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Review
Newport's new and improved living room is a treat for guests and locals alike.
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
Reviewed by Charlie Hobbs
Rooms
Just 66 rooms sit within the hotel's original 1926 structure, and 144 more in the more modern, glassy addition jut out the rear to bring the total count to 210. While they've all been updated into the same serene New England neutrals by Los Angeles-based design firm Beleco, the rooms in the original building come with delightful idiosyncrasies wrought by the tight floor plan—like nooks and crannies, and deep windows. In that building also lie the suites, each named for Newport mansions and with such accoutrements as canopy beds and standing tubs. My room is standard, with a king-sized bed, lavender chaise, and the built-in cupboard closet that you'll find in every room. I particularly enjoyed the shower, which was the easiest I've yet operated, with clearly-marked buttons to activate each of the two shower heads. The TVs also have cable, including HBO, an increasingly rare amenity in hotels these days with the pivot to Netflix-equipped smart TVs.
Food and drink
The new and improved food and beverage program at Hotel Viking is nothing short of delightful thanks to Chef Robert Andreozzi and Jesse Hedburg—the hospitality minds behind culinarily-minded Providence's beloved Pizza Marvin and Club Frills—and the team they've assembled here. There are four distinct concepts onsite, three of which were open at the time of my stay—Skoal Room, Pescadou, and Tuck Shop. Skoal Room, the lobby bar, feels worlds away from the clean whites of the check-in desk. Wood paneling painted a moody blue, deep armchairs, and a leather couch (one that's just going to get prettier as it's worn in) anchor the space, which excels in spirit-forward cocktails. Martinis there are great, but have you had an old-fashioned made with rum rather than whiskey and accented with black garlic? There's much invention in this vein to be explored. The food menu is brief and fun, the can't-miss being a burger dripping with comte.
Pescadou, which you enter through Skoal Room, is a maximalist pleasure with pink and green—a modern answer to the town's Gilded Age stylings. There are mirrors, murals, and a tiled sunroom (have your breakfast in the latter), but none of this all-out excess distracts from the seafood they're slinging South of France-style out of the kitchen. Newport, for all of its seafaring history, has lacked a French approach to seafood until now. Highlights include the raw sampler—mussels blanketed in a thick puree of herbs, scallop crudo bathed in homemade almond milk—and a bouillabaisse accompanied by insanely crunchy cheesy bread for sopping. The wine program is also excellent, with rosé being the name of the game, so come prepared to dive into some Provencal excellence.
Tuck Shop is the coffee shop on the way to the elevator from the lobby. It's charming, painted burgundy in the varsity style and bedecked with tasteful merch that's available for purchase alongside caffeine and pastries. Coming soon is a fourth concept, rooftop bar Cap Club, which will zero in on rum cocktails alongside Carribbean-style bites (I did hear the word “roti,” too). Having stood up there taking in the 360-degree views, I would bet money that it will be quite the scene when summer is in full swing.
Amenities and experiences
Among the newly refurbished offerings are the subterranean Spa Fjör (more on that in the wellness section), a large courtyard with deep chairs and massive fire pits intended as a gathering space for locals and guests alike, and expansive conference and event space. The gym and indoor pool were updated around a decade ago, so have not yet been zhuzhed into the style of the rest of the place, but each is perfectly serviceable.
What to do nearby
Are there better locations in Newport to pick as a home base? Hotel Viking has long been and remains a beating heart of the town from its location on Bellevue Avenue, walking distance from everything you'll want to do and see.
The backstory
Newport became something of a riviera retreat for New York's wealthiest starting in the mid-nineteenth century, at which point they began erecting immense summer “cottages” of immense size and style—these remain one of the town's claims to fame and a chief tourist attraction. But as word of Newport's glamor and serenity reached the ears of the masses, the place needed hotels. Hotel Viking is the result of Newport's industrious locals—including William H. Vanderbilt—wanting to get in on that action. Done in the Colonial Revival style, the hotel has been an essential landmark along Bellevue Avenue since it opened in 1926. Good times for the place have come and gone under various ownerships in the years since, and things are now looking up once more.
Insider tip
The hotel owns the historic Kay Chapel, which is a brief walk away and used primarily for weddings—it's gorgeous and worth taking a peek at.
Final considerations:
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