Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Nantucket / The Nantucket Hotel & Resort
The Nantucket Hotel & Resort
Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States · Independent · Core Luxury
The Nantucket Hotel is the island's only surviving 19th-century shingle-style grand hotel, opened in 1891 as the Point Breeze Hotel after carpenter Edwin R. Smith built it for Charles F. Folger of Philadelphia. A 1925 fire left only the 1904 east wing; the founder's grandson Gordon Folger Jr. bought it back in 1936. After a failed condominium conversion and bank repossession, the Snider family restored it in 184 days and reopened it on 30 June 2012, keeping the 1891 corner tower.
- 44 rooms
- Opened 1891
- Neighborhood: Nantucket Town
- Architect: Edwin R. Smith
About The Nantucket Hotel & Resort
- Opened in 1891 as the Point Breeze Hotel; it is the only surviving 19th-century shingle-style hotel on Nantucket.
- Carpenter Edwin R. Smith designed the Queen Anne summer hotel for Charles F. Folger; Bracey Curtis added a Colonial Revival east wing in 1904.
- A 1925 fire destroyed the original building except that east wing; Gordon Folger Jr. bought it back in 1936 and renamed it the Gordon Folger Hotel.
- The Snider family bought it in December 2011 and restored it in 184 days, reopening on 30 June 2012.
- The property inspired novelist Elin Hilderbrand's book The Hotel Nantucket, part of her best-selling series of island-set novels.
History
The Nantucket Hotel & Resort is the only surviving 19th-century shingle-style hotel on the island. In 1888 Charles F. Folger of Philadelphia purchased the former Elijah Alley house on Easton Street and hired carpenter Edwin R. Smith to design and build a grand Queen Anne-style summer hotel. Opened in the summer of 1891 as the Point Breeze Hotel, it held forty sleeping apartments and was crowned by a corner tower with billiards rooms and a basement bowling alley; owner Bracey Curtis added a Colonial Revival east wing in 1904.
A 1925 fire destroyed the original building, leaving only the east wing, and in 1936 Gordon Folger Jr., grandson of the founder, bought it back and renamed it the Gordon Folger Hotel. After passing through the Bowman and Gonnella families, the hotel was gutted by a developer's failed condominium conversion, repossessed by TD Bank, and left unfinished for years. The Snider family purchased it in December 2011 and, after a frenetic 184-day restoration, reopened it on June 30, 2012 as The Nantucket Hotel & Resort, preserving the iconic 1891 corner tower and grey-shingled facade.
The setting
The Nantucket Hotel & Resort sits toward the north of Nantucket Town in Nantucket. The filed cluster sits behind town at Mika's Pond, but the night is the harbor: cobblestones, Gray Lady fog, and shingled hotels within a walk of Straight Wharf. Main Street after the ferries still smells like roses. 2 blocks from Children's Beach. 5-minute walk to Whaling Museum.
Restaurants and bars
- Breeze Restaurant — Restaurant · Chef Michael Hervieux (Executive Chef)
- Sailor's Valentine — Restaurant · Chef Michael Hervieux
Experiences
- Old Fashioned New England Clambakes with Live Music — Monday clambakes on the Breeze terrace with live music, fresh lobster and Cisco beer, June 15th to August 31st.
- A Taste of Spain — Weekly Wednesday Spanish tapas and paella evening with sommelier-curated Spanish wines and cava.
- Breeze Restaurant dining — Casual dining on the front porch, at the bar, or in the dining room at Breeze, steps from Main Street.
- Dive-In Movies on Thursdays — Dinner at Breeze followed by a complimentary classic outdoor movie by the pool, summer Thursdays.
- Nantucket Wine & Food Festival — Mid-May festival with wine connoisseurs, dinners and seminars, many held at the hotel.
- Kids' Club at Breeze — Complimentary supervised Kids' Club for ages 3+ (potty trained) through pre-teen during brunch and select dinners.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Kids' club
- Tennis
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
Open The Nantucket Hotel & Resort in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Nantucket
- Faraway Nantucket — Independent · Core Luxury
- Greydon House — Independent · Core Luxury
- The Cottages at Nantucket Boat Basin — White Elephant · Core Luxury
- White Elephant Nantucket — White Elephant · Core Luxury
- The Brant Nantucket — Independent · High Luxury
- The Wauwinet — White Elephant · High Luxury