New Englander Hotel
Known Name(s)
New Englander Hotel
Address
(198) Main St. Danbury, CT
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel
Physical Status
Extant
Detailed History
Built in 1961 and 1962, the four-story, 120-unit, "ultra-modern" New Englander replaced the earlier Hotel Green, which dated to 1908. The owners, Fairfield businessmen, sought to provide luxury amenities in a home-like ambiance as an alternative to the modern motels being built across the state at the time. The Danbury New Englander, the third in their franchise of New Englander Motor Hotels, opened in the summer of 1962.
The hotel offered an extensive array of services, from restaurant and cocktail lounge to laundry, valet, travel bureau, teletype, baby sitters and free 24-hour coffee service in the rooms. The business plan, devised in consultation with local civic leaders and business representatives, was to attract travelers, diners, and group meetings. The hotel was advertised as conveniently located off the newly finished I-84 (completed in sections starting in 1961).
Listing in The Green Book appears to have simply been part of its broad marketing strategy to generate business. The hotel had financial difficulties from the outset; in 1963, the owners added short- and long-term apartment rentals for a more reliable income stream. By 1975, it had closed and been purchased by the city for reuse as senior housing.
Sources: "New Englander Will Open Danbury Motor Hotel Monday," The Bridgeport Post, 7/1/1962, p.78. "Informal, Inexpensive, Indescribable!," advertisement for Surrey Room restaurants in New Englander Motor Hotels, The Bridgeport Post, 7/30/1963, p.19. "Danbury Motor Hotel Assigns Funds for Payment of Debt," The Bridgeport Post, 8/3/1964, p.40. "Lease Plan Set up for New Englander," The Bridgeport Post, 5/19/1963, p.88.
