Junge’s Motel razed for Cambria Hotel, 110 Grill | Local News
CONWAY – Demolition Teams of Defranzo Demolition Corp. of Fremont were at work Wednesday razing the bulk of the former boy’s motel to make way for a proposed 22,808-square-foot, 114-room, three-story hotel and 5,800-square-foot restaurant and 2,500-square-foot restaurant big bank. Work began on November 22nd and is expected to be completed this week.
The property on the 1858 White Mountain Highway in North Conway comprises a total of approximately 5.1 acres. The property was sold in December 2018 and January 2019 and has been vacant since then. The city granted demolition permission to new owners, 20TEN Investments, DVS Family LLC of Conway, on November 16. The company’s phone number on the permit belongs to Jamsan Hotel Management of Lexington, Massachusetts.
The project was approved by the planning authority in July 2020, subject to certain conditions. According to planning assistant Holly Whitelaw, they have not yet given the bond to the city as a condition for final approval.
Ashok Patel from Jamsan told the Sun on Wednesday, “We are still working on a few things that need to be done (financially) and we need planning permission from the city. We think we might start building in February or March. “
The new hotel will be a Cambria Hotel, a member of the Choice Hotel family and described on the website as “design-forward accommodations and the chance to indulge in little pampering when you are not at home”.
Patel also owns Fox Ridge Resort and developed the 80-room Home2Suites by Hilton, which opened in North Conway in August. Jamsan operates more than 80 New England hotel properties.
“We firmly believe in North Conway as a destination hotel market because of its convenience and proximity to Boston and New York,” said Patel.
He said he didn’t have a tenant yet, but said the restaurant was being occupied by 110 Grill of Westford, Massachusetts.
Earle Wason of Wason Hospitality Associates, Portsmouth, said the latest project is part of North Conway’s development as a regional travel destination. “It tells you the valley hospitality industry is alive and well,” Wason said.
According to local realtor Bayard Kennett of REMAX Presidential of North Conway, Junge’s property is made up of two roughly equal lots. Kennett announced to the Sun that the deal has been split into two segments by mutual agreement of the parties involved.
Junge’s was considered one of the oldest motels in North Conway when it closed. According to Janet M. Hounsell’s book, Conway, New Hampshire, 1765-1997, Ralph Junge’s parents, Catherine and Hans Junge, started their business in 1950 with seven units. When it closed, it comprised 28 units over 35 acres