By ED QUINLAN
Downtown Provo may not be a bad place to stay when your parents come to visit.
Provo's Hotel Roberts will undergo a $2.5-3 million renovation project this fall, updating the hotel rooms and services, said Scott Mills, who, with his wife Jo Ann, bought the hotel in 1995.
'It's time to update,' Mills said. He sees the face-lift necessary for the hotel to keep in competitive business. Renovations will mostly include updating the historical landmark into a more comfortable atmosphere with all the amenities of most other hotels in the valley. The new hotel will still have an old-fashion feel to its decor with a mixture of styles and periods, Mills said.
'This is possibly the only historical hotel in Utah Valley,' Mills said. The hotel could very well be the oldest such hotel in the entire state, he said.
The hotel was built in 1882.
The land the hotel now stands on was bought from Brigham Young, who lived in a house north of the hotel, Mills said. Such celebrities as President William Howard Taft, Hellen Keller, Keller's teacher Annie Sullivan and Jack Dempsey have stayed in Hotel Roberts. Dempsey worked for the tile company that laid the tile in the lobby, Mills said.
Geneva Roberts Dunn, Paul H. Dunn's mother, was born in Hotel Roberts. She recalled visits from many celebrities while she lived there, Mills said.
Loren Allen, a front-desk clerk, said the Hotel used to house missionaries studying at the old Missionary Training Center.
Although the building is structurally sound, it has old wiring and plumbing, Mills said. Half of the rooms have no private bathroom. Guests use a community bathroom at the end of the halls, he said.
The renovation will include replacing all the wiring and plumbing, installing an elevator and putting in a new elevator and cooling system.
Bathrooms, television sets, phones, and computer and fax hook-ups will become standard for all the rooms, Mills said.
The old hotel used to have a dining room and a restaurant. The renovation includes space for serving continental breakfasts and business luncheons, Mills said. The courtyard will also be renovated and will be more comfortable for use.
Weekend entertainment in the music room will help the hotel resemble an old-fashioned atmosphere, Mills said.
Renovations are expected to take from six to eight months, Mills said. The hotel will close down while contractors renovate.
Prices at the hotel are currently $13-16 for a room without a bathroom and $22-30 for rooms with a bathroom, Mills said. After the renovations, guests can expect to pay $50-80 a night to stay in the historic landmark.
The updates should help the hotel attract honeymooners, businessmen and families traveling through town, he said.
The hotel currently 'functions more as a homeless shelter,' said Loren Allen, front-desk clerk and BYU senior majoring in history. She claims the hotel is 'run down.'
The low price 'does attract a certain element,' said Provo Police Capt. George Pierpont. He said a higher element of crime traditionally is in the downtown area, not just at Hotel Roberts.
Although a lot of people are wary of the hotel's clientele, many see it as a valuable historic site and want the hotel to stay, Allen said.
Mills sees the restoration as a part of a growing movement in Provo to restore historic buildings. 'Center Street used to be fairly scary,' he said. Now the area is becoming more and more inviting.
'It will make a greater contribution to the character of Provo,' Allen said. 'It will help to contribute to Provo's self concept.'
Mills is currently working on finding funding for the project through loans and investors before construction can begin.