HOT SPRINGS, Va. – A big announcement from the Omni Homestead Resort. There’s a $120 million renovation going on right now across the property. 10 News was there for the excitement as they unveiled what to expect.
“We’ve got to plan for the future. We can’t just look at tomorrow. We have to look a year down the road, five years down the road, 10 years down the road,” said Mark Spadoni, Omni Homestead Resort managing director. “Is it a rehabilitation, is it a restoration, is it a renovation? I think it’s a little bit of all.”
Complete Property Services is the general contractor doing all the exterior waterproofing and restoration. The extensive work is starting on the outside with 978 original wood windows and hundreds of doors before moving inside to renovate the rooms that will stay open through the whole process.
Façade improvements, including brick repointing, painting and window restoration will begin in late October. Guest rooms in the main building, Tower, East, West and Garden Wings will all be updated with a fresh, tailored, and comfortable design in keeping with the current vintage style. Martha’s Market, the property’s grab-and-go café, will be entirely remodeled with a new coffee counter, ice cream display and bistro-style design opening to the updated Washington Library. The Lobby Bar will expand into the Georgian Room with a new speakeasy-style lounge
“Anytime you’re touching a property with this much historic element to it it’s always unique. Yes, we’ve done projects this big but this one is really going to be monumental for everyone,” said Leta Hardy, Vice President of Complete Property Services.
The firm will also repair all stucco, terracotta, limestone and brick masonry on the hotel and spa exterior surfaces, as well as the roof above the Great Hall. In addition, balcony deck work will be completed on the Garden Wing, Tower terraces, West Wing porches and Presidential Suite balconies, restoring them to their original luster.
Hardy says they’ll be buying local and hiring specific people like carpenters locally too.
“Every element on the building is being touched in one way, shape, or form. Everything from the balconies, we’re not just repairing them in most cases we are replacing them and restoring them,” said Hardy.
They’re also adding a new event pavilion, ideal for weddings and special events and a new employee building in downtown Hot Springs where people can live.
“For us, memories are long-lasting. We were very sensitive of maintaining the integrity of the property, updating it, making it a little bit more appealing for current travelers and future travelers,” said Spadoni.
All the renovations are expected to be finished in the next 16 months.
In addition to the improvements being made to the resort, Lionberger Construction has started the intricate restoration of the historic Warm Springs Pools.