Columnists :: In Business
Chandler Inn changing with the times by Jake Seiner
MySouthEnd.com ContributorTuesday May 19, 2009 If troubling economic times usually mean stricter budgets and more conservative spending plans for small businesses, don’t count Cliff Long and the Chandler Inn Hotel among the usuals.
In the midst of one of the worst recessions in U.S. history, the Chandler Inn has continued to receive a major facelift. Working with designers Eric Roseff and Dennis Duffy, the hotel has undergone dramatic renovations. Most recently, the hotel, located at 26 Chandler St. near the Back Bay neighborhood, has spent about $1.6 million to dramatically overhaul its fourth and fifth floors.
"It’s been a hard year," said Long. "This was a difficult winter and we saw it coming. But we’ve had this plan in process where we’ve wanted to change the whole hotel over to this feel. We kind of ignored the economy -- it’s going to come back. We’re optimistic and I have a very bullish view of Boston."
Duffy, who spearheaded the latest series of renovations, said he designed the rooms with the inspiration of a "great Armani suit." The rooms each center around large, framed images of South End rooftops hung above the beds, meant to identify the hotel with the surrounding community. From there, Duffy tailored the rooms with a "dusty color palette," hoping to give the rooms more "staying power" without being overly "gender driven."
The upgraded quarters are also more technology friendly than their predecessors, featuring plasma televisions, iPod docking stations and wireless internet service. Additionally, the walls between rooms were insulated with soundboards, meaning that guests can listen to music or watch television as loudly as they please without troubling their neighbors.
"We wanted to take these small rooms and make them, for lack of a better term, cool," said Long.
In addition to the room renovations, the hallways have also been transformed, and now feature a skyline tinted with khaki and golden colors. The inspiration for the wallpaper design came to Duffy while on a flight to Boston, he said. The Chandler Inn was a good fit for the design because of its narrow hallways, which help make guests feel surrounded by the clouds, as if they were actually walking in the sky.
The renovations have been made to transform the hotel’s image, according to Long. Since taking control of the hotel in 1982, Long had transformed the building from what he said was then a brothel into a bed and breakfast, and used to advertise the Inn as the "best value in Boston."
However, as the South End continued to grow and more money came into the neighborhood, Long realized that the neighborhood needed a hotel to grow along with the area. In an effort to grow with the community, Long decided to begin converting the hotel from an affordable bed and breakfast to an upscale European-style boutique.
Reactions from customers have been overwhelmingly positive, said Long. Even though prices have risen with the changes, many of the Chandler Inn’s most veteran guests have continued to come back, stating their willingness to pay the extra money because of the hotel’s improved feel and comfort.
The most recently upgraded rooms start at $189 per night, while the Inn still has standard guest rooms starting at $129 per night.
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