New Bangor hotel owner courts Korean clientele

BANGOR – The new owner of a hotel in West Market Square is looking to the East for more business. The Far East.

The South Korean-born lawyer who purchased the Charles Inn last month already is advertising the Bangor hotel in newspapers in his native country, according to hotel staff members.

In addition, Dong Sung Lim of New York City wants to hire tour guides who are fluent in Korean and know the Bangor area.

The hotel staff is noticing a big interest in the 37-room inn from potential visitors from overseas who are looking for a Maine getaway.

“I get a lot of calls about lobster vacations,” said Bobbie Leach, who works at the inn’s front desk. Korean visitors are interested in seeing certain attractions in and around Bangor, such as author Stephen King’s house, she said Friday.

Attempts to reach Lim for comment this week were unsuccessful, but his staff said he was on his way to Bangor on Friday evening to check up on things at the hotel.

Lim bought the hotel from former owners Charles and Judy Burrell of Massachusetts on June 30 for $495,000. Built in 1869, the hotel has remained open for business throughout the exchange, according to Judy Burrell, although the restaurant is closed for business.

All current employees will remain at the inn, but there will be a few new hires, said the hotel’s manager, Jorge Martinez, a native of Peru.

“My first recommendation [to Lim] was to leave it as is,” Martinez said Thursday of the hotel’s staff. Lim hopes to increase the hotel’s visibility in the community, but otherwise keep things running the same, said Martinez.

Hectic schedules prompted the Burrells to put the hotel up for sale in April, despite increasing business 200 percent since they bought it May 30, 2003, Judy Burrell said.

“It was too much work,” Burrell said Thursday from the inn. “We really loved it, and we’re so proud of what we did, but it was just too hard for us.”

The Burrells bought the hotel from former owner Paul Johnson for $315,000. Formerly the Phenix Inn, the hotel nearly went to auction in foreclosure proceedings before the Burrells and Johnson reached a sale agreement.

Since they took over, the Burrells have cut prices in half and added amenities such as satellite TV and limousine service to and from the airport, Burrell said.

“We’ve made it a real homey place to be,” the former owner said.

The couple put the inn up for sale in April, and Lim made an offer to buy it on the same day, Burrell said. They accepted his offer fairly quickly, Burrell said. Lim was the only interested buyer.

After spending some time in Massachusetts, the Burrells plan to buy property in Bangor and return to the city they have grown to love.

“Everyone in Bangor was so wonderful to us,” Burrell said.