Steele Hill expansion underway, first of 10 new buildings will open in March

Steele Hill Resorts is working on its largest expansion since the facility opened almost 40 years ago.

The newest project, called “Steele Hill South” will eventually include 10 new three-story buildings of 1,800-square-feet each, covering 175-acres on the 550-acres that comprise Steele Hill.

The first new building will be completed by March 2, said Bill Cutillo, the president and principal operating owner of the family-owned resort.

The company’s managers have already spoken with town officials about their expansion plans and gotten an initial go-ahead, Cutillo said. “We’ll go before the Planning Board for each building as it’s developed.”

The current Steele Hill West includes four buildings of 10-units each and an amenities center. The original Steele Hill Inn, which was built by Nelson Smith, is also still on the property, just across Steele Hill Road to the east. Smith was a successful Boston jeweler who enjoyed spending time in Sanbornton and thought some of his wealthy friends would as well, Cutillo said. Built in 1941, the inn was a successful operation.

After the Cutillos purchased the property in 1968, they added wings to several of the original structures and added Steele Hill West and a par-three golf course.

Cutillo said the original expansion plans called for building on the very top of Steele Hill. The views would have been spectacular for the tenants but the buildings would have also obscured and limited the visibility for everyone. So the resort owners arranged with the town to “trade” one part of their land, which was under a conservation easement, with the land on the top of the hill.

Now the hilltop will be kept pristine and the owners can move ahead with their plans to build Steel Hill South by one section of the golf course. (Another area of land will be developed to keep the course in tact.)

The new steel-and-concrete buildings, which will share a similar design, will “definitely be a cut above what we’ve built in the past,” Cutillo said.

All of Steele Hill’s units are timeshare but the facility can also handle weddings, company meetings, etc. “It’s putting head on beds, one way or another,” Cutillo explained lightheartedly.

That’s reflected in the resort’s new relationship with Resort Condominiums International (RCI) and that organization’s new “points” system. For example, each floor of the new buildings can be “cut up” to accommodate six two-bedroom units, a large family (or similar group) gathering, or even a single motel-style bedroom with bath, Jacuzzi and king or queen-sized bed. (The larger areas also include big-screen televisions, full kitchens, gas fireplaces and other amenities.) The designs allows visitors to use their RCI “points” to choose exactly what kind of accommodations they want and how long they want to stay.

The other buildings at Steele Hill will also be getting upgrades, Cutillo said. The rear exterior of the original inn will be refurbished and the each of the four Steel Hill West buildings will get “facelifts” over the next four years, beginning with one structure this year.

Cutillo said that initial reaction to Steele Hill South in the international marketplace has been good, but he’s always surprised at how many people who own the local timeshares live in the state — and even in the area.

“More than 50 percent of our clients are from New Hampshire,” Cutillo said. “New Hampshire people like to vacation in New Hampshire.”