“It’s like, wow, we really do still love each other,” gushed Debbie Celio, after a recent romantic weekend with her husband at the Abigail Stoneman Inn in Newport. “It’s a breath of fresh air, it’s rejuvenating.”
The Celios are from Rockland County, N.Y., an hour’s commute from Manhattan. They both work in demanding jobs and have three teenagers. For the busy couple, the weekend in Newport was a way to rekindle their relationship. “It’s a time where you can forget about everything, it’s so relaxing, and you wish your home would be just like it,” she said.
Such vacations, where the children are left at home, are part of a niche tourist industry that caters to the romantic vacation in Rhode Island, many with Four-Diamond ratings from AAA attracting customers such as the Celios.
Win Baker, the owner of three inns in Newport which have won national awards for their romantic-getaway qualities, knows his target audience: “We cater to people who want to leave the family at home,” he said, describing the clientele for the Abigail Stoneman Inn, the Cliffside Inn and the Adele Turner Inn, marketed as the Legendary Inns. The Abigail Stoneman Inn and the Cliffside Inn are both rated Four-Diamond by AAA in 2010. The Adele Turner Inn (in 2002) and The Abigail Stoneman Inn (in 2003 and 2004) have won recognition as one of the top 10 romantic inns in the nation by ILoveInns.com.
“We get a lot of couples, be they married or not, both working. Eighty percent of our guests don’t see each other all week,” Baker said. Staying at one of his inns, Baker continued, “is a way for the couples to get reacquainted, to dial it up, in a unique, profound, luxuriant manner.”
To capture the ambience at his inns, Baker, who has been running the inns since 2001, used descriptors such as “very elegant,” “comfortable,” “high-end amenities,” “glamorous restaurant,” a staff “trained in fine service” and privacy as, “something we take seriously.” Many times, Baker said, the visit by a couple involves an engagement – with the guest requesting the inn to assist in the setting and method used to pop the question.
The inn’s house, built in 1938, is extremely quiet. Only six rooms are available, and each room has double doors for privacy. Everything is inclusive in the rates – including an open bar – except for dinner. “It’s like renting your own mansion,” Trish Hafer said. “Couples feel like they are there alone. Staff is not seen or heard, except when needed.”
The inn, rated Four-Diamond by AAA in 2010, has many returning customers. “Eighty-three percent of our customers return,” Hafer said. One couple, frequent guests who are attorneys from New York, take the train, are met in Providence by hotel staff, and spend the weekend together. “They often order dinner in,” she said. “There’s a lot of resting, talking and laughing.”
The inn includes a sauna, vegetable and herb gardens, an apple orchard, a fitness center, a billiards room, as well as in-house masseuses, with outside massages, weather permitting. “It’s all about romance and tranquility,” Hafer said.
In Seekonk, couples will find the Historic Jacob Hill Inn, which for nine years in a row has received the Four-Diamond rating from AAA, including 2010. The property, on five acres overlooking 53 acres of open space, bills itself as the “highest professionally rated bed & breakfast in the greater Providence area.” The original building on the site was built between 1722 and 1723 by the Allyn family. In 1792, Calvin Jacob bought the property and, because of his prominence in the community, the area became known as Jacob Hill.
The rooms at the Historic Jacob Hill Inn all feature a two-person Jacuzzi tub, fireplaces and king-size beds. One of the favorite rooms preferred by guests is the Grande Suite, with its own private sitting room and a wonderful view, according to Eleonora Rezek.
“The way life is now, many people, they’re so busy, they need to get away from everything,” she said. “Our place lends itself to that. Couples can spend a lot of time just being by themselves. We have individual seating for breakfast, rather than one big table. We have an expansive property where couples can get lost together.”
The market for what might be called the “unfamily” vacation doesn’t rely on traditional advertising, according to many of the innkeepers. Word of mouth, the Internet, and social networking, when recent guests share photographs and experiences on Facebook pages – has proven to be best way to attract new customers.
For Grant Edmondson, the owner of the Hydrangea House Inn in Newport for 23 years, the plush décor and comfort of his inn is what keeps customers coming back. The Hydrangea House Inn received a Four-Diamond rating from AAA in 2010, and it was also cited in 2008 as one of the top 10 romantic inns by ILoveInns.com.
The inn, according to Edmondson, has upscale amenities – including fireplaces, hot tubs for two and steam baths. “We have high-end mattresses, luxury bed linens, bathing amenities, as well as massage service on-site for guests. Our massages are very, very popular,” he said.
“We create a comfortable atmosphere for people who want to get away, who are looking for comfort and privacy,” Edmondson continued. “We make everyone feel comfortable.” •
