The doors of the Andover Inn were temporarily closed from Thursday, February 21 through Saturday, February 23 in order to transition between outgoing and incoming managements. The Andover Inn’s lodging and dining services reopened on Saturday, officially under new managers Matthew Morello and Alison Sudalter-Morello. Tracy Sweet, Director of Academy Communications, declined to explain why the Inn closed, though she did say that the closure achieved a goal. Sweet said, “[The closing] allowed Phillips Academy to transition the business operation to new management.” Although the Inn has reopened, it lacks a liquor license, said Sweet. “It’s a complicated process. It involves applications to the state, and bureaucracy,” Sweet said. Problems with the license arose when Phillips Academy, which owns the establishment and leases it out to various proprietors, transferred management rights to new management. Stephen Carter, Chief Financial Officer, whose office administers the Andover Inn, which the school owns, was out of town and unavailable for comment. The school transferred the operation from Oates and Bredfeldt, a Maine-based company, to Morello Hospitality Group. Morello and Sudalter-Morello, as first reported two weeks ago in The Phillipian, recently took over administration of dining operations at the Inn. The two formerly ran Savour Kitchen in downtown Andover. When exactly the formal management switch took place is unclear, though Sweet said that the school would not disclose the precise timeframe of events. Early Thursday afternoon, a sign had been posted on the inn’s locked door, stating that “… Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Andover Inn will be closed for the immediate future for both lodging and dining.” The sign had been removed by Saturday evening. The sign referred questions to Oates and Bredfeldt, the outgoing management, though the firm did not return numerous calls from The Phillipian throughout the week.
