Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/68908
Haute Property news, sTaRs, and TRends in Real esTaTe "The Veranda House has a sense of urban design because the clientele demands it," says interior designer Rachel Reider. more than a lark A NEW HOTEL GROUP RAISES THE BAR FOR BOUTIQUE PROPERTIES IN NEW ENGLAND'S MOST FAMOUS COASTAL LOCALES. by janice o'leary L ong a part of the international travel scene, boutique hotels have been cropping up in US cities in the last decade. Here in Boston, we've wel- comed The Liberty, the Morgans Hotel Group's Ames Boston, and most recently, the Revere. What do we love about them? The customized experience and the high-tech, high-design concepts. These hotels speak cool, but they don't shout it. They're urban, but not slick. But while the bou- tique brands have been tapping into the city, we've been longing for them in our coastal towns. A few—like Maine's Camden Harbour Inn and Hidden Pond resort, Vermont's Blue Horse Inn, Forty 1º North in Newport, and the Ale House continued on page 124 bostoncommon-magazine.com 123 Inn in Portsmouth—have eased onto the scene. Joining them this year is the newly launched Lark Hotels group, founded by 30-somethings Leigh and Rob Blood, which has been quietly buying distressed properties and giving them some TLC. Most recently, they acquired and completely remodeled The Attwater in Newport and the 11-room Chapman House on Nantucket, which sits adjacent to their 2006 acquisition, The Veranda House. Rob Blood says their goal with each property is to "respect the historic structure but push the design envelope. I want people to feel like they're in Newport when they're at The Attwater, not Newport in the 1800s." photography courtesy of rare brick