Here’s the latest from City Hall’s Licensing Board — a short meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and it clears up a rumor going around town.
The big one — Nov. 10: No, the Beauport Hotel wasn’t sold
At the Nov. 10 meeting at the Harbormaster’s Conference Room, 19 Harbor Loop, the Licensing Board approved a Change of Ownership Interests for Beauport Hospitality LLC, doing business as the Beauport Hotel, at 55 Commercial St. Manager of Record: Sheree O’Reilly.
Attorney Dennis Quilty told the board this is basically a housekeeping matter. The owners and their split stay the same — Mr. Davis at 75% and Ms. O’Reilly at 25% — but those interests will now be held through a new holding company, Beauport Holding LLC. That’s the only change: no operational change, no hours change, nothing different in how the hotel runs.
Chair Melissa Teixeira Prince addressed the misconception directly — there’s been talk in the community that the hotel was sold, and that’s not what this is. Nobody spoke in favor or in opposition at the public hearing. The motion to approve carried by voice vote, with no opposition recorded.
A Change of Ownership Interests like this doesn’t change who you see at the hotel or what it serves — it’s the paperwork for how the ownership is held, and liquor licenses have to match the legal ownership exactly. This is also a two-step process: the Licensing Board’s approval is step one, and the application now goes to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission — the ABCC — for its review. Prince warned the applicants the ABCC is known for doing additional work and could have its own questions, which would come from the ABCC, not the board.
Board member John Lamirande was absent Tuesday, so Chair Prince and member Ted Costa handled the meeting, with Clerk Natasha Dale.
Little Misery update: the Irish pub is almost there — no vote taken
The board got an update — no vote — from Little Misery LLC on its seasonal all-alcohol liquor license. Little Misery is the new Irish pub, Little Misery Irish Pub, at 7-11 Pleasant St., Unit 43.
Construction is nearly complete. The team is waiting on final fire and electrical inspections — safety is already approved — plus one outstanding document needed for its Common Victualler license. The hope is to open before the end of the month, starting with a soft opening. You’ll find them on Instagram as Little Misery Pub.
Once those sign-offs come in, Clerk Dale said she can print the liquor license, the entertainment license, and the Common Victualler license, and issue the RM certificate at the same time. The board asked Little Misery to report back by Friday if those reports aren’t in by the end of the week. Its seasonal license itself starts January 15.
2027 calendar approved
The board also voted to approve the 2027 Licensing Board meeting calendar. It’s the usual rhythm — second Tuesdays, with no holiday conflicts. That motion also carried by voice vote, with no opposition recorded.
The agenda also listed approval of minutes, but that item wasn’t taken up on the recording. Before adjourning, the board said that at the next meeting, with Lamirande back, they’ll talk about setting a date to go out and do site visits to establishments.
What’s next: the Beauport ownership change heads to the ABCC for state review — that’s the final step, and nothing about the hotel’s operation changes in the meantime. For Little Misery, it’s inspections and paperwork: once fire and electrical sign off, the licenses can be printed and that soft opening gets real. The board’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 8.
(One sourcing note: the November Licensing Board minutes aren’t posted yet — the Nov. 10 details above come from the meeting recording. We’ll update if the official minutes change anything.)
