Hampton Beach Casino Buys Mainsail Motel

The owners of the Mainsail Motel and Cottages received an early Christmas gift in the form of the sale of the the beloved Hampton Beach staple.

An agreement to sell the motel to Christian Smith, a former contestant on The Bachelorette, fell through in September, according to the motel's Facebook page. The Boston area real estate agent was on the show's 17th season in 2021, competing for the affections of Katie Thurston.

"We are sorry to report our buyer's investor decided to walk away. While Kara, Baylee and I are disappointed we want to assure you all that we are working with several other buyers at this time," Dave & Kara Hartnett wrote on their Facebook page. "We have decided that if don't have the property sold soon it is our intention to take the property off the market and be your host for the upcoming year."

Casino owner Sal Lupoli stepped in and has purchased the property for $7.35 million, according to the motel Facebook page and Harris Real Estate.

"Congratulations to our sellers on the closing of this Hampton Beach staple. They put in 10 years of hard work running the Mainsail Motel, giving hundreds of families wonderful Hampton Beach memories along the way. We wish Dave and Kara the best in their future endeavors and hope they get to enjoy some relaxation," Harris wrote on its Facebook page.

The Hartnetts said they are working out some details with Lupoli, but expect the Mainsail will begin taking summer 2024 reservations in January.

"Sal has a large investment on Hampton Beach and we believe he will be a great steward of the property," the Harnetts wrote.

Lupoli is the president and CEO of Lawrence-based Lupoli Companies. The company buys and sells properties and owns several restaurants in eastern Massachusetts, including the Sal's Pizza chain.

The company also owns the Casino Ballroom in 2012, and is considering a plan to build a two-block convention center along Ocean Boulevard that would include the Casino. It also renovated the Aces and Eights casino expanding its operations to year-round.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via X (Twitter) @DanAlexanderNH