Sneak peak at Mystic’s new luxury waterfront hotel – theday.com

May 22, 2024 4:30 pm
• Last Updated: May 22, 2024 7:51 pm

A rendering of the dining room ballroom at the Delamar Mystic Hotel. (Courtesy of Delamar Hotels)

A rendering of the main entry at the Delamar Mystic Hotel. (Courtesy of Delamar Hotels)

A rendering of the ballroom at the Delamar Mystic Hotel. (Courtesy of Delamar Hotels)

A rendering of the Delamar Mystic Hotel (top). The Mystic River Boathouse property is in the foreground.(Courtesy of Delamar Hotels)

A rendering of the outdoor patio at Delamar Mystic Hotel. (Courtesy of Delamar Hotels).

Mystic — On Tuesday, blue weatherproofing material covered the exterior of the three-story Greenmanville Avenue building as the sound of power tools permeated the site of the Delamar Mystic Hotel, slated to open in October.

Greenwich Hospitality Group Founder and CEO Charles Mallory was at the site giving tours of the “waterfront luxury boutique hotel,” taking shape on the grounds of Mystic Seaport Museum.

Featuring waterfront views from every room and an upscale seafood-based restaurant, the hotel on the former site of Latitude 41 and the Shipyard Tavern is one of six in the Delamar Hotel portfolio owned and operated by the hotel group.

Mallory is a former member of the museum’s board of trustees and developed the Stonington Commons project in Stonington Borough.

Mallory said that rates for the 26 rooms and five suites, all with floor to ceiling windows that open and water views, will vary based on season and day of the week. While the rates have not been finalized, he anticipated they would start around $350 a night.

He said the hotel would have valet service for hotel and restaurant guests and plenty of additional parking in the museum lots across the street. In addition, he said the location is attractive to many types of guests including parents with children.

“You can park your car, and never have to get in your car again until you leave,” he said noting that the central location was convenient for walking to local attractions. Guests, who get free admission to the museum with their stay, can also use the Seaport water taxi to get to downtown Mystic as well.

Mallory said the main hotel and detached two-story guest cottage were designed to fit in seamlessly with the surrounding area and buildings at the museum.

“It’s a contemporary version of a 19th century shipyard building, with details so it will not look out of place,” he said.

He said the interior will also embrace the coastal and maritime charm of Mystic with planked wood ceilings, reminiscent of ship construction, throughout the lounge, event space and restaurant area.

La Plage Mystic, the hotel’s New England coastal cuisine restaurant will be run by Executive Chef Frederic Kieffer, currently the executive chef at Delamar hotel restaurants including l’escale in Greenwich, Artisan Southport, Artisan West Hartford, and La Plage in Westport. Restaurants in all the Delamar hotels are owned and operated by the company.

“We really pride ourselves on the quality of food and beverage. That’s really our signature. We have wonderful talent there and we want to make sure we can deliver,” he said.

The upscale farm-to-table, seafood-centric cuisine restaurant will seat 90 guests indoors and 100 outdoors on a patio running the length of the rear of the building which is designed to take advantage of the scenic river views.

“If you are sitting here on a normal night, you will be getting a beautiful sunset, and you’ll be sitting with a nice breeze,” Mallory said, noting that the patio, event space, restaurant, guest lounge area and all guest rooms face due west with southwesterly breezes coming off the river.

The patio space will also feature an outdoor bar, pool, restaurant seating and provide an outdoor area that will complement the hotel’s 2,600-square-foot, 200-guest event space. Mallory said the hotel is currently accepting event bookings for 2025.

A large landscaped lawn will stretch from the outdoor patio spaces to the small dock that will accommodate dock and dine guests as well as a charter boat for hotel events.

“We want to make this experience a more sophisticated experience for the traveler and make you feel that you’ve not just come to Mystic ― the seaport, town, village ― but you’re getting something more exotic,” he said.