By By MARY-ALLISON LANCASTER Managing editor
The Brewton Motor Inn, a staple in the community, has been going through a major rehabilitation and is slated to officially reopen in October 2005 with a brand new residential appeal.
Due to additional renovations occurring within the hotel, the project is expected to exceed the $600,000 mark.
The Patel family, a name synonymous with hotels around the world, lived in Brewton for nearly 26 years. The family now lives in Mobile and maintains two hotels in Mobile, two in Brewton and one in Atmore.
Rather than tearing down the building and starting from scratch, Patel was advised that it would be a good time to renovate, rather than raze the building.
It made sense, Patel said. By keeping the original structure, the plumbing pipes and electrical wiring would remain in tact and would be cost-friendly.
The planning began around March 2004 and Patel said it took a lot of time to get everything situated. Finally, around August Patel began to look for a contractor to begin the roofing repairs. The Patels chose Natural Stone Contracting, a Louisiana company, as the contractor.
Martin Construction, a Mobile company, was the original contractor to begin the work on the hotel. Then Hurricane Ivan made its landfall.
So, construction halted for a brief moment and that was when N.J. Restoration took over where Martin Construction left. But the hurricane wasn't the only reason for the delay in the renovation.
The original plan was to renovate 42 of the 90 guest rooms and the grand opening was to be this June.
Rather, the project took on a bigger gremlin and now, all 90 rooms will be renovated, as well as new improvements to the exterior, a new roof, landscaping on the grounds, new electrical and plumbing fixtures and signage.
The name of the hotel was changed from The Brewton Motor Inn to the Brewton Inn. Patel said that the old name sounded "dated." He wanted to keep Brewton and Inn in the equation.
The new sign, which was modeled by Hendricks Designs based out of Gulf Shores, went up nearly two months ago.
All the rooms and public areas will include wireless and wired Internet. The two banquet halls will serve as an extra place for public groups to hold meetings as well as private parties for guests and the public.
The additional renovation exceeded its budget by more than $6,000 per room, but that was expected after the add-ons.
Guests will be able to relax in their room designed by Lodging Interiors, an Atlanta firm. The company primarily designs hotel rooms and selects color schemes.
At this point in time, the hotel is closed for complete renovations. A restaurant will open up next door to the adjoining closed portion.
Patel said the project is 70 percent completed and is expected to maneuver a "soft opening" where only walk-in guests will be allowed to stay over night in the rooms. Patel expects the hotel to officially open in October.