Skip the Big City: 6 New Hotels Making Smaller U.S. Destinations Worth a Trip This Fall

America’s biggest cities may attract the lion’s share of urban travelers, but smaller cities and towns can offer a welcome change of pace. They can be easier to explore than major cities, with a scale that encourages travelers to slow down and get to know the local restaurants, independent shops, and gathering places. The same can be true of their hotels: Smaller properties often have the freedom to be more intimate and distinctive than their larger counterparts, with a stronger connection to the places around them.

This fall brings a crop of new and reimagined hotels that offer another reason to plan a trip. In Ketchum, Idaho, a new luxury resort from Viceroy has an observatory where guests can take advantage of the surrounding Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve; in Fayetteville, West Virginia, a 1923 high school has been transformed into a 40-room hotel near New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. And in Winooski, Vermont, the city’s first hotel takes inspiration from the state’s maple-sugaring traditions.

Here are six of the most notable new hotel openings and transformations in smaller U.S. cities and towns this fall.

Avila Beach House

The former Avila Lighthouse Suites on September 17 emerged from a major refresh as Avila Beach House. The redesigned interiors and amenities intend to give the 54-suite hotel a private beach-house feel. Each suite has a separate bedroom and a living area, plus a private patio or balcony. An oceanfront pool and hot tub overlook the Pacific, and the beach, the local trails, and the center of Avila Beach are within easy reach.

An interactive wine wall showcases pours from nearby vineyards, while a “Craft Cupboard” lends guests beginner-friendly kits for needlepoint, yarn weaving, puzzles, and other projects. A beach butler can help guests set up on the sand, while complimentary e-bikes allow guests to head into downtown Avila Beach along the San Luis Obispo Creek.

The Gables

Photo by Matt Ramey

Set in Raleigh’s historic Mordecai neighborhood, the Gables seems like a stay at a stylish friend’s house—if that friend happens to be Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and Raleigh native Tift Merritt. “The Gables was built as a midway stop between New York and Miami on Old U.S. Highway 1,” says Merritt. “What makes the Gables so special now is that it continues that original road trip feeling.”

Opening October 19, the Gables is a partnership between Merritt and several local co-owners who restored a circa 1928 roadside retreat. Merritt took inspiration from decades of touring and travel for the design of the 18-room inn, collaborating with independent makers and brands including East Fork pottery, Wonder Valley, Garza Marfa, Volupte Studio, and Marfa Brands soaps. Communal spaces include gardens and an indoor-outdoor neighborhood bar.

Hill Hall Hotel

Photo by David Robert Elliott

Set inside a restored 1923 high school and adjacent midcentury middle school in Fayetteville, Hill Hall Hotel opened September 1. “Fayetteville has always been more than a gateway to the New River Gorge National Park, and I hope Hill Hall gives visitors another reason to spend time in town,” says Stephen Wendell, cofounder and CEO of Mountain Shore Properties, the hotel’s developer.

The 40-room hotel’s design nods to the building’s schoolhouse past with details including an illustrated map created by Wendell’s grandmother Patsy, antique books, vintage photographs, and handmade ceramics. Former school spaces have become reading nooks and lounges, including a mural room with a large-scale work by West Virginia artist Nichole Westfall.

The hotel restaurant, Patsy’s, named for Wendell’s grandmother, serves comfort food including Patsy’s Chex Mix and apple-molasses-glazed meatloaf. Old School Ale, meanwhile, is brewed for the hotel by Fayetteville-based Bridge Brew Works.

From the hotel, it’s a five-minute walk to downtown Fayetteville’s shops and restaurants and about a seven-minute drive to New River Gorge National Park, where hiking, climbing, and whitewater rafting are among the draws.

The Observatory Sun Valley, A Viceroy Resort

In the heart of downtown Ketchum, the Observatory Sun Valley is a new luxury resort in the mountain town best known for its access to Sun Valley’s ski slopes. At the center of the U-shaped property reside an outdoor pool, a hot tub, and a dipping pool. A 5,000-square-foot spa is forthcoming.

The opening is notable for Sun Valley: According to Viceroy, the Observatory is the area’s first new luxury hotel since the Sun Valley Lodge opened in 1936. “Sun Valley helped define the American mountain town nearly 90 years ago, and it’s remarkable how true to itself it has stayed,” says Arash Azarbarzin, CEO of Viceroy Hotels & Resorts.

Joan, the hotel’s bar and restaurant, is named for Ketchum performer and horsewoman Joan Blank and serves dishes made with locally sourced ingredients; guests have the option to dine under the stars. Stargazing is a major draw: Ketchum lies within the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, and the hotel has what it claims is the area’s first night-sky observatory.

That connection to place carries through the hotel’s 73 rooms and 12 penthouse residences, with ironwork by local company Red Star Ironworks, one-of-a-kind rugs sourced from Ketchum shop Davies Reid Rugs, and photographs by pioneering alpine skier and photographer Dick Durrance.

The Selvedge, A SingleThread Inn

Courtesy of The Selvedge, A SingleThread Inn

The team behind Healdsburg’s three-Michelin-starred SingleThread restaurant and adjoining luxury inn is opening the Selvedge, A SingleThread Inn, on November 9. Set along the Russian River, the 11-room inn brings English countryside hospitality to wine country, inspired by co-owners Kyle and Katina Connaughton’s time spent living and working in the Cotswolds.

Garden-view and riverside rooms have fireplaces and patios, while a two-bedroom suite includes a Miele-equipped kitchen. Guests can relax in various communal spaces: a library, a parlor, a breakfast room, and a barista-staffed coffee bar.

Rates include breakfast, cocktails such as brown butter–washed espresso martinis and farm-fresh Pimm’s cups, pub-inspired snacks, freshly made biscuits, and pressed juices. The inn also puts its own spin on British traditions such as afternoon tea and Sunday roasts.

Sugar House Hotel

Just across the Winooski River from Burlington, the small city of Winooski welcomes its first hotel on October 21. Part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, the 115-room Sugar House Hotel is also the first all-electric, net-zero hotel in Marriott’s global portfolio; it’s pursuing LEED Platinum certification.

Set beside a 104-acre nature preserve, Sugar House takes its inspiration from Vermont’s maple-sugaring traditions. Reclaimed materials appear throughout the hotel, alongside work by local metalworkers, glassblowers, and woodworkers. In the lobby, a 20-foot maple tree stands beneath a spiral staircase, while a mantle salvaged from a former North Hero drawbridge adds another Vermont connection.

“Sugar House Hotel is a living reflection of Vermont’s natural beauty, its vibrant creative culture, and the spirit of community that defines Winooski,” says Gael Shungu, general manager of Sugar House Hotel.

Guests are welcomed with a make-your-own maple creemee (Vermont’s version of soft-serve ice cream), and each of the 115 rooms is named for a local sugarhouse. The on-site Moss Cafe + Bar serves an all-day menu, while Treetops, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, overlooks the Winooski River and the surrounding landscape.