Fairmont Southampton to start $11.5m renovation

This winter The Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda’s premier resort and meeting destination, will embark on a $11.5 million renovation of its guest rooms and suites. The first phase of the renovation will be complete by May of 2014, in time for the busy summer season.

The renovation includes furniture, fixtures and equipment in 407 of the hotel's guest rooms. The guest rooms design scheme will include a rich palette of island sophistication, incorporating inspiration from Bermuda’s lush landscape. The new guest rooms will feature a warm chocolate brown and crisp white color scheme with pops of orange and turquoise to complement the soothing color palette.  The guest rooms and suites will be light and bright creating a leisure resort feeling that is both contemporary and true to the spirit of Bermuda.

In addition to the leisure resort feeling, guest rooms are thoughtfully appointed to meet the needs of business travelers as well, featuring expansive working desks with ergonomic chairs, WIFI, and technology connections for the flat screen televisions.  The hotel’s WIFI offerings have been increased to cover most of the property, including the beach. All guestrooms feature expansive bathrooms as well walk-in closets with built in dressers.

Parker Torres, a Massachusetts-based interior design and architectural firm specializing in hospitality design, will manage the project. Among other Fairmont projects Parker Torres has managed is the renovation and restoration of Boston’s landmark Fairmont Copley Plaza.  The general contractor on the project is Bermuda-based ECM Services.  Additional local contractors include Oceans Interiors, Treecon, Reeves Electric, AnPro, Aptech, Final Cutt and Lisa’s Eco Painting.

"The renovation in the guest rooms and suites will help to maintain The Fairmont Southampton's prominent position in Bermuda," said George Terpilowski, managing director of Fairmont Bermuda.  "The new decor will be more in keeping with the preferences of today's travelers while maintaining the island character of the resort."

The renovation has been thoughtfully phased and is being conducted floor-by-floor to ensure there will be no disruption to guests.  Renovations to the first 235 rooms began in mid-November 2013 with phase one expected to be complete by May 2014.  An additional 172 rooms will be renovated beginning in December 2014 with completion anticipated by mid-May 2015.

The guest room renovation follows recent enhancements to the resort’s restaurants, including the launch of The Newport, a Gastropub, The Dock at the Waterlot, and the repositioning of Ocean Club.