Nearly three quarters of a million dollars in renovations are underway at the Hilltop Inn of Vermont located at the “hospital hill” intersection in Berlin. And quite possibly an exciting new franchise owner will be announced in the coming months.

“This will be a good thing for the hotel and the growing central Vermont destination market,” said manager/consultant Bill Lawrence of Essex Junction. “It is going to have a much more ‘social feeling’ and we want to be as green as possible.”

The Hilltop Inn also hopes to announce a new lease holder for their large restaurant facility.

“Presently, our guests enjoy a hot breakfast buffet and we have good local catering available for parties and meetings,” explains Lawrence, who has 30 years of experience in the hotel service industry.

The centrally-located hotel off I-89 is perfect for short or longer overnight stays, business meetings and social gatherings, believes Lawrence.

“We have attracted legislators and out-of-towner staff working at local businesses in the greater Barre-Montpelier area,” he said. “We also have a really nice pool for overnight guests and very affordable pool memberships for the public. It is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.”

There is also a nice exercise room available and plenty of convenient parking for guests of the hotel.

The official address of the Hilltop Inn of Vermont is 3472 Airport Road, Montpelier, VT 05602. The telephone number is 802-229-5766 or toll free 877-609-0003. E-mail: hilltopinnvt@aol.com. For more information, go on line to: www.hilltopinnvt.net.