The completion of the business additions to the inn came in two stages, with five conference rooms opening last August and the rest opening in November.
Renovations include the Hayward room, a 1,761-square-foot conference room overlooking the Green, and the Minary Conference Center, which houses a 3,933-square-foot grand ballroom, three additional executive conference rooms and a new connector to the Hopkins Center.
"The new Minary Conference Center space has been a huge success for Dartmouth College-related events, local industry events and social events," Hanover Inn general manager Joseph Mellia said in an email.
The conference center was named after the Minary Center on Squam Lake, a former Dartmouth facility that the College's Board of Trustees sold in 2010. A portion of the sale funded extra costs incurred by the Inn's renovations.
The ballroom was the site of two Dartmouth alumni weddings, and several weddings and College events are scheduled for the rest of the year.
The Hanover Inn referred clients to other neighboring hotels during the renovations, including the Six South Street Hotel.
Six South Street, downtown Hanover's only other lodging facility, experienced a jump in business. Business levels have returned to their normal rate since the Hanover Inn's reopening.
Six South Street could not have taken on the same types of renovations as the Hanover Inn because of the limited land availability, general manager Don Bruce said. Bruce is happy to have the Hanover Inn back in service, for he considers it a business partner rather than a competitor.
With renovations complete, the Hanover Inn saw an increase in business and expects the new conference space to attract larger conventions and events to Hanover.
The inn's new restaurant, Pine, named in honor of the symbolic tree of the College, is slated to open on March 18 and will mark the end of the inn's renovations, Mellia said.
The restaurant was originally planned to open in November but incurred delays when the inn decided to change the restaurant's interior design.
Pine will be located on the corner of Wheelock and Main Streets in the former Hayward Lounge overlooking the Green. The restaurant will be headed by chef Michael Schlow, working with executive chef Justin Dain.
Schlow is a Boston-based chef whose restaurants were named among the top 25 restaurants in America by Gourmet magazine. He has made appearances on Food Network, the Today Show and Good Morning America.
While Schlow is only consulting with the Hanover Inn for Pine's creation, the time, recipes and guidance he contributes will be equivalent to that given to any of his other signature restaurants in New England, he said in an interview with Boston Eater.
Mellia said he hopes Pine will serve as casual meeting place for a variety of customers.
"The concept of the restaurant will feature a local American cuisine providing a comfortable atmosphere with inspired food," Mellia said.
The inn's small dining room, its main dining facility, will continue to serve breakfast regularly once Pine opens. The Inn will open the outdoor terrace for dining during the summer.
