The Whitefish City Council approved a conditional use permit to allow a rooftop hot tub on the downtown Firebrand Hotel, despite opposition from residents concerned about noise disturbance in the adjacent neighborhood.
The council on Nov. 21 unanimously approved the request by the hotel’s developers, the Averill family, which owns The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. Councilor Richard Hildner was not present at the meeting, while Councilor Jen Frandsen recused herself from the vote due to a conflict of interest because the hotel is a business client.
The property is developed as a general commercial district, and the hot tub would be located in the northwest portion of the roof, available only to guests of the hotel with a key card.
Developers said the hot tub was critical to the success of an upscale “boutique” hotel in a ski resort community, and would serve as an economic engine to the town.
“We think we have been a pretty good partner,” developer Sean Averill said. “I realize that not everybody is going to be happy about this, but the overwhelming support from the downtown merchants is incredible.”