Hilton Burlington will renovate lobby, expand fitness center, add to food and drink offerings
Hilton Burlington Lake Champlain will soon expand amenities for guests and receive a new name: Hotel Champlain.
Rooms in the waterfront hotel were renovated during the past two years and now its lobby, fitness center and exterior will get facelifts to create a more luxury experience for guests.
The rebrand will transition the 258-room hotel into Hilton's Curio Collection, which includes more upscale Hilton locations that are personalized to the cities or places they are in. Hotel Champlain will be themed around its namesake, Lake Champlain, because of its close proximity and panoramic views.
"Since the founding of Burlington, the lake has been the center of the community," general manager Steven McClure said. "We wanted to connect back to that energy and excitement to inspire a new name that better reflects our unique location, views and offerings."
Wellness-focused experience
One of the main upgrades is to the hotel fitness center, which will be expanded into a 1200-square-foot "wellness experience" on the mezzanine level. The center will include a yoga studio and high-end exercise equipment including Peloton machines and free weights, with views of the lake in each room. McClure said they plan to have yoga and Peloton classes available to guests regularly. These additions are under construction right now and are expected to be finished in early May, but the hotel's existing fitness center will be open throughout the construction.
"The views of Lake Champlain are stunning," McClure said. "You're not going to find a better sunset view in the hotel."
Saunas will also be added to the hotel's outdoor terrace which is on the same mezzanine level as the fitness center, indoor pool and hut tub.
Dining upgrades
Summer renovations will add a new coffee shop and remodel the hotel's current restaurant, The Beacon Bar and Lounge, into a more up-scale eatery. McClure said they'll still be offering three meals a day during the remodel, but will serve guests in satellite locations around the hotel.
McClure said the new restaurants and the fitness center are to fulfill the needs and desires of their biggest chunk of guests: business travelers. Many of their guests come from New York, Boston and Montreal, he said, and are there with a group of other people from their corporation or organization.
"Being on the property for multiple days, they're looking for other experiences within the hotel and it typically would be wellness or higher-end food and beverage offerings," McClure said.
The hotel will also put solar panels on its roof this summer to power their meeting spaces in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint.
Other exterior renovations will include new signage, a new porte-cochere (where cars can stop to unload baggage) and drive and an outdoor sculpture gallery with fire pits and new furniture.
McClure expects all renovations to be done by late September or early-October.
Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington hotels: Hilton Burlington to rebrand to Hotel Champlain
