How does a storied New England hotel celebrate its 100th birthday? For the Hotel Viking — located in Newport, Rhode Island — the answer involves a large-scale renovation and a grand reopening. Last year, Travel Weekly‘s Christina Jelski reported on the planned upgrades to the hotel, giving travelers a sense of what to expect when the hotel began booking guests again in May 2026.
Besides aesthetic changes to the look of the hotel, some of the upgrades will involve food and beverage options. Travel Weekly reported that chef Robert Andreozzi — an alumnus of Del Posto and Blue Hill at Stone Barns — would be heading up the dining options for the revamped space. Given that Andreozzi’s career has earned him two James Beard Award nominations thus far, that’s one piece of encouraging news.
As for the rest of the renovations to the 208-bedroom space, the nature of the changes will be familiar to anyone who’s watched a historic property be refurbished: namely, how do you retain a sense of history without making a space feel overly archaic? As Ben Rowe, the CEO of owners KHP Capital Partners, told Hotels Magazine, “This next chapter will pay proper homage to the property’s legacy, with the ultimate goal of cultivating a space where locals and travelers alike can gather, connect, and feel at home.”
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The art of hospitality is lost at “five-star” hotels with maximum profit-extraction strategiesThe Hotel Viking’s reopening is set for May 1. To date, the hotel is a three-time finalist for awards from Historic Hotels of America. It has also been highlighted for both an excellent afternoon tea and for the presence of ghosts on the premises. Hopefully, the renovations did not have the added effect of frightening off any spectral presences lurking in this storied space.
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