Crisanver House just broke ground on its biggest room expansion to date — a new four room luxury cottage. After all these years in the business we are excited (and a little nervous) to announce a 50% expansion in our capacity! Carol and Michael Calotta have taken Crisanver House from a circa 1806 classic post and beam farmhouse, one that wasn’t winterized, to a fully reconstructed four season luxury small resort destination in Shrewsbury, VT during their almost 50 years taking loving care of this 120 acre property. “Opening Crisanver seems like yesterday, yet has been a quarter century journey for Carol and I. The time has flown as we meet wonderfully nice guests who appreciate our efforts to create a special environment in a special place for a special experience” Michael reflects.
This year is Crisanver House’s 27th anniversary of its renovation, rebranding and rebirth, having since served guests from the northeast, across the country and globe. Recognitions including Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, Yankee Magazine’s Best Small Resort in New England, member Select Registry Distinguished Inns of North America, all hold high standards that they strive to exceed.
When Michael and Carol first arrived, the old Tip Top Inn was a fun summertime business. Michael recalls “While searching for a ski house we discovered the Inn and were immediately smitten with a good intuitive feeling upon entering –and its magnificent Sound of Music views; a common reaction from our guests, causing some to have purchased homes in Shrewsbury to enjoy the beauty full time.”
Then 6 years later with babies in tow the duo decided to take a break and focus on family. In the 80’s the house needed massive renovation to build a proper foundation to save it from sliding downhill hill. The Calottas decided it was time for a complete overhaul over six years to bring the place up to code and give it the classic country luxury design it enjoys today. The number of rooms was reduced from 21 to 8 rooms, creating suites from former individual rooms, and constructing private baths for every room, added a wedding barn, swimming pool and pool house, tennis court, bocce court, new cottages, carriage house, game room, massage room, hiking tails, generators, floral, vegetable & herb gardens, a Conservatory dining room with wine and beer service for Inn guests and area residents.
New cottage rooms will be an expansive 400 square feet, with upscale features including private entrances, individual patios / seating, each with beautiful mountain views facing west. Interior special features include radiant floor heat, tiled floors and bathrooms, rain showers, built in wall fireplaces, exposed beams, designer linens. Upper floor rooms have king beds, his and her sinks, ceiling fans and Jacuzzi. Lower floor rooms include walk in rain shower, Queen beds and sliding barn bathroom doors. Connor Homes of Middlebury designed the project to complement the Wedding Barn. Construction is underway by Palladium Builders of Ludlow who estimate completion by late fall.
Still family owned, and run with the help of their daughter Andrea and a few loyal local employees, this Vermont bed and breakfast is enjoying its most flourishing business. Andrea mused, “Every year we watch the trends and listen to our guests wants and needs, discuss amongst ourselves, listen to the industry changes, and we learn and we tweak. We are always looking to improve and start something that will push us to the next level for our guests’ enjoyment. The inspiration for many changes came two years ago when we realized how seriously our website needed to be updated. The photos were outdated, our SEO was abysmal, and we weren’t reaching the US audience in a powerful way. We knew we needed a huge revamp so we invested in ourselves, hired a marketing firm, and got to work. The result: the biggest upswing in business we have seen in all our years!” Andrea’s initiative to partner with one of the best inn marketing firms was a gamble for a small business to take on such a hefty expense… thankfully the gamble has paid off, and generated the impetus for this expansion.
