Capitol Plaza comes back with vigor

Vermont Business Magazine, Apr 1994 by Edelstein, Art

In renovating the building, the Basharas removed a small indoor swimming pool to add conference space. There are currently three main conference rooms, including the 4,700-square-foot Governor's Ballroom, the Montpelier Room at 2,800 square feet, and the Ethan Allen Room at 1,800 square feet.

There also will be three small conference rooms suitable for groups of up to 20 people. "We're staying simple with the technology, and will rent audio-visual as needed," said Cain.

Work is being completed to the tower section of the hotel in preparation for new tenants, said Cain. Lured to the office space is the state's biggest law firm--Downs, Rachlin, Martin. The Johnson Company, an environmental engineering company, has also leased a floor's worth of space in the tower.

Cain said new tenants received leases with all utilities included. The leases will run two to five years.

The Basharas, said Cain, decided to bring in a food and beverage concession. "Food and beverage was not a family expertise, so we hired Gerard Rubaud of Gerard's Restaurant at the Radisson in Burlington," he said.

The Justin Morgan Room will be renamed the Cafe Capitol and become a two-tiered restaurant, with formal and casual seating.

Cain said he plans to market the hotel and conference center to the local community for conferences. The State House attracts tourists. Spring, summer and foliage season should be good for the hotel, he said.

A strong emphasis will be made to attract the conferences and banquets that have had to find other space during the years of decline, and after the closure of the hotel.

Cain thinks his father-in-law's good reputation and the visible changes to the property will bring business back to the hotel.

"Certainly in the two years since the flood, there has been a vacuum and people had to compromise in what they could do," he said. "The amount of conference and banquet business in Montpelier ranks right up there. (We hope to) wine and dine the legislators."

Cain, like others, said the community has high regard for Fred Bashara and his business style. "People know that Fred is an owner-operator, hands on in all aspects. He greets guests, shovels walks. In his movie theaters you always see good management and service. In the family they all work well together and are hard workers."

Local businessman Richard Wobby Jr has high hopes for the new hotel. He thinks the hotel's reopening will bring more business back to the downtown area.

"We've lacked the tourist accommodations in the past. Fred's the first to grab the bull by the horns and do the renovations. The place was shot before the flood," he said.

"The new hotel will bring the conferences and tourists back into Montpelier. They won't be on the outskirts," said Wobby. He expects to see a spillover effect as guests venture out into the downtown. "There will be a ripple effect, with people spending money," he predicted.

Local workers will also benefit from the hotel's reopening. The Basharas will hire three to four dozen people to staff the hotel and restaurants. That, said Malek, will make the hotel one of the larger employers in the city.