When Joseph Stickney was building the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, N.H., at the turn of the 20th century, his goal was to "bring the outside in."
The reason why is obvious to anyone who's visited the hotel: The rugged White Mountains provide a breathtaking backdrop for the expansive resort, while the hotel itself, with its wide verandas and Spanish Renaissance revival architecture, looks like something out of an epic movie.
On a hosted visit to what is now the Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa, my guest and I learned about the hotel's rich history, enjoyed delicious food in one of its restaurants and experienced the luxury of its latest addition, the Presidential Wing.
Walking into the main entrance, the high-ceilinged Great Hall leaves quite an impression, with rows of columns, elaborate chandeliers and an immense stone fireplace adorned with a mounted moose head. It's easy to imagine the resort's first guests in 1902 marveling at the grandeur of the building as they departed from the train and wheeled in giant steamer trunks.
On our visit, the hall was decorated with Christmas trees and lights and featured a hot chocolate station where steamed milk was poured over a chocolate mountain. After checking in, we made the walk to the Presidential Wing, passing through the hotel's brick-walled lower level, which is home to an arcade; a pub and restaurant; and The Cave, a stone-walled bar set in what was a Prohibition-era speakeasy.
A king room in the resort's new Presidential Wing. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Omni Mount Washington Resort
Inside the Presidential Wing
The Presidential Wing opened in 2020, part of $60 million in recent renovations, and features 69 of the hotel's 269 rooms, including three suites with separate living areas and wet bars. Most rooms feature balconies or patios and spacious bathrooms with soaking tubs.
"This newest addition to the Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa preserves the resort's famous historic charm while incorporating modern amenities and represents only the third building addition since 1902 -- which also includes the Sun Dining Room in 1906 and the Presidential Wing Spa & Conference Center in 2008," said Steve Janicek, the resort's managing director.
Our king-bed room had a balcony with fantastic views looking over the Ammonoosuc River and the resort's 18-hole golf course, with Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern U.S., providing the impressive backdrop.
Presidential Wing guests have a private entryway to the hotel's heated outdoor pool, where I swam a few leisurely laps while taking in the scenery.
Perhaps my favorite part of the new expansion was having access to the Presidential Lounge, which offers complimentary breakfast, snacks and beverages throughout the day and an "afternoon social" featuring an array of appetizers and a selection of beer and wine.
It would be easy to spend the weekend without ever leaving the resort, but most guests will want to get out and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding countryside. While the skiing conditions during our visit were less than ideal with minimal snow coverage, the Bretton Woods ski area is just across the road from the hotel, which offers an on-call shuttle to take guests to the slopes.
New Hampshire's largest ski resort, Bretton Woods is known for its impeccable grooming and excellent Nordic trail network. It also offers an extremely popular year-round canopy tour that features nine ziplines, the longest of which spans 1,000 feet.
When snow cover permits, guests at the Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa in New Hampshire can go on sleigh rides. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Omni Mount Washington Resort
In a one-horse open sleigh
Instead of hitting the slopes, we opted to go for a carriage tour around the Omni Mount Washington grounds.
Our driver picked us up in a stately carriage drawn by a magnificent Belgian draft horse. With a cold rain falling, we stayed dry and warm with a cozy blanket in the carriage during our half-hour tour, while our driver told us about the original Victorian stables where the horses live and informed us that when there's enough snow on the ground they trade in the carriage for a one-horse open sleigh, the definition of a bucolic scene.
After any winter activity, it always feels good to warm up with a heated pool or hot tub, and the hotel offers several options to do just that. Along with indoor and outdoor heated pools, the Omni is home to a 25,000-square-foot, full-service spa that features 13 treatment rooms. On the first morning of our stay, we visited the spa to try out the sauna and steam room and to soak in the outdoor whirlpool while heavy snow coated the hotel grounds.
The resort is home to several bars and restaurants, and a visit to the 1902 Main Dining Room is a must for any guest. Named for the year the hotel opened, guests can enjoy a delicious meal while taking in the White Mountain from one of the many window-side tables.
We headed there for both breakfast and dinner. The morning meal featured an extensive buffet with a chicken and waffles bar, while in the evening we enjoyed a crab and Ritz-crusted cod dish and melt-in-your-mouth braised short ribs.
The 1902 Main Dining Room, named for the year the hotel opened, has ample window-side seating. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Omni Mount Washington Resort
A rich history
Any visitor to the Omni Mount Washington Hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, should take the time to go on one of the daily tours to fully appreciate some of the architectural details and the personalities behind the hotel's storied history.
Our guide told us the story of Stickney and how he highlighted the beauty of the hotel's location through details such as the wide verandas and extra-large windows throughout the building, a rarity in the early 1900s.
The one-hour tour also covered some of the celebrities who visited the hotel over the years, including Babe Ruth and Thomas Edison, and the historic Bretton Woods Conference that was held there in 1944; the post-World War II gathering of delegates from 44 countries resulted in the creation of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The fact that the hotel is one of the few remaining grand hotels of the Gilded Age is a testament to the vision of its founder and the work of future generations to continue building and bringing modern touches to the hotel, such as the Presidential Wing. After more than 120 years, the resort continues to "bring the outside in," enabling guests to fully appreciate its spectacular setting.