Hanover, New Hampshire (May 30, 2012) – The Hanover Inn at Dartmouth (www.hanoverinn.com) in Hanover, New Hampshire, reopens for Dartmouth College Commencement in June with an experienced management team at the helm. General Manager Joseph Mellia joined the hotel in September 2011 for the start of the comprehensive renovations now underway; and Erin Bragdon joined as Director of Sales 7 Marketing in March 2012.

The Inn closed for major renovations last year and will reopen in phases. Work is continuing on schedule for 94 of the Inn’s 108 guest rooms to open in June. In addition to a complete upgrade of guest rooms and the hotel’s full-service amenities, the renovation addresses a longstanding need for modern, on-campus conference facilities reflecting Dartmouth’s standing as a world-class educational and research institution. The phased opening will continue through the summer, building to a grand opening of the full facility in November 2012.

Overlooking the Dartmouth Green, the Inn’s picturesque location has offered lodging establishments since 1780. The Inn is owned by Dartmouth and is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Hotels of America.

The Hanover Inn will complete the renovation in three phases:

• the June opening of 94 of 108 rooms plus a full-service restaurant;
• the August opening of the Hayward Ballroom featuring 1,761 sq. ft. meeting and event space;
• the November opening of the 3,933 sq. ft., world class Minary Conference Center, the remaining 14 guestrooms and a signature “farm-to-table” restaurant being designed by a Boston celebrity chef.

Joe Mellia brings three decades of hotel management experience to the Hanover Inn at Dartmouth where he is directing the $40 million dollar renovation, re-branding and positioning of the historic 108-room full-service hotel and its staff of over 100 employees. Most recently he served as Acting General Manager for the 230-room The Boston Harbor Hotel, a luxury landmark in Boston MA. He joined the Boston Harbor Hotel as Director of Sales and Marketing in June 2002, was promoted to Hotel Manager as the property moved from 3-star to AAA Four Diamond status with recognition by Travel + Leisure as one of the Top 50 Hotels in the United States.

Prior to that, he spent 16 years with Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, serving as Director of Sales and Marketing for the historic Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco from 1998 to 2002, Director of Sales for the Renaissance Orlando Resort (1996 to 1998) which he joined as senior sales manager in 1993; and as Sales Manager for the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, MD. A graduate of Florida International University, Mr. Mellia holds a bachelor of science degree in Hospitality Management and an Associates degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the State University of New York at Delhi.

Also a graduate of the State University of New York at Delhi with a degree in Travel and Tourism/Hotel and Restaurant Management, Erin Bragdon brings 21 years of hospitality sales and marketing experience to her role as Director of Sales & Marketing for the Hanover Inn at Dartmouth. Ms. Bragdon was most recently Director of Sales, Marketing & Conference Planning at The Villanova University Conference Center in Radnor, PA. In her seven years there she was responsible for managing all aspects of sales, catering and conference operations with a staff of eleven and sales revenues of $6.5 million. From 2002 to 2004, she was Area Sales Manager and Director of Conference Sales for American Skiing Company at the Sunday River Ski Resort in Bethel, Maine. She also served as City Group Manager for Kelly Services, Inc. in Portland, Maine and Monroe, Louisiana from 2000 to 2002, was Director of Sales and Marketing for the Danbury (CT) Hilton and Towers from 1997 to 2000 and was Director of Sales for the Bethesda (MD) Ramada Hotel.

The Hanover Inn at Dartmouth is owned by Dartmouth College and operated by Sterling Hotels. The 108-room property is a member of Historic Hotels of America.