West Marin’s largest hotel, the newly rebranded and renovated Lodge at Marconi, unveiled its facilities to locals last week. The Marshall property spans 62 acres and offers 45 guest rooms and eight conference spaces that opened for business on Sept. 1 after five months of renovation.
“People were pleased to see what was going to be derelict buildings in such good shape,” said George Clyde, a Marshall resident and member of the East Shore Planning Group. “We are delighted by the investments made in repairing and upgrading the facilities this summer and hope to successfully resolve the obvious tensions between the commercialization of the park and its public purposes.”
Neither California State Parks nor the nonprofit Marconi Conference Center Operating Corporation have had enough funding to maintain the site. During the pandemic, the nonprofit began searching for a for-profit funder to renovate the center. Last year, the operating corporation signed a 55-year deal with Marconi Hospitality, a local branch of Nashville-based Oliver Hospitality, which has renovated several historic hotels in Tennessee and Georgia and the Station House Inn in South Lake Tahoe.
The lodge’s owners and managers meet monthly with the East Shore Planning Group, which was founded in 1983 over fears of development and gentrification following State Parks’ acquisition of the property. The group is primarily concerned with public access, the accessibility of the conference facilities for local nonprofits and the preservation of the history of the park, which dates to 1914, when it was a receiving station for the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company. The property’s trails are open every day to hikers and leashed dogs from sunrise to sunset.
The recent renovation of guest rooms, whose prices range from $200 to $500, was the first phase of work to address deferred maintenance, said general manager Bryon Parsons. The next phase will include upgrading the property’s indoor conference spaces in December 2024 and improving outdoor infrastructure, such as adding a terrace to the amphitheater.
Mr. Parsons said that all major exterior renovations will receive input from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria before State Parks gives its stamp of approval. Long-term plans include adding a wellness center and a day spa and turning existing buildings into short-term rental cottages as well as renovating the historic Marconi Hotel, a project that is still five to 10 years out.
“The challenges with it are going to be reinventing it and creating the best-use scenario,” Mr. Parsons said of the hotel. “Whether it’s long-term housing for our staff or the community or short-term housing—we’re considering all options.”
The final phase of work involves a tertiary treatment plant that will recycle drinking water for use in non-potable irrigation systems. Crews are currently hoping to clean up 34 fallen trees, but the work is hindered by nesting barn owls. Mr. Parsons said they aim to complete the cleanup before winter storms intensify.
Originally owned by the American Marconi Company, the property has passed through various owners, including the Radio Corporation of America and the controversial Synanon Foundation. In 1980, the San Francisco Foundation purchased the property from Synanon and, a decade later, donated it to California State Parks, stipulating its use as a conference center with public access.
With mid-century modern furniture and a fresh coat of hunter’s green paint on the buildings, the property was given a serious makeover by its new owners. Hotel manager Leah Fritts Vitali gave a nod to history with a collection of “Cult Crackers” for sale in the snack bar.