Castle Hill Inn reopened to registered overnight guests Thursday, exactly one month after a fire tore through the third-floor attic of the historic Mansion on the evening of Feb. 5.
Guests can now book stays in the Inn’s Beach Houses and Beach Cottages, with the Chalet serving as the hub of operations. The Chalet will offer a gourmet breakfast buffet, afternoon tea, evening light bites and cocktails, and room service. Private car transfers to downtown Newport restaurants will also be available.
The Retreat at Castle Hill by Farmaesthetics, the Inn’s spa, has been temporarily relocated to the upper level of the Chalet.
The Inn said it will not be able to accommodate day visitors for drinks or dining during the initial reopening phase but expects to welcome all guests back later this spring.
The fire broke out shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 5 and spread quickly through the wooden attic spaces at the rear of the Mansion. The Newport Fire Department, joined by crews from Middletown, Jamestown, Portsmouth, the Navy Base and neighboring communities, evacuated all guests and employees safely and brought the blaze under control.
In an open letter published in February, the Inn’s employee-owners praised the response, writing that firefighters climbed steep, pitched roofs nearly 50 feet in the air and advanced through three flights of stairs inside the Mansion to battle the flames.
As part of the reopening, Castle Hill will not host its annual Easter celebrations this year, including the popular Easter egg hunt.
The Inn’s Mother’s Day celebration will move to The Bohlin, a Castle Hill Inn venue at the Newport Yachting Center in downtown Newport. The waterfront event, curated by the Inn’s culinary team, will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations will be available on the Inn’s website.
A timeline for the reopening of the Mansion has not been announced, though the Inn said it expects to reopen later this spring.