A recently-built Hilton hotel off Ellsworth’s main thoroughfare will be open within a month.
Home2Suites by Hilton on Downeast Highway along Ellsworth’s commercial corridor is now booking reservations beginning Oct. 21, according to the hotel’s website.
The 83-room hotel will expand Ellsworth’s tourist accommodations at a time when increasing visitation to Acadia National Park and visitor lodging has become a central issue to nearby towns.
In August, the Bar Harbor Town Council extended a now two year freeze on new lodging developments. The proliferation of hotels and motels in Mount Desert Island’s commercial hub has contributed to the town’s shrinking year-round housing supply — the town declared a housing emergency in 2019.
The continued rise in tourism to Acadia — the park recorded more than 4 million visits last year — has brought more overnight visitors to Ellsworth. The Witham hotel joins a growing supply of Ellsworth tourist accommodations.
In 2021, the former Ramada Inn on High Street was sold, renovated and reopened as the Hawthorne Extended Stay. Stone Park, a 72-unit hotel near the intersection of High and Myrick streets, opened in 2024.
Following a rise in short-term rentals — Ellsworth officials estimate the number has more than tripled in the past decade — the city is now exploring a registration fee for short-term rentals, though several local Airbnb owners oppose the change.
The four-story hotel’s owners, Bar Harbor-based group Witham Family Hotels, began construction on the new accommodations in June 2025.
With construction nearly finalized, employees were planting flowers along the hotel’s perimeter Tuesday afternoon. The project created roughly 30 full time jobs, according to the Bar Harbor Story.
The new hotel, built on a previously empty lot, sits next to the Hampton Inn, which is also owned by the Witham family.