A 95-room hotel opening March 5 on the University of Maine’s campus already has about 400 reservations through October.
Hotel Ursa includes two historic buildings on campus that sat mostly unoccupied for more than a decade and were repurposed, plus the newly built Polaris Hall. Coburn Hall and Holmes Hall were built in the late 1880s and housed the agriculture and history departments and the chemistry department, respectively.
The hotel is named for the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor constellations, meaning “greater bear and lesser bear,” according to its website. It is also a nod to UMaine’s mascot, the black bear.
Hotel Ursa will be the first on a Maine public college’s campus. Those involved with the $28 million project say it will accommodate parents, university guests and lecturers, and some out-of-state athletes. It also fills a gap in lodging after a Texas-based software company bought the University Inn in Orono in late 2021 and later tore it down to build its new office.
“It’s really about looking at the institution over the next 30-plus years,” said Jake Ward, vice president of strategic partnerships and innovations. “How do we have a comprehensive university that is open and friendly to the public?”
An on-campus hotel makes conferences, workshops, athletic games and other events more accessible, he said, and it’s another asset in Greater Bangor. Ward called it “a wrap-around of everything that we do.”
A UMaine committee and consultant Brailsford and Dunlavey explored ways to repurpose the Coburn and Holmes buildings, settling on an independent hotel. It was the leading “economic solution” for the college and larger community because it will be added to the town’s tax base, Ward said.
The project is a joint venture of Pennsylvania-based Radnor Property Group, a real estate development company, and Harrison Street, a Chicago investment firm. UMaine’s cost-sharing is up to $3 million, and the school has a share in revenue going forward, he said.
The hotel, located at 1 Moosehead Road in Orono, is also a major selling point for the university, said Heather Assi Antonin of Olympia Hotel Management, which will operate the property. It’s attractive to parents touring the campus with their children, and it provides them with convenient lodging during big events like commencement, she said.
Beyond that, the hotel is an investment in the larger area because it will create about 30 jobs once it opens, she said.
Because the Coburn and Holmes halls carry years of history, many original features were preserved. Guests who appreciate historic buildings may wish to stay in Coburn, with 30 rooms, or Holmes, which has seven rooms, including a presidential suite whose windows look out to Munson Road. Polaris, which was built to blend in with the repurposed buildings nearby, has 58 rooms.
“The architect did a beautiful job honoring all the history,” Assi Antonin said about making Polaris Hall fit in with its neighboring buildings. “All the details fit. Nothing was overlooked.”
The first floor of Holmes contains the front desk, a fitness area, a study room and MajorMinor, a cafe open during daytime and evening hours. It will initially serve coffee drinks, baked goods and snacks, which will later expand to include Maine craft beers and wines by the glass.
The parking area between Holmes Hall and the Fogler Library was redesigned and will be dedicated for guests, Ward said. There is another parking lot in front of Coburn Hall, and if needed, the campus has overflow parking at its steam plant.
On the hotel’s website, one-night stays in Polaris Hall are listed at $127 to $164 throughout March, not including taxes and depending on the room size. One-night stays in Coburn Hall are listed at $190 to $230 throughout September. Dates appear to be available for booking through 2024.
