renovation, the Andover Inn had 23 guest rooms, some of which did not have their own bathroom. Many of the rooms can be connected by a vestibule, creating two-room suites to accommodate large groups of guests. The 30 guest rooms and three meeting rooms in the Inn have newly installed 32-inch LCD televisions equipped with complimentary cable connection. In addition, each room in the Inn is equipped with high-speed Internet. Renovations also include the addition of a Bose sound system designed to play music throughout the Inn and a courtyard directly adjacent to the inn. According to Michael Williams, Director of Facilities, the project was ready for reopening earlier than planned. Williams said that as the renovation progressed, it became clear that the building was in need of a major overhaul. “The building had not been renovated since it was originally built and all of its plumbing and electrical systems were worn out,” he said. Scalia said that they tried to preserve certain features of the historic inn, such as the molding in the lobby and meeting rooms or the wooden archway in the Inn’s restaurant, Samuel’s. Internally, the Andover Inn updated its administrative technology in order to accommodate the specific needs and requests of its guests. “The new system can remember any specific services a previous guest requested or if they preferred a certain room,” she said. The Lobby now includes a handicap accessible wheelchair lift that can transport guests throughout the hotel. Additionally, several guest rooms include a bathtub, instead of a shower, in order to meet the needs of handicapped guests. Each of the three conference rooms in the Inn have also been improved. Two of the meeting spaces can seat over 50 people, and the other is a smaller room designed for corporate meetings. The restaurant in the Andover Inn is dramatically different, starting with its name. After the restaurant staff collaborated with school administrators, they determined that the most appropriate name for the restaurant would be a namesake for Samuel Phillips Jr., the founder of PA– Samuel’s. Samuel’s’ Executive Chef is Eric Heinrich, former Executive Chef of Paresky Commons. Heinrich said, “I see the switch from Paresky Commons to Samuel’s as a way to keep a presence on campus but also enhance what we as a company do at Andover. It really is the best of both worlds.” “I’m excited to be a part of something that has a history like the [Andover] Inn. I’m also excited to see renovations like this live up to the history but at the same time embellish it and make it a little better,” he continued. Heinrich still holds very close ties with Aramark, Paresky Commons’ food caterer. Along with Paresky Commons, Samuel’s has made a commitment to work as much as possible with locally grown products. Heinrich said, “[It has been] an ambition of both the academy and Aramark to utilize local farmers while still being sustainable, so we continued that over at the Andover Inn.” Heinrich met with local farmers earlier this year in order to determine a menu that will use ingredients harvested in the fall so they can be used in Heinrich’s kitchen. This produce included buttercup squash, fingerling potatoes, baby greens and baby spinach. Heinrich said, “We are in a very special place and we designed the menu to be more approachable than what the restaurant was in the past. We are trying to attract a larger demographic [as] opposed to a select one.” “Many of our guests are people looking at [Andover] so we want to make sure that we provide the best service that we can,” said Scalia.
