March 15, 2024 – Orono, Maine – Olympia Hospitality has announced the opening of Hotel Ursa, a new hotel on the campus of the University of Maine (UMaine) in Orono. Hotel Ursa has 95 guest rooms and is located at the center of the campus. The new property serves a variety of needs for UMaine while providing visitors to the region with a unique and compelling experience.
Inspired by the Ursa Major and Minor constellations and the North Star that connects them, Hotel Ursa was developed through a historic rehabilitation of two original buildings on campus, Coburn Hall and Holmes Hall. These buildings were erected in 1887-88 and were designed in the Romanesque Revival style by architect Frank E. Kidder, who graduated from Maine State College, the precursor of UMaine, in 1879. They have been transformed to offer modern rooms and suites that have retained their unique character and vintage charm. They have been joined by a third building, Polaris Hall, a new building that offers contemporary guestrooms.
The hotel also offers MajorMinor, a cafe and bar where members of the university community and guests alike can hang out and enjoy locally roasted coffees, baked goods, snacks and evening beverages.
Hotel Ursa was developed by Radnor Property Group, a real estate development company with a strong presence in higher education public-private partnership (P3) projects in the northeast, and Harrison Street, one of the leading investment management firms exclusively focused on alternative real assets.
“We are proud to be a partner in this project for the adaptive reuse of these historic buildings in the heart of the UMaine campus. It has been quite a journey, and we are elated to mark this milestone and hand the keys to Olympia,” says Nick Allen, Director of Public Private Partnerships at Radnor Property Group.
“As a Maine-based company, our entire team shares in the excitement and pride felt among all of the partners behind this extraordinary opening,” says Sara Masterson, President of Olympia Hospitality.
Archetype Architects designed the project and Wright-Ryan Construction was the general contractor. Olympia Hospitality, based in Portland, is operating the hotel. Olympia was chosen because of its deep experience with a diverse collection of campus hotel projects, which include The Alfond Inn at Rollins, The Inn at Swarthmore and The Hotel at Oberlin, all boutique-style hotels conceived and designed in collaboration with their respective colleges.
