(Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP) Sheraton Nashua president and COO Tony Miceli, left, and Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess share a lighter moment during Tuesday afternoon's grand reopening of the extensively renovated hotel at 11 Tara Boulevard.

NASHUA – A reception featuring brief comments by company executives, Mayor Jim Donchess and general manager Beth Osborne, followed by a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, drew roughly 150 people to the Sheraton Nashua Tuesday afternoon to join in on the hotel’s grand-reopening celebration.

The hotel, built in 1979 by the company headed by the late developer John Flatley as part of what would become a vast business, retail and residential complex between the Daniel Webster Highway and Spit Brook Road, was bought at a foreclosure auction about a decade ago by New York hotelier Attilio Petrocelli.

Now, 43 years and a succession of owners and renamings later, the newly renovated, 6-story property boasts hundreds of refurbished guest rooms of various sizes along with amenities the owners call “your one-stop shop for events of all types.”

Guests will find a Starbucks store adjacent to the main lobby, an amenity that can be found in all hotels owned by the Marriott family, which as of recently includes the Sheraton Nashua.

Hotel president and chief operating officer Tony Miceli in brief remarks told the gathering how pleased everyone is to be a member of the Marriott family.

(Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP) Two men at the center of photo, Attilio Petrocelli, left, owner of United Capital Corp., and Tony Miceli, president and COO of the Sheraton Nashua hotel, chat with visitors at Tuesday's grand reopening of the extensively renovated hotel.

“We couldn’t be happier,” he said of the partnership.

Osborne, the general manager, praised the staff and employees for their efforts in not only tending to guests’ needs and answering their questions, but for being “like family” during the months leading up to the grand reopening.

According to Telegraph stories at the time of the auction in December 2011, Petrocelli’s $5.5 million bid was declared the winner in what was described as “tense, back-and-forth bidding,” The other bidder left shortly after the bidding and his identity was unknown.

Once the gavel fell, Petrocelli broke a smile and was happy to share his plans for his newest property.

“We’re gonna make everyone proud of this hotel,” he told a Telegraph reporter.

(Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP) Sheraton Nashua president and COO Tony Miceli addresses the more than 100 company officials and guests who attended Tuesday's grand reopening of the extensively renovated hotel. At right is Mayor Jim Donchess, who also spoke briefly.

Structural issues were among the various problems that needed attention sooner than later. The previous owner, Southern New Hampshire Ospitality Management of Portsmouth, abruptly closed the hotel in February 2011, telling employees and guests the building had a plumbing leak and had to be evacuated.

A short time later, the Portsmouth-based company’s financial problems surfaced, which led to the bankruptcy auction.

At the time, the hotel was named the Radisson, which Petrocelli and his associates retained until renaming it Sheraton Nashua.

Petrocelli estimated the building would need somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million – more than he paid for it – in renovations that included the sealing of the roof and walls and the extensive upgrade of the guest rooms.

At a reinvigorated 43 years of age, the hotel, with its medieval European castle design and mere size, returns to life as a destination spot and landmark visible from the Everett Turnpike and Spit Brook Road.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.