During our trip to Newport, we stayed in the Marshall Slocum Inn, an inn located practically in the heart of Newport. It’s close to one of the main roads in downtown Newport and is within walking distance from quite a few museums and restaurants. It’s definitely up there with being one of the nicest stays we’ve had and the innkeepers were very kind, respectful, and informative. Before I get into the details of the room, let’s make you aware of the precautions in place to keep everyone safe.
THE SAFETY MEASURES
There was a mask mandate in the inn when around other guests if you weren’t vaccinated, to keep everyone safe. The rooms are cleaned hours before guests arrive and I believe there’s a buffer day to give enough time for the rooms to be cleaned. Rather than people coming into your room and frequently changing your linens, you can simply request the items you need from their virtual concierge using a QR code. We actually prefer this since we always felt like we never really needed brand new linens each day anyway. In fact, no one came into our room during our stay, which we preferred, and we tipped as we normally would though.
Although we know they clean the rooms beforehand, we cleaned it once more, wiping all of the high-touch areas and spraying the bed before getting settled. Spraying the bed with anti-bacterial spray was something my mom used to do whenever we’d go on family vacations and it’s stuck with us ever since. Even on our honeymoon, the first thing we did when we got in the room was we sprayed the sheets. Now with everything that happened the last year and a half, we’ve added wiping down high touch surfaces to that routine for added safety. The sheets were clean though, so I’m sure that’s not necessary, but it’s habitual for me at this point.
Another feature we enjoyed was getting to grab snacks – even during the hours when the innkeepers were not around. They provide pastries and drinks, at a cost, that you can eat outside, safely distanced from others or back in your room. We loved having this option and utilized it quite often during our trip.
THE AMENITIES
In addition to pastries and snacks, being available for purchase at the inn, they have beach chairs, water, and wine available for purchase, and they have recommendations for different experiences throughout your stay there. You can purchase packages through the inn that include tickets to mansions in the area. It’s included in your stay, which is an incredibly convenient feature to have and helped us save some money during our stay.
They have complimentary towels and soap, but you can also bring your own if you like or if you have specific allergies to certain chemicals in certain products. I opted to bring my own since I am trying to avoid certain chemicals, but you can use what they provide!
It’s also very close to the main streets in Newport. While this isn’t an amenity that’s necessarily provided by the hotel, it makes for a convenient area that’s safe and close to various museums. It’s also about a 10-minute walk from Bowen’s Wharf which is nice. We’ve utilized that walk before to grab coffee or just explore downtown before it got crowded in the afternoons.
THE ROOM
The room we stayed in was incredibly comfortable. There’s no television in most of the rooms, which is rare but makes for a relaxing retreat. They have a device you can use, however, to watch Netflix and other shows available for streaming. There is also internet, which we used when we were trying to book tickets for different museums in the area.
As with the entire place, the room was nicely decorated. I loved how inviting and cozy everything felt after walking in from a long ride up. I also kept looking at the beautiful toile curtains. Everything paired together so nicely and although the style of the room is not something most people think about when looking for a place to stay, it’s always nice to stay somewhere that feels inviting – especially if you’re staying for longer than a few days.
The room was a nice combination of vintage and modern. You knew walking into it that the inn is within a building that has been around for many years, but the decor doesn’t make you feel like you’ve walked into the 1800s. There are slight nods here and there to its vintage roots without it feeling overdone or old. It’s classic, traditional, and beautifully done.
We loved our stay at The Marshall Slocum Inn so much that so far, it’s quickly become a go-to for us whenever we visit Newport. The innkeepers are kind, knowledgeable, and friendly. The amenities are nice and the rooms are very nicely designed with the guest in mind. If you’re ever looking for a place to stay in Newport, we cannot recommend this place enough.
