When visiting the historic Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa in New Hampshire, travelers turn off the scenic U.S. Route 302 to a grand greeting. In the distance, the resort’s distinctive white facade, red roof and stature against the White Mountains resembles a stay fit for royalty.
While not technically a castle, the resort does have a royal connection, formerly owned by a French princess whose influence has long pervaded the property’s design. The resort’s history and grandeur have kept generations of guests returning.
Now in the hands of Omni Hotels & Resorts, the property recently underwent a multimillion-dollar restoration that added modern touches across the guest rooms, public spaces and amenities. Throughout the process, Omni ensured the hotel’s history was preserved to honor the emotional connection guests have for the hotel, Omni Senior Director of Interior Design Tonya Grine told Hotel Dive.
Following the restoration’s wrap earlier this summer, Grine, along with the resort’s managing director, Michael Medeiros, shared with Hotel Dive details of the property’s storied past, an inside look at its makeover and how the reimagining aims to celebrate guests’ time-honored tradition of returning year after year.
A storied past
The Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa, originally known as the Mount Washington Hotel, first opened in 1902. New Hampshire industrialist Joseph Stickney owned the property and developed it over the course of two years with the help of 250 Italian craftsmen who created its iconic Spanish Renaissance Revival architecture and colonnaded veranda.
The hotel’s original design incorporated cutting-edge innovations, including a steel-frame superstructure, an electrical power plant and a sophisticated internal heating system, according to Omni. Thomas Edison himself designed the hotel’s electrical system.
Months after the hotel opened, Stickney passed away and left the property to his wife, Carolyn Stickney. She later married a French royal and presided over the property with “formidable personal flair” as Princess Carolyn until her own death in the early 1930s, according to Omni.
Over the last century, the hotel has been visited by celebrities, politicians and foreign dignitaries, and even played a role in the establishment of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank during the height of World War II. The property went on to earn National Historic Landmark status in the 1980s and eventually became the beloved four-season resort guests know it as today. Omni acquired the property in 2015.
A ‘generational heirloom’
Now, a little more than a decade later, Omni’s restoration of the resort “honors our storied history while reestablishing Omni Mount Washington as a true travel heirloom,” Medeiros said.
The renovation was rooted in the design concept of “Generational Heirloom,” which embraces the generations of guests who have celebrated traditions at the property while refreshing it in a subtle and familiar way, according to Grine.
“By working within its historic shell, we honored its iconic heritage through carefully selected materials, fabrics, lighting and furnishings that feel both familiar and refreshed, inviting new generations to create memories in the space, just as families have for decades,” Grine said.
The resort's guest rooms in its historic wing were refurbished to blend “Gilded Age elegance with contemporary comfort,” according to Omni. The rooms feature a color palette of blues and greens, inspired by the surrounding mountain landscape, Grine shared. New patterns also weave the local flora and fauna into the design, including a maple leaf motif on the guest room headboards, Grine said.
Meanwhile, antique-inspired furnishings and woven accents “create a relaxed sense of luxury” in the guest rooms, according to Omni. Adding to that luxurious feel are modern conveniences that were installed in the rooms, such as refrigerators and coffee makers, made possible by the complete updating of the electrical throughout.
Across the property, feminine, French influences were added to embrace the resort’s connection to Princess Carolyn, Grine said. Nods to her nobility shine through across the property, including in the new all-day cafe, Labrador Tea & Coffee, which features millwork painted French patina blue.
The cafe was created in place of an old business center and small retail shop to offer guests a central gathering hub, Grine explained. In addition to the French influences, the design of the cafe incorporates native flowers and herbs. Omni also enhanced the resort’s speakeasy, The Cave, as well as the spa and fitness center, Medeiros shared.
It was critical to Omni that many elements of the property remained the same to honor guests’ affinity for its history, Grine said. For example, Omni reused the property’s existing artwork, working with the Historical Society of Bretton Woods to curate vitrines across the resort.
A lasting experience
Omni approached the restoration with the knowledge that many generations of guests have visited the hotel because of their emotional attachment to the property, Grine explained. Guests celebrated special milestones at the hotel, and now their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are starting to do the same, Grine said.
According to Medeiros, the resort has long been more than a destination. “It’s a sanctuary where people gather to celebrate, carry on traditions and create lasting memories,” he said.
“Today, guests arrive not only for the breathtaking setting, but to reconnect with that sense of nostalgia while beginning new chapters of their own,” Medeiros added.
The project comes as Omni invests money across its portfolio to honor the history of its hotels and create new lasting guest experiences, Medeiros noted.
“We’re in a hospitality business, so we want to make sure that we can do everything we can to keep the guests happy and make sure that they come back, and you know, we’re part of them building their experience and their traditions,” Medeiros said.
Across its portfolio, Omni is underway on a five-year, $1.5 billion commitment to support historic restorations, new developments and international expansion, Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Doane previously told Hotel Dive.
The company completed a $65 million propertywide restoration of the Omni Parker House hotel in Boston last year, as well as a $40 million renovation on the Omni Amelia Island Resort & Spa in Florida earlier this summer.
