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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

Hospitality

Renovation

 

Photography credit: Omni Hotels & Resorts

Omni Homstead_Longform_Details
By the Numbers By the Numbers By the Numbers By the Numbers By the Numbers

$52,000,000

VALUE

18 months

SCHEDULE

1,000,000

SQUARE FEET

2023

YEAR COMPLETED

7.46

MILES OF CARPET INSTALLED

Vision Vision Vision Vision Vision

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.

Elements Elements Elements Elements Elements
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.

Trust, built. Trust, built. Trust, built. Trust, built. Trust, built.

The key to success on this one-of-a-kind historic renovation project came down to HITT’s ability to remain agile when running into challenges that were associated with a complex, occupied historic resort renovation, while still successfully delivering on the critical path. From early project stages, the HITT team presented a highly engaged and coordinated group of individuals who brought solutions to the table whenever challenges arose. Empowered by clear communication and a solutions-oriented mentality, the HITT team was able to provide Omni Hotel & Resorts a trustworthy and exceptional experience.

THE HITT EXPERIENCE

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.

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