William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty Welcomes Lenox Agent

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LENOX, Mass. — William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty has announced that Tonia L. Scalise, a top Broker in Pittsfield and surrounding areas, has joined the company and will be based in the firm'’s new Lenox brokerage.

Scalise is a recognized leader in real estate sales, nearing 30 years in the industry. Her high energy and passion for real estate have made her a favorite among long-standing clients and brokers throughout the Berkshires. After running her own brokerage firm for almost 10 years, Scalise will join William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, where she will offer  market exposure with a vast global reach and consistent advertising in venues such as The New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Scalise has a long lineage (three generations) in design, construction and building. Her father is a developer and civil engineer with extensive knowledge of building construction and design. As a result, Scalise gained an appreciation for architectural detail, designing and restoring her own homes over the years. During her time managing her own, self-made brokerage firm, Scalise successfully sold residential homes, condominiums, waterfront properties and land in residential developments, exclusive gated communities and more.

"By joining our firm, Tonia now offers her clients a wealth of market exposure with an unparalleled global reach and resources," said Kristine Newell, manager of William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty's Lenox brokerage. "She is also providing our team with her top-notch real estate expertise, and an incredible amount of local knowledge. She consistently embraces the incredible lifestyle of the Berkshires, from the region's lakes and mountains to its art and culture."

Scalise is a Berkshire native. In her spare time, she enjoys tennis, sailing and the great outdoors. She can be reached by phone at 413-822-0574, or by email at Tonia.Scalise@Sothebysrealty.com.

 


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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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