Articles about the New Glen House

[peakbagger]

Today's Conway Daily Sun 8/25/18 has a long article about the New Glen House and the past hotels at that location

 

[peakbagger]

To be polite, the structure from the RT 16 would fit right in at any number of Interstate highway exits. It was dressed up with "gingerbread" to give it some differentiation. Hopefully they spent more time on the interior fit out. Given the great view from the spot it really deserved a more distinct structure but as noted its targeted at mid level and not high end guests. This hotel had been postponed several years as the autoroad owners reported were very conservative on the finances. I expect that for a private business with conservative financing in place that the budget is going to dictate that the underlying structure be built economically. Despite being a basic structure i did take a very long to get built far longer then a similar structure would take. I expect they will do well in prime seasons but expect keeping the rooms full during mud season and early winter will be challenge. Many folks travel from the Berlin Gorham area to work in North Conway so I expect there will be staff available to work a sits closer to home.

As the facility was permitted through Coos County I am not sure if there would be an extensive architectural review. When I first moved into the area there was a Forest Service purchase of what I believe was mix of auto road and Libby family lands long RT16 surrounding the current Auto road site and heading north. I believe the discussion at the time was that in return for selling the land to the WMNF that the WMNF would not object to development of the remaining private land.

At least such a structure has not popped up on the Cog Right of Way

 

[peakbagger]

A bit of thread drift, but the Autoroad (owner of the new Glen House) just split with the local chamber of commerce over ATV issues. The Autoroad runs a couple of days where road is closed to regular traffic so that ATVs can use the autoroad and these events have sold out rapidly. Therefore they are not anti ATV.

http://indepthnh.org/2018/09/05/mt-washington-auto-road-leaves-chamber-over-atv-lawsuit-support/

Good to see that they are supporting principles over dollars. There has been plenty of time to come up with alternatives but the only obvious response to the lawsuit has been to try to bully the town of Gorham selectman and anyone else that wants ATVs out of residential areas.

 

[Breeze]

Howie and the Auto Road have a borderline tolerance relationship with the NH ATV Club that continues to allow the annual Gerry Pomerleau Memorial Ride on Mt Washington. Otherwise, the requirements for ATV clubs, which include a $1 million dollar event insurance bond, are prohibitive for smaller clubs in the state.

Do not think that makes the Auto Road pro-ATV. DO NOT think the Road is pro-ATV. You would be mistaken. There is some ugly history there.

 

[peakbagger]

Note, I was careful to state "not anti ATV" which is far different than pro ATV.

1 million event insurance bond is nothing unusual for events on private property. Unlike ski areas I do not believe that the recreational liability waiver statutes applies to ATVs on private properties for paid events. I expect the SCCA has the same or far more onerous bonding and insurance requirements when they run the car race and most likely the bike race and running race has similar. Given that most ATV clubs are generally small volunteer organizations and much of their operation is covered by the recreational liability waiver when running on non posted private land or on state land, I expect the cost is something they haven't run into before and it would be prohibitive.

 

[ChrisB]

To be polite, the structure from the RT 16 would fit right in at any number of Interstate highway exits.

I would call it more Lincoln NH Classic style. Here's what it looked like two weeks ago.

Adams and Madison in the background:

 

[CaptCaper]

I would call it more Lincoln NH Classic style. Here's what it looked like two weeks ago.

Adams and Madison in the background:

View attachment 6052

Yea it' pretty ugly..again looks like Hampton Inn etc. right off the Interstates..next to Cracker Barrel's.

 

[LarryD]

I'll leave the architectural criticism to others, but figured I would report on a post-hike visit to the new hotel yesterday. Hiked the 'Cats and thought I would pop into the bar to watch some of the Pats game. Front door staff was welcoming, even though I was dressed post-hike (I did change my shirt and my hiking boots). They assured me hikers were welcome. Bar area has large windows with a spectacular view of the Northern Presis. There is also a large outdoor deck with a fire pit. Bar has 6-8 beers on tap, all local (Tucks, Moat, etc.). In the interest of being thorough, I tried a couple. Bartender was a hiker, and very friendly/informative. She invited me to look around. Looked at food menu, but did not order. Food (and beers) may seem pricey to some. Menu may change, since they are still in the "soft opening" stage. I will stop in again, if I am hiking in the area and (reasonably) presentable post-hike. May even consider the occasional drive up from Conway for apps/drinks or a meal.

 

[skiguy]

I'll leave the architectural criticism to others, but figured I would report on a post-hike visit to the new hotel yesterday. Hiked the 'Cats and thought I would pop into the bar to watch some of the Pats game. Front door staff was welcoming, even though I was dressed post-hike (I did change my shirt and my hiking boots). They assured me hikers were welcome. Bar area has large windows with a spectacular view of the Northern Presis. There is also a large outdoor deck with a fire pit. Bar has 6-8 beers on tap, all local (Tucks, Moat, etc.). In the interest of being thorough, I tried a couple. Bartender was a hiker, and very friendly/informative. She invited me to look around. Looked at food menu, but did not order. Food (and beers) may seem pricey to some. Menu may change, since they are still in the "soft opening" stage. I will stop in again, if I am hiking in the area and (reasonably) presentable post-hike. May even consider the occasional drive up from Conway for apps/drinks or a meal.

Sounds like you enjoyed the experience. I suspect the architectural design and it's simplicity may have something to do with function. It is located in Pinkham Notch in an area that is subjected to some rather harsh weather. Having a more simplistic exterior creates less of a maintenance situation. Lot's of exterior trim, dormers, and fancy veneering may look nice but considering the potential and or annual exterior maintenance is just plain easier to deal with. If one wants a more upgraded experience you can always drive around to the other side of the mountain. All in all as already mentioned it seems as if the target market is more economically the middle of the road. Lot's of great skiing, biking and hiking from that location. After those types of experiences it's nice not to have to immediately shower and don a coat and tie. Nice to hear they are hiker friendly for sure.