The Hanover Inn at Dartmouth has been welcoming a steady stream of conferences and other events, with participants gathered around tables in the spacious new Hayward Room, the most recently completed phase of a major renovation of the Inn.
Joe Mellia, general manager of the Inn, says early conference attendees have been pleased with the new space.
“Our goal is to collaborate with Dartmouth to bring a global presence for conferences, meetings, and other events to Dartmouth and Hanover,” he says. “Our new Hayward Room and the Grand Ballroom (opening next month) will be ideal for weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, holiday parties, and social events for every occasion. We are extremely excited about all the various opportunities this new event space will offer.”
The Hayward Room is already booked for conferences almost every day through the fall. Its 1,761-square-foot conference room has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Dartmouth Green. The inside wall retains the original 10-foot-tall windows that lined what was the outside wall of the Inn, giving the Hayward a sense of both the future and the past in one new space. The Hayward has cutting-edge audio and visual equipment, including a 103-inch plasma TV. The new space can accommodate up to 150 people, and includes an additional four executive meeting rooms on a lower level.
The Hayward is part of a planned three-phase renovation of the Inn. Dartmouth’s “front door” reopened June 2 to welcome guests with a debut of the redesigned Inn. Guests and other visitors got a firsthand look at the newly renovated facilities, including 94 of the Inn’s 108 guest rooms, which were open in time for last spring’s Commencement and Reunions.
In November, the Inn’s main conference area, the Minary Conference Center, will open with 3,933 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting and event space, including a grand ballroom that will accommodate up to 330 people. There will also be three executive conference rooms on the lower level.
The Inn’s new 132-seat restaurant will reopen in a key location at the corner of Main and Wheelock Streets. Improvements to the facility include updated amenities and technology and a signature restaurant that will feature “farm-to-table” dishes taking advantage of the fresh flavors of local foods.
The Inn is owned by Dartmouth and is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Hotels of America. There has been a lodging establishment at the Inn’s prime campus location overlooking the Green since 1780. It is currently taking reservations for conferences and events in 2012 and beyond. Members of the Dartmouth community and the general public are invited to contact the Inn at (603) 643-4300 or (800) 443-7024.
