Salt of the Earth

By Brian Scott Lipton

If you’ve visited Litchfield in the past few months, you may have noticed a new addition to this charming, historic city: The Abner Hotel. This 20-room luxury boutique property is operated and co-owned by Salt Hotels, which was founded more than 15 years ago by life partners David Bowd (the company’s CEO) and Kevin O’Brien (the company’s chief creative officer.)

A splendid addition to this beautiful town, the Abner features a unique mixture of historical details and artifacts extracted from its rich history as a public court building with a host of modern comforts and thoughtful amenities, all curated by O’Brien.

The hotel also offers a host of first-rate dining and event spaces, including the Courtroom Restaurant, which is helmed by Chef Michael Alfeld and offers modern tavern fare with continental influences; Verdict, a seasonal rooftop bar that offers sweeping views of the surrounding countryside; the Lock Up, a rustic stone-lined room that once housed the courthouse’s jail cells; and The Clock Tower, a cozy space which (like the Lock Up) is available for small events and private dinners.

Connecticut Voice recently spoke with Bowd and O’Brien about their unusual company and its equally unusual beginnings; the challenges and triumphs of transforming an historic building into a modern-day hotel; and Salt Hotels’ big plans for the future.

CV: How did your partnership, both professional and personal, begin?

DB: It’s been 18 years now. I was working for Ian Schrager and ended up being asked to open the Mondrian Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. Kevin came in later to head up the design team. We got together personally while we were there, and we thought no one knew. We were wrong. Eventually I went to work in London, and Kevin went to work in New York City. We had a long-distance relationship for eight months.

CV: How did Salt Hotels come about?

KO: We were together for two years when we took a trip to Provincetown for the first time, and then we looked at real estate there. For some reason, we had a hare-brained idea to run an inn, and we found this property called the Salt House Inn. The concept of us working together was organic. It wasn’t really planned.

CV: After so many years working for big companies, this must have been quite the learning curve!

DB: It was a real challenge. I was used to running big hotels, like the Standard and the Chateau Marmont, and having a large team to work with. I was not used to doing everything myself. I even had to do revenue management and accounting. Kevin did all the design work. We realized quickly the only way to make money in a seasonal market like Provincetown is having a small staff.

KO: We vastly underestimated the amount of work it took to run a 15-room B&B, with no restaurant. But I loved the idea that we were not working for someone.

CV: So how did the opportunity to operate and co-own The Abner come about?

KO: The opportunity came through Lexington Partners, who do commercial and residential real estate development. But they have no hospitality in their portfolio. The building, which was owned by Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust, had a prominent place in the town’s history. It had been the county courthouse over the centuries, but it was decommissioned in 2017. There had been an effort to have it become the Town Hall, but that got kiboshed by local voters. So, despite a lot of cost and compliance issues, Lexington decided to turn it into a boutique hotel.

CV: Did that decision make sense to you then? Does it now?

KO: We feel it’s been successful! The community has embraced us with open arms. The market is definitely underserved; people are booking weddings nearby. We’ve had interest from boarding schools; we even did a partnership with the Mohonk Mountain House, which is only 20 minutes away.

DB: It’s been a great place for people who want a Connecticut staycation, and the restaurant is within a 40-minute drive of so many places. Connecticut is a driving culture. Everyone drives to go to dinner—except in the winter.

CV: What turned out to be the biggest challenges—and triumphs—of the transformation?

DB: There were a lot of restrictions due to the building’s heritage. For example, the courtroom on the second floor had to legally remain open to the public, so it had to become a restaurant. But the second floor is not where you ideally want a restaurant. We had to deal with some odd-shaped bedrooms which are only 225 square feet but have 16-foot ceilings. We had to be clever in making them feel comfortable. And we created a separate rooftop bar, which we hope to reopen by April with better heating. This year, it stayed open until Halloween. I have to say this area is full of hearty people, and they do love to drink.

CV: They also probably love to eat also! Tell me about the restaurant!

DB: We had a firm idea of what we wanted: a place that is affordable, acceptable, and approachable. We didn’t want a Michelin star kind of place. So, we created a modern brasserie with great food and value where people can—and do—come multiple times in one month. And ultimately, we love that the design is very dramatic. It’s an unusual space to dine in, and people appreciate that!

CV: What’s next on your plate?

DB: We’ve got a few projects in the works! Minneapolis is likely next; we’ve been working on it since pre-Covid. It’s a historic building in the north loop, which is an up-and-coming area. We are also working on a project near Washington, DC. We’re never focused on lots and lots of hotels, just really good ones.