The reopening of the Hale Bath House as a boutique hotel has been pushed to late February or early March due to unexpected delays, including the partial shutdown of the federal government, Hot Springs Mayor Pat McCabe said earlier this week.
McCabe, speaking to Oaklawn Rotary Club during its weekly meeting at The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa, said the anticipated opening date was originally the middle of this month.
"We need to have a final government inspection. We are all ready to go, hiring staff. But I need to know when I can offer services," said McCabe, who is leasing the bath house from the National Park Service with his wife, Ellen.
The inspection was scheduled to take place in four weeks but is now not a certainty, he said, and there have been other challenges along the way, such as the air-conditioning system.
McCabe said the heating and air conditioning systems in the old bath houses "are not necessarily the most efficient. They are not what you would use if you if you were building new today. But it is pretty expensive to change out. So you try to live with what you've got."
After some unexpected expenses, though, the air system has been sufficiently repaired.
Financing has been another difficulty. McCabe said financial institutions wanted collateral for the loans needed to finance the project. In such cases, the building itself can usually be used as collateral. Since the Hale is owned by the federal government and leased to the McCabes, that was not possible. However, an arrangement was reached to continue the project.
Plumbing also proved to be difficult due to the bathrooms using two water sources: both city water and thermal water. This made the undertaking much more expensive than originally anticipated.
Nonetheless, construction has successfully pushed on.
The boutique hotel will feature nine rooms, one of which will be a suite with a sitting area and bedroom, and two dining areas. Each room will feature a soaking tub fed by thermal waters, and some will also feature a standing shower also fed by the hot springs.
"Our business plan was really to focus on destination weddings and small corporate retreats," said McCabe.
Room rates will start at $145 and increase in price depending on size, demand, and date. McCabe stated that room prices will increase during racing season, primarily on Arkansas Derby Day.
The building is ADA accessible, with an elevator and one room specially made to be convenient for guests in wheelchairs, with the largest being 636 square feet.
The dining areas will have seating for over 200, and can be used for wedding receptions, business retreats, or the entire facility can be rented out for an event.
The front dining area will offer Americana-style foods for a more casual dining experience. The second area will be more secluded and offer upscale dining, with a small menu of eight to 10 "healthy, vibrant food items," he said.
"You're not going to go through reams of paper to find what you want. We will excel in those items that we do offer, though."
The head chef will be Fermin Martinez, formerly the chef at the Bohemia restaurant.
The upscale area will be open Friday nights, Saturday nights, and Sunday brunch, with the remaining days being left open for private function reservations.
The boutique hotel has leased parking spots for overnight guests with a nearby drop-off location at the Maurice, which was negotiated in the lease for the Hale. Parking will not be provided for dinner guests, but the mayor sees this as a benefit to the community.
"What people ought to remember is that there are so many unique shops in downtown Hot Springs for walking and window shopping. It shouldn't be just a destination to eat, but an experience of the entire downtown. That's what we are hoping for," he said.
Booking for reservations will begin once an opening date is solidified.
The project began in September 2013. McCabe estimates he has put $1.3 million into the project, and plans to employ 60 or so people. He said he is eager to see the labors of him, his family, and all those involved in the endeavor come to fruition. As McCabe said, "Once we turn the lights on at the Hale, they're never going off."
Local on 01/17/2019