Two years after devastating fire, Wayfinder hotel prepares to fully reopen. What's changed

The Wayfinder hotel , devastated by a four-alarm fire just two years ago, is now planning to fully reopen, rejoining Newport’s bustling hospitality sector for the tail end of the city’s summer season.

Just two years after The Wayfinder had been acquired, undergoing a $16 million renovation and rebranding to launch the new boutique hotel, a four-alarm fire engulfed the property, caving in one of the building’s roofs and forcing the hotel to close at the precipice of the 2022 summer season.

The state Fire Marshall had to suspend its investigation of the cause of the fire indefinitely when the building proved too unstable for investigators to safely enter, meaning the ignition source, first fuel ignited and cause of the fire are all officially undetermined. However, information the Newport Daily News obtained from the case file indicated the office had identified two possible sources of the fire: “carelessly discarded smoking materials” and “energized electrical conductors, connections or devices.”

While the Newport hotel was undergoing post-fire repair and renovation, its parent company Dovetail + Co. started expanding the brand to other popular travel destinations. In 2023, the company unveiled the new Wayfinder Waikiki in Honolulu and by July 2024, it had opened another Wayfinder-brand hotel near the High Sierras in Bishop, California.

The Newport location eventually partially reopened the less damaged and undamaged areas of the hotel in May 2023.

The newly re-renovated Wayfinder has 185 hotel rooms, 115 of which are double queens and 30 of which are suites with separate sitting area, wet bar, microwave, and a larger fridge, according to a fact sheet on the reopening provided by Dovetail + Co’s public relations firm. Near the lobby, guests will be able to find B-Side café, serving Nitro coffee and grab-and-go food. Over by the pool, guests can enjoy ice cream and alcoholic beverages at The Pool Shack. Opening this summer in the hotel is Nomi Park Bar, offering cocktails and small bites while Nomi Park Restaurant, which has been closed since the fire, will remain closed until 2025.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Two years after devastating fire, Wayfinder hotel prepares to fully reopen. What's changed