Vanderbilt Hall Preps for Newport Charter Season
href="http://www.charterwave.com/find-a-broker/reputable-brokers.html" target="_self">reputable charter broker
On Thursday, a champagne reception will be held in the Model Room at the New York Yacht Club to celebrate the launch of the newly renovated Vanderbilt Hall, a mansion hotel and private members club in Newport, Rhode Island. I was sorry to have to turn down the invitation for this week's event in Manhattan, but my scheduling conflict gave me a good excuse to get the early scoop about what is certain to be a top shore-side excursion for anyone chartering a yacht in New England this summer.
The cornerstone for Vanderbilt Hall was laid more than a century ago, in 1908, and the property operated as a YMCA for several decades. In the mid-1970s, the Newport Restoration Foundation moved into the building, and in the mid-1990s the property was renovated into a AAA Four Diamond hotel. In November 2009, former America's Cup yachtsman Peter de Savary bought the property for a reported $5.7 million and set about turning it into the luxury retreat that will be celebrated in Manhattan two days from today.
de Savary is already well-known in the charter industry because of other developments that guests frequently visit, including Port Louis Marina on Grenada at the St. James' Club on Antigua. While he plans to turn Vanderbilt Hall into a private members club, he is allowing non-member hotel guests in 2010, including during the upcoming summer charter season.
Guests can enjoy Vanderbilt Hall's dining room and bar, conservatory and garden, European spa with indoor and outdoor pools, rooftop terrace, and access to the 60-foot Vicem motoryacht Vanderbilt for day charters. (That's Vanderbilt in the photograph at right.) Also on site is de Savary's private collection of American Illustration art, which is believed to be worth more than Vanderbilt Hall and its recent renovations, combined.
For charter guests who want to enjoy a night at Vanderbilt Hall, the easiest option is to have your yacht's captain tie up at The Marina at Brown and Howards Wharf in Newport, which is about a 10-minute walk from the property. "That's where Peter pulls in when he comes to visit," Vanderbilt Hall's general manager told me. "It's an easy 10-minute jaunt for him to get here from the boat, and we send our people down to pick up his luggage."
Any reputable charter broker can help you arrange a stay at Vanderbilt Hall in conjunction with a Newport-area yacht charter vacation this summer.
