Der Dutchman owner seeks Pinecraft hotel

The largely Amish and Mennonite Pinecraft neighborhood is marked by unassuming homes, shops and residents traveling on tricycles and bicycles. But a four-story hotel could become part of that landscape.

Dutchman Hospitality Inc., based in Walnut Creek, Ohio, plans to build a 100-room hotel near the Der Dutchman Restaurant it owns in the Pinecraft area.

The firm’s president, Mike Palmer, said the tentatively named Carlisle Inn of Sarasota will feature Amish decor similar to that of Der Dutchman’s decor, with high-quality woodwork, quilts and emblems. It would also have communal spaces for gathering, playing games or conversing.

“We appreciate our history and our heritage,” Palmer said of the company, founded in 1969 in an Amish and Mennonite community in Ohio, which is still owned by members of that family.

The hotel will not be built to compete with luxury hotels in the downtown area.

“By no means can we afford to do something like the Ritz-Carlton,” Palmer said, “But (it will be) the best quality we can afford to invest in.”

Palmer offered a $100,000-per-room benchmark as a rough estimate but said it’s too early to estimate its overall cost.

Palmer said the hospitality group incurred significant debt acquiring Der Dutchman in 2012, but has since reduced it to a level at which owners felt comfortable taking on the project.

“I think it’s something the family has wanted to do for a long time,” Palmer said.

Sarah Miller, a co-owner of Miller’s Dutch Haus Furniture, where the front door looks out on the east side of the restaurant, said she’s looking forward to it.

The closest hotel is currently closer to Fruitville Road, she said. As a result, many visitors only visit Pinecraft’s shops for an afternoon. With closer accommodations, she hopes, that will change.

“I think people would stay longer if they had something this close,” Miller said.

Ella Bontrager, who has lived in the area for 40 years, is also excited about the hotel.

“We’ve been waiting for it,” she said. “It will be a nice addition to the area.”

Palmer estimated the hotel will employ 75 people.

During season, it will cater to a broad range of tourists from the Midwest. Offseason, Palmer said, the hotel could attract travelers and teams visiting Sarasota for events such as rowing competitions at Nathan Benderson Park.

Ella Miller Toy, owner of Alma Sue’s Quilts, said she hopes groups on quilting retreats will stay at the hotel, which would be adjacent to her shop.

“I think the hotel will be a great asset,” Toy said. “My only hesitation is that once you bring a big structure in here, you lose the charm of a place like this. Will there be a huge gang of people here? Only time will tell.”

The hotel could accommodate families, larger groups and motor coaches, according to Palmer.

The hospitality company will need zoning changes and exceptions to build a 55-foot-tall building in a zone where structures are limited to 35 feet. It would also need to move stormwater retention offsite.

The firm aims to begin construction next summer and open before season in 2017.

“We trust (the height) isn’t problematic,” Palmer said. “It is by no means a skyscraper.”