After 7-year void, a new hotel opens in Rumford
Courtesy / Best Western
The Best Western Plus Rumford Falls is now open, featuring 63 guest rooms.
Six years after it was first proposed, a newly constructed Best Western hotel has opened in Rumford, bringing the town a lodging option that hasn’t existed since fire ravaged a motel in 2015.
The Best Western Plus Rumford Falls, at 50 Prospect Ave., is owned by Pennacook Falls Investments Ltd. and has 63 guest rooms, 12 of which are deluxe suites. The hotel began accepting guests last week.
The hotel currently has 12 workers and will employ as many as 25 when fully staffed, according to General Manager John Gessner. Construction funding included a $4.1 million loan by First National Bank and partially insured by the Finance Authority of Maine.
The town's economic development director, George O'Keefe, described the new hotel as a "restoration of our traditional lodging and tourism facilities."
"We have a long history as a destination for tourism and vacationers, dating back to the 1860s and 1870s. This will help support our existing local demand for lodging, as well as tourism.
“We had a resilient investment group that overcame every obstacle including a global pandemic, supply chain shortages, the tightest labor market in 70 years, a spike in lumber prices, two different general contractors. It speaks to their dedication to the community and their desire to restore lodging to the area."
The town of Rumford has been without a significant lodging business since 2015 when a fire ravaged the Linnell Motel at 986 Prospect St. The town is soliciting a second round of recommendations for developing that site, and proposals are due May 31, O’Keefe said.
Rumford is home to Black Mountain Ski Area and is a half-hour drive from the Sunday River resort in Newry. U.S. Route 2, the main east-west artery of northern Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, cuts through Rumford.
“It’s exciting being in an untapped market. We’ve already had Canadian visitors and motorcycle touring guests. It’s a great opportunity to stop in Rumford rather than just drive through on the way someplace else. It’s an economic driver for the town,” said Gessner.
The hotel also features a meeting room, business center, pool, fitness center, patio and firepit, electric vehicle charging stations and laundry facilities.
“We are thrilled to open the doors of this new property and provide a beautiful, comfortable lodging option for local residents and travelers alike,” said Pennacook Falls President Tony Carter.
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