BANGOR, Maine — Stepping through the doors of The Charles Inn may soon be like taking a stroll through the Bangor region’s storied history.
Allan and Leeanne Hewey confirmed Tuesday they are purchasing the local landmark from Connie Boivin — owner for the past decade — and they have big plans for the hotel.
With an open house tentatively scheduled for May, the Heweys are planning a full makeover for the hotel that will eventually give every room a theme inspired by local history.
The couple is already planning a room themed for Bangor resident Hannibal Hamlin, vice president to Abraham Lincoln.
They also are seeking permission for a Stephen King room that will feature pictures touting the author’s many contributions to the community and the hotel’s only king-sized bed.
Other planned rooms for the 30-room inn will feature the timber industry, log driving, the eight American presidents who have visited Bangor and Viner’s Music, which formerly occupied the building, according to the Heweys.
They even hope to have a Bangor Daily News room.
“It’s going to be a very easy transition,” said Allan Hewey, who will do the work himself, completing one room at a time until all 30 are converted. “It’s just decor.”
The couple is seeking ideas from local residents for other rooms, though they say they probably won’t be able to use all of them.
“I’m looking for people to come in and just tell us what they know,” said Leeanne Hewey.
The Heweys come to Bangor from Brewer, where Leeanne Hewey served as general manager for the Vacationland Inn and Allan Hewey served as facilities manager.
Both appeared last year on the Travel Channel’s reality television show “Hotel Impossible”. They said they discovered The Charles Inn when the show invited them to serve as experts during the filming of a new episode featuring The Charles Inn.
Leeanne Hewey said she plans to invite host Anthony Melchiorri to their open house, whom she communicates with regularly since the filming. The couple also is planning a viewing party for The Charles Inn episode, which is due to air on Nov. 24.
The Heweys plan to keep intact the room that was refurbished by the show. That room will be known as the Melchiorri-Anne suite in honor of the show’s host, Anthony Melchiorri, and the designer who worked on the room.
Other changes in store for the hotel include refurbishing the lobby, including gold-leafing the ceiling. Leeanne Hewey said they do not plan to reopen the hotel’s bar, which will be converted to a gathering place for continental breakfasts and private events.
“I think there is enough entertainment downtown,” she said.
To bolster their offerings, the couple is planning to work with local businesses in order to develop their own line of Charles Inn beer, wine and coffee to offer their guests. They’re also planning to work with downtown restaurants in order to provide their guests room service.
“We hope the guests will want to stay in all 30 rooms,” said Hewey. “We want our guests to remember not only where they went in Maine, but where they stayed.”
Other ideas from the Heweys include October history walks, a downtown map and brochure featuring local businesses and attractions for their guests and reduced prices.
Hewey said she hopes to have the average room rate at $89 to $109 per night, down from the current $109 to $159 per night.
The Heweys also plan to work with Waterfront Concerts in hopes of providing accommodations for musical acts. Musicians themselves, the Heweys have had five songs on the Christian Radio Top 20, including one that briefly rose to No. 1.
The Heweys plan to continue working part time at the Vacationland Inn, where they have worked since July 2007.
Before their venture into the hospitality industry, Allan Hewey served as fire chief for 14 years in Manchester and Augusta.
Boivin said Sunday she is selling the hotel and moving to Florida, where she hopes to purchase another hotel and spend more time with her family. Terms of the sale to the Heweys were not disclosed.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.