Given their druthers, most travelers would prefer to stay somewhere with a little personality. That's why even chain hotels often market themselves as "boutique" properties.
For a truly independent experience shaped by a singular aesthetic sensibility, writer-photographer Jackie Caradonio points the way to 20 appealing American inns in her coffee-table book, The Inn Crowd (Monacelli; $59.95).
Traveling throughout New England, New York State, and elsewhere in the Northeast, Caradonio—an experienced travel journalist who has worked as a staff editor with Departures magazine and Travel + Leisure, among others—profiles a different property in each chapter and tells the stories of the stylish innkeepers behind the vision.
Many of the owners featured in the book are creative types who found previous success outside the hospitality field.
They include beauty mogul Bobbi Brown and her husband, Steven Plofker, the pair behind The George in Montclair, New Jersey; former J. Crew menswear designer Frank Muytjens and his partner, Scott Edward Cole, who together turned a 19th-century Berkshires estate into the Inn at Kenmore Hall; and Pleasant Rowland, creator of the American Girl dolls and originator of Inns of Aurora, a collection of art-stuffed guesthouses in New York's Finger Lakes region.
Caradonio's text and 250 photographs showcase the inns' interior design, culinary offerings, gardens, and other distinctive qualities to spark readers' own creativity—or at least inspire them to update their travel wish lists.
Below, we've gathered images from some of our favorite inns that appear in the book, along with captions provided by the publisher.
Pictured above: James Stewart #2 by Peter Stackpole is framed over the bed in Room Four at Granville House in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. “I’ve been obsessed with Jimmy Stewart since I was 19,” co-owner Terry Coughlin says. The blanket is Pendleton’s Yakima Camp Throw.
The Villa at Saugerties in Saugerties, New York
Married couple Amanda Zaslow and Joe Moseley transformed a 1920s Mediterranean-style house into this four-room bed-and-breakfast in the Upstate New York hamlet of Saugerties. Outside, the couple built a stylish patio around the existing pool, lining it with double loungers and striped umbrellas.
The Henson in Hensonville, New York
Fresh flowers arranged by co-owner Danielle Franko and a painting by Mexico City’s Ana Valdés greet guests in the reception area of The Henson, a thoughtfully curated getaway in the Catskills.
Glenmere Mansion in Chester, New York
Now an 18-room hotel, Glenmere Mansion occupies a grand Hudson Valley estate dating to 1911. Married owners Alan Stenberg and Daniel DeSimone opted for “Mediterranean-blue” shutters on the pink building's exterior—a departure from the mansion’s original color scheme that was inspired by a visit to the Hotel de Russie in Rome.
The design concept for Glenmere's Frogs End Tavern was loosely inspired by one of the owners' favorite bars, the Hôtel Belles Rives’ Piano Bar Fitzgerald in France's Côte d’Azur.
The Norumbega in Camden, Maine
The Inn Crowd is, well, crowded with impressive architecture, but The Norumbega stands out as an actual stone castle, built in 1886 near Camden Harbor. In the dining room, a velvet Arc sofa by TRNK and chartreuse Murano chandelier complement the blue tiles around the giant fireplace.
The stained oak paneling throughout the ground floor was in exceptional shape when the current innkeepers—architect Will Tims and his partner, Brett Haynie—took the keys of the castle.
Eastwind Hotel — Lake Placid in Lake Placid, New York
The married team of Bjorn Boyer and Julija Stoliarova have three different New York State inns, including a converted motor lodge and Victorian building in Lake Placid. The turret of the Victorian house was a perfect spot for a cast-iron bathtub, which Stoliarova had painted a custom orange. The Pendant Petal ceiling light is by French designer Georges.
The George in Montclair, New Jersey
Cosmetics maven Bobbi Brown and husband Steven Plofker opened The George inside a landmarked Georgian Revival building in their hometown of Montclair, New Jersey. The inn's library displays the couple's eclectic style with thrifted lamps, leather chandeliers, and cozy oversized armchairs.
Silver Sands Motel & Beach Bungalows in Greenport, New York
Located on the North Fork of Long Island, Silver Sands evokes the sunny, beachside nostalgia of the mid–20th century, albeit with all the modern comforts of the 21st. Eddie’s, an airy alfresco restaurant and bar on the sand, pairs seafood creations with wood-fired Neapolitan pies.
Lost Fox Inn in Litchfield, Connecticut
Lost Fox Inn unites three disparate buildings—a mid–18th-century tavern, a late–18th-century schoolhouse, and a more recently constructed inn—as one cohesive unit in quiet Litchfield, Connecticut. The tavern’s blend of old and new—antique brass ceiling lights, House of Hackney wallpaper—matches its updated rustic cuisine.
The Inn Crowd by Jackie Caradonio is published by Monacelli and costs $59.95. The book is available in stores and from online booksellers.