REVIEW-NEWPORT HARBOR HOTEL & MARINA (22)

When "doing" a review we find different times of the year to stay & walk the local area to get a feel of what the "place" should be like to give that ultimate experience. Giving an ultimate experience does not mean "expensive" or "luxury" but the general overall experience and how the place of accommodation presents itself.

We decided to test the Newport Harbor Hotell & Marina (NHH), a place we walked by hundreds of times while visiting Newport over the past 20 years. Located on America's Cup Ave the Hotel is nearly in the center of it all. We made our reservations via cheaphotels.com and called to double check that they had received our reservations. Our visit to us to NHH in April. We entered the hotel and it was a cookie cutter style hotel entry, a vast parking lot covered the front and a typical post WW2 constructed building housing the hotel. Service was ok, we checked in and went to our rooms. Clean and tidy the first moments kind of left us wanting more. Our room was standard, the type one would find at any Holiday Inn, the ugly bedspread which is common place as I believe they do not want the guests to steal the linens... , the TV was tired but the room was "clean". The bathroom was fine and again very clean.

We chose to have breakfast in the morning "after" our visit to different establishments on a cold April nite. The view was spectacular. Very few customers which was good for us at the time and it was off season. The buffet was hot and well taken care of or "attended to" by the staff. We had a table by the main window facing the marina which had some boats just entering their slips including a large sailboat with a flag of Norway on it (the birthplace of my wife). The buffet was a small step above standard but was good and maybe a little better than the bagel and plastic encased donut I had imagined. Check was smooth and the staff was friendly. We had imagined how this place would be in the summer, packed with visitors and life but then again to also "feel the bones" of a place to stay it is nice to check it out in the offseason as often during busy times the staff is overworked & stressed.

To sum up our stay... we all (5 of us) afreed that we expected something more. Kind of like dining at a fine restaurant that everyone brags about and then you eat there waiting for the experience that just never comes. The NHH has a pool which we did use for about 5 mins before closing at 8 pm I believe and is centrally located. We paid only 130 dollars for the nite per room (double) and for what it was worth...it was a deal. However being located in Newport, an 18th century town with charm on every corner the NHH was all too bland. Perhaps some investment in trying to alter the 1950s look and perhaps a little more "newport". In the high season rates are similar to the more expensive places of accommodation in the area. They have the view and the marina in addition but this "family" style hotel was just waiting to offer a little more.

RATING
SCALE:1-Low/Check out other places, 3 "ok" to 5-Highly Recommended

Service   4
Room      3
View/Location   5
Dining      4
Experience  3
Compared to Advertised?    3

Total: 22 out of  30

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Hotel from above

Standard Room