MEDFORD, Ore. — The distinctive Inn at the Commons in Medford is being sold, with the new owners planning to convert the hotel into an apartment complex.
Local couple Doug and Becky Neuman own the Neuman Hotel Group, which consists of Ashland Springs Hotel, Larks Restaurant, Waterstone Spa, Lithia Springs Resort, and Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites. The Neumans announced on Thursday that they are selling their Medford property, Inn at the Commons.
The Neuman Group said in a statement that they were contacted by a residential real estate company in late 2020. Fortify Holdings proposed to purchase and re-purpose the Inn at the Commons from a hotel into an 123-room apartment complex.
Citing the dire need for housing in the greater Medford area and the sharp increase in hotels, the Neumans said that they feel this conversion is in the best interest of the community.
"This repurposing is a much-needed change that can potentially create vibrant downtown community," the Neuman Group said. "Over the last eight years, since 2013 when Inn at the Commons was purchased from the Red Lion Hotel, there have been numerous chain hotels open up at both freeway exits. There are over 600 new hotel rooms in the Medford area, and more to come in the near future. City center will benefit with rental units much more, than with overnight lodging offered by a hotel."
The Meeting and Convention space at Inn at the Commons is no longer in operation, and is not offering event bookings. Larks Kitchen & Cocktails is permanently closed at this location. All of the other Nueman Group properties are staying open.
"All the current staff at Inn at the Commons will have employment opportunities at other NHG properties," Neuman Group said. "The property will close sometime in the spring of this year."
The Neumans said that they are excited about the future for downtown Medford, and the potential benefit that housing there can provide.
"Fortify sees this as a unique opportunity to serve the Rogue Valley Community with high quality rental homes," NHG's statement said.
Fortify Holdings reportedly plans to name the redeveloped property "The Merrick at the Commons," a reference to the location's history. According to a JPR report, Medford was home to Merrick's Auto Camp in the 1920s, a place where visitors could bivouac while traveling through the area. It later became Merrick's Motor Inn, until that closed in the 1950s.
EDIT: An earlier version of this article indicated that Larks at Inn at the Commons would remain open, but has been corrected to clarify that only the Larks location in Ashland remains open. The Neuman Group also clarified that the Meeting and Convention space is closed for the foreseeable future.
