By Matthew J. Mowry, BusinessNH Magazine
After almost 40 years of teaching thousands of children at the school they established next to their home, Jerry and Beth Siragusa were ready in 2019 for the next chapter and that of their picturesque property.
So, they turned to one of their six children, Marc, who worked in real estate and had extensive contacts in the Boston market. They hired a master planner to create a plan for the property, which included a restaurant and eventually housing or lodging. Marc connected with a hospitality group, and the family negotiated a deal to turn the barn that housed the school into an upscale tavern.
With COVID essentially shutting down the hospitality industry, the restaurant group eventually dropped the project. Undeterred, the family decided they would jump into the hospitality business. “My folks would host 300 to 400 people for school graduation,” Marc says. They spent the two pandemic years turning their property into The Westbrook Inn.
In October 2022, the 12,000-square-foot inn opened, including a 3,600-square-foot patio and a tent that can accommodate outdoor events for 200. The Siragusas have a plan to place another outdoor pavilion on a 2,600-square-foot pad on their property.
The school is now an inn and event space with seven guest rooms. It also includes a salon with a powder room to accommodate wedding parties for their preparations.
“Growing up we always talked about doing events here,” Marc says. “My sister got married here. We saw what it could be.”
To help draw people to the inn, the Siragusas have been reaching out to well-known chefs in the state to hold pop-up restaurant experiences at the inn, including Christopher Viaud, chef and owner of Greenleaf in Milford and Emshika Alberini, owner of Chang Thai Cafe in Littleton. “It is a special night for people to experience,” Marc says.
And those efforts are paying off. “We’ve been busy. We’re pleased,” Beth says.
For more information, visit thewestbrookinn.com.