The Ridgway Lodge and Star Saloon has changed hands on paper, but hotel developer Adam Dubroff is still there working nonstop to complete an expansion project in time for the summer season.

The expansion follows the trajectory Dubroff started more than three years ago when he purchased the hotel and began renovations. In the process, he changed the character of the place, adding an improved lobby experience and a restaurant and bar.

Those improvements will reach a new phase now.

“We’re going to be expanding the front desk and the bar,” Dubroff said.“I think with COVID, people want more space to spread out.”

In fact, the bar, restaurant and lobby will all be extended south to where the swimming pool used to be. A new pool and spa will be built outdoors. The kitchen will also undergo some expansion to better facilitate an updated menu, which is being developed by new General Manager Chris Wisocki.

Wisocki has worked in restaurants his whole life and has opened several in Telluride. He worked as the food and beverage manager at The Peaks Resort & Spa at Telluride Ski & Golf Resort a few years ago, and he’s also worked in Idaho and Minnesota in recent years.

He said he’s planning a menu of “good casual fare.”

“It’s not going to be your $20 burgers,” Wisocki said, adding the restaurant’s pizza offerings would continue and families can expect to have ice cream by the pool.

Pearson Handlin, who is originally from Texas, bought the hotel with two silent partners. County records show the property at 373 Palomino Trail sold for $8.85 million in January.

Handlin, who is the principal with a Texas-based financial services company known as Pistola Holdings, previously lived in Telluride and was inspired by the bar scene there. He plans to start unveiling signature cocktails and cocktail contests in the months ahead of the completion of renovations.

“We really see that being kind of a big event in the interim is this kind of cocktail contest, if you will. Getting people involved, we want people involved. Telluride’s great, but we really see Silverton, the backcountry, mountain biking, everything that this area has to offer is so much more than just Telluride,” Handlin said.

Harnessing the natural beauty of the area is a priority in the renovations at the hotel.

The wall next to the new outdoor pool and spa will include a glass garage door, allowing guests to see breathtaking views to the south.

“One of the things that we learned is a real feature of the hotel are the views. The hotel before we got involved really didn’t take advantage of that,” Dubroff said.

When Dubroff purchased the hotel, he added a patio to take advantage of the open sky views, and he received a lot of positive feedback from guests who were impressed.

“What this will do is make the views a more integral part of the whole experience here. While you’re in a pool you’d have the views, but now you’ll have them in the lobby and the restaurant,” Dubroff said.

With the updates, Dubroff anticipates more of a resort experience, but one that is family-friendly and welcoming to hotel guests and locals alike.

“Part of my vision is kind of appealing to all outdoorsmen, mountain bikers, fly fishermen,” Handlin said. There will be a bike-washing station and other conveniences to accommodate an outdoor lifestyle.

Handlin and Dubroff expect the increase in space to allow the hotel to host the annual RAT (Ridgway Area Trails) mountain biking race and other events like weddings, cocktail parties and receptions.

“We are going to get this done by June,” Dubroff said as he stood amongst the demolition and contractors filled the old pool with gravel. “It’s an ambitious plan, but I think we are on track to get it done.”

He also plans on continuing to operate a business that serves locals as much as it caters to visitors.

Dubroff touted the restaurant’s consistent hours, noting the frustration of locals looking for an open restaurant in the off-season.

“We have been open every day since the pandemic, and we’ve developed a following because we have been open. Not planning on closing. Even during renovation, we’re going to be open,” Dubroff said.