New Hampshire's Four Grand Hotels
Many states would be honored to
have just one grand hotel.
New Hampshire offers visitors
four remarkable grand hotels,
each with a role in history all its own.
New Hampshire’s White Mountains first attracted tourists to take the
Grand Tour of New Hampshire in the 19th century. The Presidential Range
that envelopes Mount Washington has 86 peaks, and dramatic notches are
the only way to cross them. It was here in the notches that lodging houses
to attract visitors were built in the early 1800s. When railroads made
getting to the mountains a simpler task, grand hotels were built offering
luxury in the heart of the wilderness. At one time, there were more than a
dozen of these luxurious getaways in the state. New Hampshire’s grand
hotels once offered their own post offices, printing presses, newspapers,
baseball leagues and dormitories for chauffeurs. Presidents, poets,
statesmen and celebrities all signed the guest registers at one time or
another.
Three of these vast palaces survive today: The Mount Washington Hotel
in Bretton Woods, The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch,
and The Mountain View Grand, newly restored in Whitefield. The
juxtaposition of their architecture and setting is as impressive today as it
was a century ago. A fourth grand hotel, Wentworth By the Sea, reopened
its doors in 2003.
The restoration of The Wentworth-by-the-Sea Marriott Hotel and Spa was
completed in May 2003. This Grand Dame by the Sea was originally built
in 1874. It features 168 rooms, including one room in each of its three
turrets. With a 10,000-square-foot Conference Center, an 8,500 sq. ft. spa
including massage rooms, treatment rooms, saunas, whirlpools and an
indoor pool, and the renovated outdoor pool near the waterfront, the
Wentworth offers a historic sense of place and style. The Wentworth's
claim to history is its role in the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the
Russo-Japanese War, when the hotel housed the Russian, Japanese and
American delegations.
A masterpiece of Spanish Renaissance architecture, The Mount
Washington Hotel arose in the shadow of the highest peak in the
northeast. Conceived by industrialist Joseph Stickney, it opened in 1902
and immediately became a favorite summer spot for poets, presidents and
princes. In 1944, The Mount Washington hosted the Bretton Woods
International Monetary Conference. Delegates from 44 nations convened,
establishing the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, as well as
setting the gold standard. Today it has become a National Historic
Landmark, still offering guests two golf courses, a renowned dining room,
shops, and amazing views from its vast porch. Its grand rooms have been
completely restored, and its lobby is a monument to a past era. In the
winter, the resort has miles of cross-country skiing, and New Hampshire’s
largest downhill ski area at Bretton Woods.
The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel has operated continuously since the
opening of the Dix House, just after the Civil War. The original inn
honored the town's first landowner, Colonel Timothy Dix, a hero of the
American Revolution, who lost his life during the war of 1812. The town's
European settlers, the Whittemore family, shared their hearth and home
with wayfarers on the old Coös Trail through Dixville Notch. In 1895, a
wealthy Philadelphia industrialist, Henry S. Hale, purchased the Dix
House and renamed it The BALSAMS. Hale steadily expanded and
enhanced the facilities. By 1918 he had completed the Hampshire House,
an elegant addition that doubled the overnight capacity of the resort to 400
guests, which is also the current capacity. The BALSAMS is an all-inclusive
resort with skiing, golf, swimming, hiking, and one of the most
breathtaking settings in the world, complemented by distinctive service.
And it is also here that the first in the nation voting is held in the New
Hampshire Primary.
The Mountain View House in Whitefield began in 1866 as a modest
country inn with a spectacular view. Over the years, several grand
additions were made. By the summer of 1884, the Mountain View House
could accommodate over 100 guests. With an amazing setting, a lush golf
course and a guest register filled with America’s leading celebrities and
politicians, the hotel flourished into the 1960s, but closed in 1981.
The new 146-room Mountain View Grand reopened its doors in May 2002
after the completion of a $20 million restoration. It features revived
fountains and English gardens, more than 20,000 square feet of conference,
meeting, and wedding facilities, scenic golf courses, a 5,500-square-foot
ballroom, four dining rooms, custom-made mahogany furniture for the
guest rooms, and a state-of-the-art European spa located in the tower atop
the hotel.
Twelve of New Hampshire’s historic grand hotels have succumbed to fire,
abandon, and demolition: the Crawford House, Summit House, Faybian
House, Twin Mountain House, Mount Pleasant House, The Maplewood,
Sinclair House, Sunset Hill House, Deer Park, Intervale House, The
Kearsarge and The Profile House. Another three, The Eagle Mountain
House and Wentworth Hall in Jackson, and Eastern Slope Inn in North
Conway survive as hotels with condominiums.
The Mount Washington Hotel & Resort
Route 302, Bretton Woods, NH 03575
Tel: 800-258-0330
www.mtwashington.com
The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel
Dixville Notch, NH 03576-9710
Tel: 800-255-0600
www.thebalsams.com
The Mountain View Grand Resort Hotel
Mountain View Road
Whitefield, NH 03598
Tel: 800-438-3017
www.mountainviewgrand.com
Wentworth By the Sea Hotel and Spa
PO Box 860, Wentworth Road
New Castle, NH 03854
Tel: 866-240-6313
www.wentworth.com
Many states would be honored to
have just one grand hotel.
New Hampshire offers visitors
four remarkable grand hotels,
each with a role in history all its own.
New Hampshire’s White Mountains first attracted tourists to take the
Grand Tour of New Hampshire in the 19th century. The Presidential Range
that envelopes Mount Washington has 86 peaks, and dramatic notches are
the only way to cross them. It was here in the notches that lodging houses
to attract visitors were built in the early 1800s. When railroads made
getting to the mountains a simpler task, grand hotels were built offering
luxury in the heart of the wilderness. At one time, there were more than a
dozen of these luxurious getaways in the state. New Hampshire’s grand
hotels once offered their own post offices, printing presses, newspapers,
baseball leagues and dormitories for chauffeurs. Presidents, poets,
statesmen and celebrities all signed the guest registers at one time or
another.
Three of these vast palaces survive today: The Mount Washington Hotel
in Bretton Woods, The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch,
and The Mountain View Grand, newly restored in Whitefield. The
juxtaposition of their architecture and setting is as impressive today as it
was a century ago. A fourth grand hotel, Wentworth By the Sea, reopened
its doors in 2003.
The restoration of The Wentworth-by-the-Sea Marriott Hotel and Spa was
completed in May 2003. This Grand Dame by the Sea was originally built
in 1874. It features 168 rooms, including one room in each of its three
turrets. With a 10,000-square-foot Conference Center, an 8,500 sq. ft. spa
including massage rooms, treatment rooms, saunas, whirlpools and an
indoor pool, and the renovated outdoor pool near the waterfront, the
Wentworth offers a historic sense of place and style. The Wentworth's
claim to history is its role in the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the
Russo-Japanese War, when the hotel housed the Russian, Japanese and
American delegations.
A masterpiece of Spanish Renaissance architecture, The Mount
Washington Hotel arose in the shadow of the highest peak in the
northeast. Conceived by industrialist Joseph Stickney, it opened in 1902
and immediately became a favorite summer spot for poets, presidents and
princes. In 1944, The Mount Washington hosted the Bretton Woods
International Monetary Conference. Delegates from 44 nations convened,
establishing the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, as well as
setting the gold standard. Today it has become a National Historic
Landmark, still offering guests two golf courses, a renowned dining room,
shops, and amazing views from its vast porch. Its grand rooms have been
completely restored, and its lobby is a monument to a past era. In the
winter, the resort has miles of cross-country skiing, and New Hampshire’s
largest downhill ski area at Bretton Woods.
The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel has operated continuously since the
opening of the Dix House, just after the Civil War. The original inn
honored the town's first landowner, Colonel Timothy Dix, a hero of the
American Revolution, who lost his life during the war of 1812. The town's
European settlers, the Whittemore family, shared their hearth and home
with wayfarers on the old Coös Trail through Dixville Notch. In 1895, a
wealthy Philadelphia industrialist, Henry S. Hale, purchased the Dix
House and renamed it The BALSAMS. Hale steadily expanded and
enhanced the facilities. By 1918 he had completed the Hampshire House,
an elegant addition that doubled the overnight capacity of the resort to 400
guests, which is also the current capacity. The BALSAMS is an all-inclusive
resort with skiing, golf, swimming, hiking, and one of the most
breathtaking settings in the world, complemented by distinctive service.
And it is also here that the first in the nation voting is held in the New
Hampshire Primary.
The Mountain View House in Whitefield began in 1866 as a modest
country inn with a spectacular view. Over the years, several grand
additions were made. By the summer of 1884, the Mountain View House
could accommodate over 100 guests. With an amazing setting, a lush golf
course and a guest register filled with America’s leading celebrities and
politicians, the hotel flourished into the 1960s, but closed in 1981.
The new 146-room Mountain View Grand reopened its doors in May 2002
after the completion of a $20 million restoration. It features revived
fountains and English gardens, more than 20,000 square feet of conference,
meeting, and wedding facilities, scenic golf courses, a 5,500-square-foot
ballroom, four dining rooms, custom-made mahogany furniture for the
guest rooms, and a state-of-the-art European spa located in the tower atop
the hotel.
Twelve of New Hampshire’s historic grand hotels have succumbed to fire,
abandon, and demolition: the Crawford House, Summit House, Faybian
House, Twin Mountain House, Mount Pleasant House, The Maplewood,
Sinclair House, Sunset Hill House, Deer Park, Intervale House, The
Kearsarge and The Profile House. Another three, The Eagle Mountain
House and Wentworth Hall in Jackson, and Eastern Slope Inn in North
Conway survive as hotels with condominiums.
The Mount Washington Hotel & Resort
Route 302, Bretton Woods, NH 03575
Tel: 800-258-0330
www.mtwashington.com
The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel
Dixville Notch, NH 03576-9710
Tel: 800-255-0600
www.thebalsams.com
The Mountain View Grand Resort Hotel
Mountain View Road
Whitefield, NH 03598
Tel: 800-438-3017
www.mountainviewgrand.com
Wentworth By the Sea Hotel and Spa
PO Box 860, Wentworth Road
New Castle, NH 03854
Tel: 866-240-6313
www.wentworth.com
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