A group of people stand together at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with one person holding large scissors and others clapping.

The Preserve, RI’s Luxury Sporting Club, Opens the Hilltop Lodge Hotel and Spa

Published on August 10, 2021


RICHMOND — The Preserve Sporting Club & Residences held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to call attention to the newest feature on its campus, the Hilltop Lodge, which opened this summer. The lodge is a mix of condominiums, hotel and spa, and joins the golf course, shooting ranges and sporting-goods store on the property off Route 138. The four-story building is built into the top of the hillside, with one floor below ground level on one side but leading to a patio with a pool on the other. The upper three floors hold one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom suites — 18 in all — that resemble hotel rooms on steroids. One of the largest measures 2,600 square feet, larger than many three-bedroom suburban houses.

Each suite features the requisite number of bedrooms — which range from having a single king-sized bed to two twin beds – each with its own bathroom. Each suite has spacious living, dining and kitchen areas, plus a private deck overlooking the wooded hills of The Preserve. And they come fully equipped with upscale stoves, refrigerators, stone countertops and double-sized deep sinks.

Each suite is for sale, and the owners can place weeks they will not be there into the rental pool, which also includes units that haven’t been bought. The introductory room rates to stay at the lodge range from $500 to $4,250 a night.

Preserve leaders discuss Hilltop Lodge, as seen in The Providence Journal.
Gov. Dan McKee talks with Stefan Pryor, left, secretary of commerce; Dant Hirsch, second from right, president of the Ocean House Collection; and The Preserve’s chairman, Paul Mihailides, right, at the entrance to the newly opened Hilltop Lodge, a spa and luxury sporting club hotel at The Preserve Sporting Club and Residences in Richmond.

The ground floor includes a spa, a light-fare restaurant as well as patio and pool. The spa is branded OH! Spa, same as the Watch Hill spa at the Ocean House in Westerly, which is part of the same corporate group as The Preserve.

Unlike the sporting-goods store at The Preserve Resort & Spa e, which is open to the public, the spa is only open to guests at the lodge or members of The Preserve.

Artwork throughout the building was sourced from local galleries and is for sale, according to a spokeswoman.

Gov. Dan McKee attended the ribbon-cutting and praised Preserve owner Paul Mihailides for his continued investment in Rhode Island, especially at a time when the COVID pandemic has caused delays and driven up the costs of many of the materials used in the building.

“It’s great to be here at The Preserve,” McKee said before Mihailides wielded an oversized pair of scissors.

“I hope it cuts,” Mihailides said just before he severed the blue ribbon in the lodge’s lobby with a crisp snip.

The image shows an article from The Providence Journal about The Preserve, RI's luxury sporting club, opening the Hilltop Lodge hotel and spa.
Preserve leaders discuss Hilltop Lodge, as seen in The Providence Journal.

SOURCE: The Providence Journal | By Paul Edward Parker