Williams College Purchases Williams Inn and Names Stockbridge's Main Street Hospitality Group as Manager

Media contact:  Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]u

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., April 4, 2014—Williams College announced today that it is buying The Williams Inn from Carl and Marilyn Faulkner, who plan to retire. To manage the inn, the college has retained Main Street Hospitality Group, which owns and operates The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and operates The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA in North Adams.

“Marilyn and I have been in the hospitality business as owner/operator of several inns throughout the Northeast since 1968,” Carl Faulkner said. “We’ve loved it, but it’s time to take it easy and retire. We’re excited that the college will purchase the inn and very pleased that it will become affiliated with The Red Lion Inn.”

The operation is scheduled to change hands on or about May 1. The college has assured the Faulkners that all commitments will be honored. All Williams Inn staff will then become employees of Main Street Hospitality Group. Formed in 2013, Main Street is a privately held hotel management company founded originally at The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, which the Fitzpatrick family has owned and operated since 1969. Main Street was chosen recently to manage the proposed Hotel on North in Pittsfield.

“As warm and devoted innkeepers to Williamstown, Carl and Marilyn have served our community wonderfully for decades,” said Fred Puddester, Williams’ treasurer and vice president for finance and administration. “We all owe them a great deal of thanks.”

The Williams Inn, with 128 guest rooms, function spaces, restaurant, bar, and indoor pool, is set amid the mountains of northern Berkshire County, at a cultural crossroads rich with world-class art museums, theater and music festivals, and an array of historic, literary, and performance events and venues. The current inn was built in 1974, but the inn’s history dates to 1912 and a building on the Williams campus that was converted to the college’s first women’s dormitory after coeducation. The Faulkners acquired the current property in 1979 and have run it as an independent family business since then.

“We have always operated the inn with the best interests of the community at heart, and we know that the Fitzpatrick family will carry on that tradition. We have known them since we moved to the area in the 1970s. The late Senator Fitzpatrick was a Williams alumnus,” said Faulkner.

“The best way to ensure a stable transition for this community asset seemed for there to be local ownership and management. Main Street Hospitality Group has a long tradition of serving the hospitality needs of our community. Its highly experienced staff not only know the market, they’re also dedicated to the Berkshires and to helping its economy,” Puddester said.

“Main Street Hospitality Group is pleased to have the opportunity to work with Williams College and the Williamstown community, and to continue the tradition of hospitality at The Williams Inn is a real privilege,” said Sarah Eustis, chief executive officer of Main Street. “Ours is a locally owned family business with a strong commitment to sustainable business practices and community engagement, and so the opportunity to manage The Williams Inn allows us to deepen and broaden our core mission.”

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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college’s 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students’ educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions on U.S. applicants are made regardless of a student’s financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

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Published April 4, 2014