Unity College Acquires Historic Hunting Lodge

Emily Higginbotham, staff writer for CentralMaine.com posted an article, "The sky's the limit as Unity College takes the reins at Sky Lodge," reporting on Unity's acquisition of an historic lodge in the northern part of the state, in Moose River, roughly two hours from Unity's campus in Unity, Maine.  Higginbotham interviewed Melik Peter Khoury, the college’s president, Erika Latty, the chief academic officer, and several faculty members on opportunities and how the 16-building facility can act as a campus-away-from-campus just 15 miles from the Canadian border.

You can read more on Unity's website about the acquisition, "HistoricSky Lodge Donated to Unity College: Facility and more than 150 acres added togrowing portfolio of college locations."

Small Colleges and Boutique Hotels

Several small colleges are mentioned in an interesting post written by Laura Powell, "Luxury Boutique Hotels Become Part of the College Experience," published on the Skift website in early December 2017.  Powell interviewed college administrators and representatives of The Olympia Companies that have developed are operating hotel properties for Oberlin, Swarthmore, and Rollins College.

The Alfond Inn in Winterpark, Florida is owned by Rollins College and is the largest of the featured hotels with 112 rooms.  Powell indicates the property is exceeding expectations with an occupancy rate of 90% and estimated $50 million in annual revenue.  She also notes that any net profits are used for scholarships.

The Hotel at Oberlin with 70 rooms was developed by Smart Hotels of Shaker Heights, OH,  It has been open just over a year and meets U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum requirements by incorporating solar, geothermal, and radiant heating and cooling.  

The Inn at Swarthmore opened in May 2016 and is the smallest of the three with 40 rooms.  

Powell also briefly mentions Colby College is finishing a boutique hotel as part of a broader downtown redevelopment effort in Waterville, Maine.  You can read more details in an article, "Colby College picks Portland firm to build boutique hotel in Waterville," on the Portland Press Herald website with reporting by Amy Calder.

The Williams Inn at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts offers 116 rooms.  The property was initially built in 1974 and was acquired by the college in 2014.

Please leave a comment below if you know of other small colleges that are developing and operating hotels on their campuses or in the communities they serve.