Good news, East-Coast vacationers: four amazing hotels have just opened up in New England. Grab your flip flops (or hiking boots) and check out the highlights and insider tips below.
Hotel on North, Pittsfield, Massachusetts
The June opening of Hotel on North in downtown Pittsfield gives culture hounds a new base from which to experience MASS MoCa and the Barrington Stage Company. Tin ceilings, exposed brick walls, and other architectural bones of the original 1880s building are complimented by furnishings from local craftspeople. Each of the 45 rooms has a mini-bar stocked with Berkshire-made goodies including Big Elm beers and Berkshire Mountain Distillers Gin & Tonics.
Insider Tip: The oyster bar at the hotel’s restaurant, Eat, will have a brother-sister shucker program where local chefs will step in as guest shuckers.
Rooms from $179; Photo courtesy Hotel on North
Eben House, Provincetown, Massachusetts
Salt Hotels, a new boutique brand redefining the B&B, debuted its second Provincetown, Massachusetts property in May. Originally built in 1776 as the home of the storied seafarer, Captain Eben Snow, the hotel features 14 rooms reimagined in a white-and-gray palette. Owners Kevin O’Shea and David Bowd commissioned a local artist to create 18th-century inspired portraits of Captain Snow’s family—each room displays a painting of a family member. Breakfast at Eben House is a gourmet affair, with seasonally changing freshly baked pastries and house-made specialties. Amazing perk: Breakfast in bed comes at no additional charge.
Insider Tip: Upon check-in, guests receive a curated, customized local map with owners’ top recommendations for authentic and off-the-beaten path Cape Cod experiences.
Rooms from $195; Photo courtesy Eben House
Press Hotel, Portland, Maine
Newspaper junkies and history geeks will love Portland’s new Press Hotel, a member of the Autograph Collection. Located in the city’s historic Old Port neighborhood, the 110-room hotel opened this May in the historic Portland Press-Herald newspaper building. Much of the design is a nod to its journalistic past, from the large letterpress collages behind the reception desk to the wall of vintage typewriters in the lobby. The halls of the seven-story building are even lined with wallpaper that displays old newspaper headlines such as, “Elderly lobster set free.” The hotel restaurant, Union, is sure to be making headlines once words gets out about its lobster gnocchi and other stellar locavore dishes.
Insider Tip: The huge scale in the basement level gym was originally used to weigh rolls of newsprint. Now it weighs fitness-conscious guests after they splurge at Union.
Rooms from $229; ; Photo courtesy Press Hotel
Gilded, Newport, Rhode Island
The Lark Hotels brand has been quietly opening boutique hotels with loads of personality throughout New England over the last two years. Lark’s latest creation, Gilded, opened on May 7 in Newport, Rhode Island. Tucked away just off mansion-lined Bellevue Avenue, Gilded puts a cheeky twist on Gilded Age glamour. The 17 rooms and suites are decorated in bold peacock blue, violet, and fuchsia colors and come with great amenities, including Lather bath products. In the evenings, guests can play pool or sip cocktails in the chandelier-lit billiards room or gather in the courtyard for lawn games and fire-roasted S’mores.
Insider Tip: Breakfast is included in the room rate and is a serious spread of house-baked treats like vegetable quiche, blueberry-and-lemon oat compote, and watermelon-and-feta salad. Warm chocolate-chip cookies seem to appear at reception every hour on the hour.
Rooms from $149; Photo courtesy Gilded
Want more? Check out our ultimate guide to hotels around the world.
Top photo courtesy Eben House
