Portland's newest hotel opens for business on city’s East End

Photo / Renee Cordes The new Cambria Hotel Portland Downtown-Old Port is located at 25 Hancock St.

Write a Comment

Portland's newest hotel, the Cambria Hotel Portland Downtown Old Port, has opened on the city's East End.

The six-story, 102-room establishment, located at 25 Hancock St., was originally slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Koucar Management LLC, a Michigan-based firm, developed the hotel in partnership with XSS Hotels, of Hooksett, N.H.

Local partners include Portland-based developer Bateman Partners LLC and Shipyard Brewing Co., which is headquartered in an adjacent building. Allied/Cook Construction managed the project while Archetype Architects was the designer.

"This is a dream come true," Fred Forsley, founder and CEO of Shipyard, told Mainebiz.

Though he's not a fan of the "Brewtel" nickname, Forsley said that up to six suites will feature Shipyard merchandise, the details of which are still being worked out.

He said Shipyard Brewing will get a new front entrance, which should add to the appeal of the overall property.

"We'll be finishing our new front entrance over the next 60 days to Shipyard, and we feel this [the hotel] will add a reason for people to come to Portland," he said. "We've enjoyed so much growth on the tourism side, I feel it'll only add to people from away and locals."

Nathan Bateman, vice president of Bateman Partners, declined to disclose the building cost and underscored the company's long-term intention to remain involved.

"Bateman Investments' commitment to development and own projects is always long term," he told Mainebiz via email. "We are proud to be a part of this project and look forward to [the] long and successful addition to the city of Portland along with our partners, XSS Hotels and Koucar Management."

Forsley said the hotel is being managed by Colwen Hotels, a Portsmouth, N.H.-based firm that also manages the Inn at Diamond Cove and the Portland Harbor Hotel.

Other amenities at the new Cambria include a fourth-floor lobby that's home to Alto Terrace Bar + Kitchen with its own outdoor patio. There's also 2,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.

Cambria is an upscale hotel brand by Choice Hotels International Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest lodging hotel franchisors with 22 brands in total. The new hotel in Portland is the first Cambria in Maine.

"From the start, Cambria's expansion has focused on growth in markets with strong business and leisure demand, and the city of Portland checks all these boxes and more," said Janis Cannon, Choice Hotels' senior vice president for upscale brands. "This makes it the ideal debut to debut the Pine Tree State's first Cambria, and we cannot wait to welcome New England travelers to yet another brand-defining property in our growing lineup of Cambria hotels across the Northeast."

There are currently more than 60 Cambria hotels open across in the United States in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans and Phoenix, with nearly 70 hotels in the pipeline.