The community of Northport is welcoming the long-awaited opening of Northport Hotel.

The hotel is on Main Street and is a three-story boutique build with an Italian steakhouse on the ground floor and 26 rooms and suites above.

The hotel is the brainchild of the co-owners of the popular Engeman Theatre.

The regional stage helped make Northport a year-round destination.

The hotel’s owner says a lack of lodging for patrons seemed like a missed opportunity for the waterfront community.

“Additionally, the local people. People from Northport. They generally say we have to have our friends and family stay in our house so this is an opportunity for them to stay as well," says Richard Dolce, Northport Hotel owner.

The seven-year project involved meticulous planning where owners Kevin O'Neil and Dolce drew on their own negative hotel experiences and those of community members. Then they built accordingly.

The entire hotel is wheelchair accessible, and every team member was interviewed personally by the owners.

In your room, feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, but outside you can bring life to small businesses who struggled during the pandemic.

The hotel has been a light at the end of the tunnel for some local restaurant and store owners.