Historic inn to open for the summer, but owners eye condo conversion

A historic Southampton hotel will open as a “pop-up” inn in time for Memorial Day weekend, but its new owners are eyeing converting it to luxury condominiums after the summer season.

The Latch Pop-up Inn, housed in the former Village Latch Inn, a 67-room hotel built at the turn of the last century, will offer guest rooms priced from $125 to $300 on weekdays and $175 to $650 on weekends, with premium rates on holidays.

The property, at 101 Hill St., includes several buildings and was purchased by Jericho-based residential developer the Beechwood Organization for $23 million in early 2016.

Since then, the new owners have hired five employees and refurbished 20 rooms including “cabana-style” rooms with a beach club feel, ground-floor access and decks, and “homestyle” rooms reminiscent of a bed-and-breakfast.

“We invested several hundred thousand dollars in the refurbishing of these rooms,” said Steven Dubb, 30, principal of the Beechwood Organization. “And we’re working on refurbishing the remainder of the rooms as well, so more rooms will become available as the summer goes on.”

Dubb said that while the company wants people to enjoy “this beautiful property” during the summer, it has submitted an application to rezone the property from a lodging facility to luxury condominiums.

Beechwood is also exploring other options, “including keeping it as an inn with 67 rooms,” he said.

Dubb described the 5-acre property as being “charmingly rustic” and “relaxed.”

“The location is a five-minute ride to the beach . . . Guests can step out the front door onto a 2.5-acre lawn.” he said. “We’re excited to keep this property active as an inn for this season.”