In Oak Bluffs, the newest hotel on the scene is also the oldest. After an off-season transformation, the 137-year-old Wesley Hotel has been reborn as Summercamp, combining both history and whimsy, with bright splashes of color inside and camp-themed details. The hotel re-opened for business on Thursday under new ownership by Lark Hotels, which purchased the hotel from Peter Martell last year.
“It’s really one of the last great summer hotels on the East Coast. They all burned down,” said Rob Blood, CEO of Lark Hotels. “The Vineyard and OB have such an iconic summer feel to them, we felt like creating a beautiful, fun summer hotel was the way to go.”
The vision for the hotel is summery. The main doors are painted bright yellow, and the bright color palette continues inside with teals, mint, yellow, rusty red and navy.
“This palette came very much from Martha’s Vineyard’s environment,” said decorator Rachel Reider. “We’ve got the blues and greens of the water and natural grasses and sandy colors of the dunes and yellow of the sun.”
The new name was inspired by the Camp Ground’s long history as a summer camp for Methodists, and the lobby now has a very summer camp feel. The game room features fake grass, and a conference table doubles as a ping pong table. Vintage tennis rackets fan out across the wall of the lobby and chairs hang from the ceiling.
Co-owners Rob Blood and Rich Cooper played a bit of ping pong earlier this week to make sure it was table ready in time for opening day. Mr. Cooper currently holds the title of champion.
The redesign began in November. And while the structure of the 95-bedroom hotel remains the same, the systems received a major upgrade as did the interior design. Guests searching for the ultimate camp experience can book a room with a bunk bed, and those who prefer a bespoke experience can opt for a suite with a rope bed. A new technological feature is pre-loaded concierge iPads, for guests who prefer to plan their stay on their own.
“We like to make sure people get to experience their stay in the way they want to, not in the way they have to because of us,” said Mr. Blood. “When my wife and I had our children we learned the importance of not having to choose between sleep and food, so at all of our hotels you can get breakfast any time.”
Other new details at the hotel came about by chance. New Bedford artist M-C Lamarre was found dumpster diving for the old cedar shingles from the hotel. She planned to paint small ocean scenes on them. The hotel then commissioned her to paint the room numbers on the walls and lockers.
Summercamp has done away with the vending machines, and built a canteen next to the lobby where the shingles-turned-art will be on display. On sale are snacks, penny candy and merchandise such as hats, totes and koozies. Every morning the canteen will be stocked with fresh pastries from Dippin Donuts.
The five story main hotel still lacks an elevator. General manager Tania Pereira referred to the stairways as “our built-in gym.” Ms. Pereira was the assistant manager at the Wesley Hotel for 12 years.
“It’s great to see this grand old lady revitalized again,” she said.
Ms. Pereira convinced her friend Amy Coffey to join the team as assistant manager. Ms. Coffey is a familiar face to many Vineyarders as she manages the fishing derby headquarters.
“I have news for you. This will be a piece of cake compared to that,” Ms. Coffey said.
Lark Hotels owns a number of boutique hotels, the majority of which are in New England, including the Christopher and Sydney in Edgartown. During the off-season, Ms. Pereira attended a two-week intensive training session at a Lark-owned hotel in Vermont.
“I make the best fitted sheet now you can ever see,” she said. “I can fold it into the most perfect square.”
The hotel had a soft opening on Thursday, and Ms. Pereira said space is filling up for Memorial Day weekend.
Mr. Blood has been involved in the opening and management of 19 hotels in 12 years. He said with every hotel opening something goes wrong.
“There’s always something funny that happens, with us it’s usually some type of flood,” he said. His partner, Mr. Cooper, looked around.
“Not here. The water’s been on for a couple of weeks.”
“So we’re okay then,” Mr. Blood said with a laugh.
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