I stayed here one night while stopping in Newport. Everything was very easy, check in, check out and especially getting help and sightseeing tips. The room was a little cold but the bed was cozy so that was not that big of a deal. The complimentary breakfast was good. It does not offer a huge variety but had everything I needed for starting the day. The location is great; it takes only a couple of minutes to get to downton Newport and after November 1st all the parking is free.

I am no stranger to this cozy property. Over the years while my daughter attended a local boarding school for her high school years, I became wonderfully acquainted with this bit of nostalgia nestled amidst tranquil corners but near enough to so much. My daughter brought home a college friend during her brief Thanksgiving recess and I decided to get a small road trip in. I thought it would be different as her school mate hails from California and loves to travel. Along with my mom, the four of us checked in on Thanksgiving day into two rooms. There was a minor glitch in the room which my mom and I stayed and staff was more than accommodating to gladly switch us into another room. This switch actually put us in the same corridor as my daughter's room; all on the first floor.

Shortly after midnight (I was still very much awake), I heard someone in the hall just outside yelling 'cut it out'...cut it out' He sounded like a mad man- LITERALLY!!!! Just before the raving lunatic sounded, it was quiet. Then my daughter comes to my door right across from her and says that staff came to her room yelling at them. I assured her that staff would not conduct themselves in that manner. I sat in their room awhile talking as a trip to the stores was happening real soon. My mom and daughter left the hotel at 1:30am (Black Friday shopping) and I chose to stay behind as did my daughter's friend. Almost 20-30 minutes later, the lunatic is banging on a nearby door and a woman opens the door and ensues a brief yelling match... as quietly as possible... NOT! I can hear the woman saying "lower your voice, I have children in here sleeping. I hear the noise and it's not from here. It is next door." The lunatic begins banging again and starts yelling at someone. I then heard him go into his room and start yelling profanity at the top of his lungs!!! I really thought he was either off his meds or had taken too much of something! Then I get a phone call from my daughter's friend who says a man came to the door yelling; she was frazzled because she was in the bed asleep. That infuriated me because I have never had a negative experience such as this at this property. By no way am I blaming the staff; of course they cannot control guest behavior.

I went to the front desk staff and shared my disgust with this patron's behavior- by now it was easily 2am. Even had any of it been true, and I didn't 'hear' the noise and I was on the same corridor next to them, there is certainly a proper way, a BETTER way, to address an issue!!!! After my mom and daughter returned, I sat in the room with my daughter and her girlfriend as a precautionary measure should the raving lunatic return. So they were sleeping and I was on guard duty- WOW!!! I was waiting for him to return so he could talk that way to me- NOT! I also
addressed my displeasure to the morning staff as well; I lost sleep and kept thinking of that nasty guest! The response was as though the staff was well aware of the guest in room 'so and so'.

Thank God night #2 was uneventful. Needless to say, you cannot make this stuff up. Did the raving lunatic affect my stay- ABSOLUTELY!!!! And how very unfortunate! Luckily, my daughter and her friend had the opportunity to meet up with one of my daughter's grammar school friends, go to Providence Mall and have some fun!

Well, I am presently in my guest room writing this review. It could not wait! Again, the staff is lovely as my previous visits here...until this one!

Had a very enjoyable stay.
Staff did their best to make us comfortable,
this winter they will be doing some renovation in one wing.
Built in the 1800's a treat to stay there.
Full breakfast choice, unless some travelers ate 5
egg croissants, but plenty of choice.
Would recommend it to anyone.

I have mixed feelings over this property...

My wife and I stayed here this first weekend of October 2012; we were in room 8 on the first floor.


Property Pros:

It is very close to downtown Newport; allowing quick access to the Ocean Drive and The Cliff Walk.

There is ample parking for guests.

The area it is located in is very quiet and calm; not a lot of huge trucks and loud vehicles coming by because it is not on a main road.

Free WiFi internet.

The bathroom was very spacious as well as the main living quarters.

There were two huge windows that you could open if you so desired; we didn't because it was cold outside.

There were a lot of pillows available on each bed; 4 per queen bed, we had a double queen room. There were a few down filled pillows (for those that like softer pillows) and a few cotton filled pillows (for those, like me, that like stiffer pillows).


Property Cons:

The internet was incredibly sluggish at times, the speed and signal was all over the place.

The windows that I mentioned where not locked when we first arrived. I had to wrestle with one of them for a few minutes to get it to lock because it wouldn't slide all the way up into its channel. The windows seemed unreliable at best...I kept my laptop in the trunk of my car as we traveled around town feeling that was safer than leaving it in the room.

While there were a lot of pillows available for sleeping, the beds where both very firm...so firm that our backs where aching terribly...perhaps we should have slept on the pillows...

There were spots of mold in a few of the corners of the room and bathroom...not good for people with allergies; I was sneezing almost non-stop.

The floor (carpet) could probably use a good shampooing or nine...along with an upgrade to the vacuum because the carpet felt oily (for the lack of a better word) and dirty. My wife and I were joking about us bringing in our Dyson and sending a bill to the hotel for our services.

Because it is an older building you do hear the footsteps of people above you, though you cannot hear their voices which makes it not all that bad.

The breakfast was down and dirty (zero preperation effort):

There were prepackaged breakfast sandwiches (Jimmy Dean: Sausage, Egg, and Cheese) which you put in the microwave...yuck.

There were an assortment of plain breakfast breads and toppings; along with two different cereals (cheerios and raisin bran).

The only thing that was gluten free (for my wife) was the hard boiled eggs and the fruit (apples, oranges and bananas).

There was a large variety of beverages though...three different coffees, four different teas, OJ and AJ, milk (2% I think), hot cocoa...

Also, they charge you $1.50/day for the safe that is in the room...if you don't use it, you can tell them that at the end of your stay and they will remove the charges.


All in all it was a decent hotel for the cost and duration of stay.