Phased interior renovation of the nation’s oldest resort
Nestled in the Allegheny Mountains, this historic renovation preserves a luxury, one-of-a-kind resort.
Location
Hot Springs, Virginia
Key Partners
- TRT Holdings, Inc.,
- WATG
- Wimberly Interiors
- Vanderweil Engineers
- Walter P Moore
- Hurt & Proffitt
- Cromwell Consulting
- Reveal Design Group
Client
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Project Type
$52,000,000
VALUE
18 months
SCHEDULE
1,000,000
SQUARE FEET
2023
YEAR COMPLETED
7.46
MILES OF CARPET INSTALLED
The Omni Homestead Resort’s largest restoration project since its inception, HITT was tasked to restore and revitalize guestrooms, public spaces, indoor pool and spa, 28 meeting rooms, theater, and restaurants and associated kitchens throughout the iconic resort.
Client Goals
The Omni Homestead Resort property-wide renovations revitalized a luxury resort and designated National Historic Landmark. To enhance the guest and employee experience, public spaces were transformed into bright, airy areas, guestrooms and corridors were updated with a united aesthetic, and amenities and meeting rooms were refreshed to improve the functionality of the respective spaces.
Design Vision
Design partners WATG and Wimberly Interiors drew inspiration from the local Allegheny Mountain landscape to evoke a warm, historic ambiance. Every decision was focused on the themes of “traditional, lightness, residential, sophisticated, and iconic” design.
Construction Focus
By carefully phasing the work wing-by-wing, the HITT team was able to implement significant renovation projects in the fully operational resort while minimally impacting guests and employees.
Architectural Millwork
Architectural millwork either had to be preserved or carefully matched with new millwork to be cohesive with the original design and materials. The HITT team partnered with skilled tradespeople who were experienced working with historic millwork techniques, implementing a rigorous quality control process to ensure the millwork blends well into its historic context.
Phased Guestroom Renovation
The HITT team renovated 483 guestrooms throughout five separate hotel wings. Guestroom renovations included new structural and MEP upgrades and finishes. By utilizing a phased, wing-by-wing approach, the HITT team was able to conduct renovation work while the hotel remained open for guests. Transparent communication and detailed coordination with hotel management allowed HITT to embark on this major renovation with minimal impact to guests and employees.
180,000 Square Feet of Public Space
The resort hosts a variety of bespoke experiences within their public spaces. The HITT team renovated the main lobby, refreshed the indoor pool and spa, fit-out a new family-style restaurant, and transformed ballroom and meeting rooms into light, inviting spaces with significant audiovisual and acoustic enhancements. Guests will find themselves comfortably enjoying a drink or movie in the new lobby bar and reconfigured historic theater.
The Homestead Renovation was a paramount project for Omni Hotels & Resorts. It’s one of the oldest hotels in our brand and almost everyone was afraid to touch it due to its deterioration – talk about peeling back an onion – but the importance of restoring a piece of American history for all to enjoy was a huge desire, and HITT was on the front lines attacking the issues along the way. HITT has seen a ton of construction and brings experience when surprises make their debut. By listening to the owners, subcontracting partners, and designers, they thread a solution that’s right for all quickly.”
Clint Gulick
Director of Special Projects, TRT Holdings
Unique Challenges, Smart Solutions
Ambitious projects require carefully constructed solutions
Challenge
Founded in 1766 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, there are many intricacies to the historic interior renovations for such an iconic resort. The HITT team had to strike a delicate balance of preserving the old and adding the new to refresh the resort while still maintaining its historic southern charm.
Solution
By implementing a rigorous quality control program, HITT seamlessly blended old and new materials into one cohesive finished project. We partnered with experienced trade partners familiar with the challenges of historic restorations and established shared expectations from the beginning. By communicating early and conducting regular monitoring and documentation, we gained buy-in from our trade partners to complete the project to Omni Hotels & Resorts’ high expectations.
Challenge
Considering it opened in 1766, the resort still utilized steam heating throughout the resort. While it will still rely on steam power for most domestic hot water needs, original steam radiators had to be removed throughout the West and Tower Wings and replaced with up-to-date infrastructure.
Solution
Modernizing mechanical and plumbing systems in the historic hotel involved countless hours of wall and floor trenching while mitigating historic preservation, structural integrity, and coordinating core drilling. The HITT team removed all steam pipes throughout the West and Tower Wings, including the main steam pipe underneath the main building, replacing them with updated plumbing and electrical units to heat and cool more efficiently for modern-day guests.
Challenge
Located in the center of the Allegheny Mountains in Hot Springs, Virginia, the remote location of the resort presented unique obstacles including construction equipment and materials site delivery, stakeholder site visit difficulty, and potential worker isolation.
Solution
The HITT team developed a meticulous tracking log to ensure correct materials were delivered on-time, allowing Omni Hotels & Resorts to meet their substantial completion date. By documenting the project through OpenSpace 360-degree video capture, stakeholders could gain same-day project insights to monitor progress and quality no matter their physical location. By embracing a culture of mental wellbeing and psychological safety daily, HITT team members and trade partners thrived in an inclusive, safe, and productive work environment despite their remote location for nearly two years.
360-degree Video Capture
The HITT team utilized OpenSpace, a 360-degree video software which captured photo documentation throughout the project’s lifecycle. The platform provided Omni Hotels & Resorts and other stakeholders with a comprehensive suite of tools to immerse themselves into the remote project via their computer, smartphone, or tablet no matter their physical location. Having instant access to this photo documentation ensured that the entire project team was up to date with the information need to make decisions and keep the project moving forward.
Luxurious, Historic Resort
This resort features fresh and contemporary details while skillfully preserving the past, enhancing the guest and employee experience.
Built in 1904, the renovation of the indoor pool and spa provides guests an area to rest and rejuvenate.
Centered in the main building of the resort, the Great Hall features a custom-designed carpet.
Originally completed in 1929, the historic theater transformed into a flexible event space with lounge sofas, a new snack bar, and enhanced audiovisual technologies.
The resort boasts more than 72,000 square feet of spaces for events including the 13,000 square foot Grand Ballroom, 10,000 square foot Regency Ballroom, and 28 meeting rooms.
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