BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey
September 9, 2022
For those who have been feeling the anticipation for a while, there’s cause for celebration with the announced opening of the newly refurbished historic Hacienda Hotel in downtown New Port Richey.
No doubt, eyes have been on the prized landmark that’s been the city’s claim to fame ever since silent film star, Thomas Meighan got the idea to build a hotel that would lure movie stars and other notables to what was to be the “Hollywood of the East.”
After years of notoriety followed by years of disrepair that had some thinking it might be best to level the place, the Hacienda is scheduled to open its doors to the public on Sept. 15 with an official ribbon cutting to be held later in October.
“We’re finally coming to the end of all the details and final touches,” said Marketing and Public Relations Manager, Dylan Gamez while taking What’s What NPR on a recent preview tour. “It’s very exciting to see it finally getting to the point where we can welcome guests.”
Some lucky, local die-hards will be treated to a sneak peek at a private event on Friday, Sept. 9 as owner Jim Gunderson and staff host a 1920’s style party for members of the Friends of the Hacienda and Historical New Port Richey. The group will be the first to dine in Sasha’s, the hotel’s signature restaurant, and sleep in the guest rooms which start out at a cost of $139 a night.
“The Hacienda Hotel Gala will be the first big event hosted at the Hacienda since before the construction so we are really looking forward to it,” said Bob Langford, who serves as president of the Friends of the Hacienda Hotel and Historical New Port Richey. “The opening of the Hacienda is exciting for me personally, but it’s exciting for everybody, especially people who used to go there for special occasions.”
“They are a very dedicated group of folk. They even went as far to put “Hacienda” in their name,” said Gunderson, noting that the gala will be a testing of the waters with staff from the Hacienda’s sister hotel, Lakeside Inn, making the trek from Mount Dora to New Port Richey to help out. “As an organization, they have had a long and invested interest in saving the hotel.
He had no clue the place came with its own fan club when he signed a multi-million dollar deal to restore the Hacienda to its “crown jewel” status.
The group has long been involved in working for the Hacienda’s preservation. They mopped floors, hosted fundraising tours, auctioned off old windows from the structure, and sold vanity bricks to assemble a walkway from Sim’s Park to the outside patio and dining area of the hotel.
“They did what they could to help convince everyone to stay strong on saving the hotel. There’s a sense of community and love for New Port Richey, of wanting to see it shine and for history to be saved.”
All that work culminates with the gala that will no doubt call back to the glory days.
Guests will don 1920s period attire, dine buffet style and dance the night away to tunes of old played by the Jazz Phools, a local jazz/swing band that plays at several area venues.
“It’s an evening to enjoy and celebrate,” said Gunderson.
And maybe bring that sense of satisfaction that comes with completing what’s been an arduous undertaking for Gunderson and the modest crew that started tearing the walls out a few years ago only to find a mess of rotting wood. Gunderson has been decidedly hands-on in overseeing the restoration project that came with its share of pitfalls made worse by the repercussions of supply issues caused by the pandemic.
While rewarding in the end, the trek to restoring a nearly 100-year-old structure has been a bit of a slog that’s not short on unhappy surprises, as well as complications in hiring subcontractors and engineering and architectural companies willing to do the work.
“Nothing about it is really easy. It’s a process that takes time,” Gunderson said. “Once you start opening things up everything has to be customized. The walls aren’t flush. Every board has to be cut and customized. The plumbing has to be customized. The electrical wiring has to be customized.
Even so, Gunderson saved what he could of the original structure, including chandeliers, cornices and crown molding, and wood that has been repurposed for the front desk and the hotel bar.
“He took on more work than he originally planned,” Langford said. “He had to basically completely rebuild the second floor. A whole lot of the building is actually new, other than the shell and some of the insides that were original. It was never air conditioned before and getting that done was a pretty big effort. Now it has all the modern conveniences. It’s as good as any class-A hotel that I’ve been to and I’ve been to a lot of hotels.”
“Mr. Gunderson actually wasted zero time in his endeavors to complete this job,” Langford said, noting that Gunderson was doing double duty running the Lakeside Inn throughout the reconstruction. “He is a tireless hotelier and the city of New Port Richey is so fortunate to have someone like him as the new owner of the Hacienda.”
“People are going to be so excited when they see it,” he added. “It’s actually better than it was when it was new and Mr. Gunderson has taken exceptional efforts in the restoration of the hotel and bringing it up to modern standards and, of course, codes.”
As a hotelier, the idea is to create a welcoming experience and enjoyable spot for guests from near and far, according to Gunderson, whose fingerprints are in all the details – from picking out the carpets, draperies and linens for the 40-room hotel, to the color on the walls that can help sway a mood. There are bright, Mediterranean colors in the dining area and lobby, subdued blue hues in the hallways and warmly decorated guest rooms with beds covered with comfy quilts. Those needing some downtime can venture out onto the balcony where white rocking chairs await guests offering a place to enjoy a cup of coffee or a drink.
“I hope people feel comfortable, whether there are in the dining room, the lobby or their guest room,” Gunderson said, noting that he’s aiming to capture a feeling seen in the historic photographs of the Hacienda that now adorn the walls. “In these photographs, particularly of the inside, so many of them have people that are smiling and enjoying themselves.”
“I want this to be a happy place for people, whether they are someone in their 20s where the building has been boarded up for their whole life or someone in their 60s who has memories of going to the high school prom or a wedding here,” he said, adding that his intent is for the Hacienda to draw visitors from outside the area. “Hopefully, it will offer enough of an experience that people will find their spot here that would sort of tickle them.”
“My biggest hope is that people will enjoy it, and start creating memories here. Come have a drink on the back porch and look out over the park, or have dinner with friends in the dining room or the patio. Bring the kids and let them throw a penny in the fountain and make a wish.”
See the transformation of the Hacienda Hotel Lobby
If You Go
- For more information including hotel rates, go to the Hacienda Hotel website at haciendahotelnpr.com or the Hacienda Hotel FB page.
- For information on Friends of the Hacienda and Historical New Port Richey as well as some cool photos go to the organization’s FB page.
Related
Bringing New Port Richey’s Hacienda Hotel back to its old glory
Onward | Hacienda Hotel Update
Local News Articles
- Former glory of Hacienda Hotel is in there, somewhere, Michele Miller, Tampa Bay Times (Sept. 2019)
- A gem is restored with Hacienda Hotel in New Port Richey, Tampa Bay Times/Bay Magazine (Aug. 2022)
- Historic Hacienda Hotel in New Port Richey will open to guests in September ABC Action News (Aug. 2022)
- Historic Hacienda Hotel accepting room reservations with plans to open in mid-September, Suncoast News, (July 2022)
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I have been watching the progress of the renovation. Can’t wait to see the New Hacienda,
Very very excited. Sad I missed the May 12 event. What a stunning transformation!