Madison Beach Hotel: Taking It Off, Taking It All Off [Updated]

There was a flurry of excitement at the end of March when it appeared as though looked like it was coming down.

But it turns out that was just a tease. Only the shrouding on the east side of the hotel came down. The rest of it stayed up.

On Tuesday afternoon, the remainder of the shrouding was down and work was underway to clear the scaffolding.

May 1 opening still planned

Hotel officials have said they are committed to opening the hotel by May 1.

Lou Carrier, president of Distinctive Hospitality Group, which is managing the hotel, said that the dining rooms, hotel rooms, and spas should all be open by May 1. He said the hotel has not yet scheduled an inspection with the town for the hotel's permanent certificate of occupancy, but that it will be scheduled soon. He said the hotel has its liquor license and has made other arrangements in preparation for the opening.

"We're effectively working on finish work right now, some painting and staining," he said.

Discussions still underway about parking, grassy strip

He said hotel officials are continuing to talk with the town's Beach & Recreation Commission about possibilities for parking and about the fate of the next to the hotel, but that nothing has been decided.

"We're trying to come up with something that's going to work for the town and for the hotel," he said. "We're not at a point right now where we have an agreement."

He noted that in front of the hotel, paid for by the Duques family, which owns the hotel. "That was not an inexpensive undertaking," he said.

"We're proud of it"

Carrier said the hotel is in the process of getting bids for landscaping and that the hotel would like the grassy strip to be maintained and restored along with the rest of the lawn. "Right now we're going through bids to have that done. So we'll continue our discussion with the town. We don't want to step on any toes," he said.

Carrier said he is looking forward to May 1 and showing off the hotel to Madison residents and others. "They'll be able to see what the past few years have been about," he said.

"Hopefully everybody will be pleased. It's pretty spectacular. We're proud of it. We hope the town is too."

Handsome exterior, elegant interiors

I think the hotel is looking rather handsome on the outside with its light grey paint and white trim. I'm looking forward to seeing the it with all of the scaffolding down, and to seeing the inside, including the hotel rooms.

Carrier says Patch will be getting a tour sometime after the hotel opens May 1. To see pictures from a tour given earlier this year to The New Haven Register, you can view this slideshow. You can also see these renderings from Glen & Company, a New York City architecture and design firm that is working on the hotel. Go to this page, and see the third project down.

I've had family members stay at the old Madison Beach Hotel, and these pictures look like a vast improvement over the old rooms. They were quaint, but in dire need of updating.

If you have any pictures of the Madison Beach Hotel, either the old one or the new one, inside or outside, please post them to this story!

This was udpated on Wednesday April 11, 2012 to include comments from Lou Carrier.