New Owners Plan Renovation For Chocksett Inn
Sterling's Chocksett Inn has new owners who are planning major renovations to the 23-year-old banquet facility.
Nikki Moorshead, who purchased the 2.7-acre property for $1.4 million with her husband, John, on Oct. 4, also co-owns the Colonial Hotel in Gardner with him. She said it was the right time to purchase a new inn, partially because, eight years after their purchase of the Colonial, renovations there were complete.
They also felt that it was an ideal location because the two inns are about 20 miles apart, which they believe is far enough to attract different clientele, but close enough to have a shuttle between locations.
Moorshead said the food and service at the Chocksett are high quality and won't see major changes.
"There really are no issues other than the inn needs to be updated," she said, adding that the ballroom constructed a few years ago was a major selling point.
"The new ballroom is just spectacular. It's just what we would have built if we had built a ballroom," Moorshead said. Aside from the ballroom, however, the rest of the inn had never been updated, she said.
Renovations are expected to begin within weeks and include a complete remodeling from the roof to the floor and include new windows and a heating system to increase energy efficiency.
Despite planning to spend about $500,000 on updates, Moorshead said the Chocksett will still have a classic feel.
"We would go for an old-fashioned feel but obviously with a new look," she said. "We certainly will not go for a modern feel; that is not a modern-style hotel. That's an inn."
The Chocksett has 26 guest rooms, and Moorshead is hoping to renovate other rooms into guest rooms, increasing the number to 30. She's also hoping to make changes to bridal suites and add one or two more.
Moorshead said when the Chocksett first opened, it was booking about 60 weddings a year. That was down by about half this year and the goal is to get bookings back up to where they began. She said the slow-down was partially due to uncertainty over who would take over the inn. There's also the hope that the number of employees will increase as business grows. Moorshead said the Chocksett currently employs 35 people and she expects to add 10 to 15 more next season.
"I think there's a lot of excitement about the changes because it was never about the food or service it was always about the inn," she said.
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