Just a short walk from historic downtown Mystic’s main street is a completely different destination: the all-new, intimate Spicer Mansion, now open and taking reservations for summer and beyond.
Originally built in 1853 by Captain Elihu Spicer, the Mansion has been reborn as the first boutique luxury hotel in Mystic, with eight luxuriously-appointed guest accommodations. As the smallest and most intimate of the OHMCollection hotels, Spicer Mansion is an exclusive haven for hotel guests and diners seeking a gourmet experience.
"People who come to Mystic have often travelled extensively, experienced the best of everything, and have extremely high expectations – at Spicer Mansion as with our other properties, our role is to anticipate and exceed these expectations, to personalize and delight in ways that mean the most to our guests," says Daniel Hostettler, President and Group Managing Director of Ocean House Management, LLC.
Situated in the historic residential district of downtown Mystic, Spicer Mansion is the perfect pied-à-terre for those with frequent business in the area, or an ideal base from which to experience Mystic’s myriad of amusements and diversions. With its expert team, the inn serves as a great starting point for a first-time visitor to the town or frequent visitors seeking the ultimate luxury getaway complete with insider access experiences. The multi-lingual guest service team has curated a number of bespoke “Spicer Moments,” a series of experiences unique to the hotel and its location, centered around culture, gastronomy, adventure, romance and wellbeing. From behind the scenes tours at the Mystic Seaport’s Maritime Collections to luxury helicopter tours to romantic picnics in a hidden location on a secluded beach, these experiences are designed to create memorable journeys, leaving guests feeling enriched and inspired.
The hotel’s one-and-a-half acre estate gardens were designed by renowned New England Landscape Architect Christopher Thorpe to pay homage to the grand estates of the period. Inside, the ambiance is that of an elegant private home and a welcome respite for long distance and frequent travellers. Each of the eight rooms and suites are large – most are at least 400 square feet or more, and some with step out balconies – and packed with technological conveniences and thoughtful comforts such as pillows monogrammed with guest initials. Rooms offer Duxiana mattresses, large flat screen TVs with VGA connection for laptops, complimentary streaming video, high speed internet access, iPads with a guest directory and area activities, Egyptian cotton sheets, cashmere throw blankets by Matouk, and Molton-Brown bath amenities.
Guests are pampered with twice daily housekeeping, complimentary overnight shoeshine and daily pressing, complimentary afternoon snacks and evening cordials, and a fleet of BMW 750i luxury sedans for transport in Mystic or for guests to borrow for the day or evening. In the grand salons and public spaces, guests can enjoy a rotating million dollar collection of fine art provided in cooperation with various local galleries and curated by the OHMCollection’s Resident Curator and Director of Art Education, Jeanne Potter.
Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday to hotel and invited guests only, Spicer Mansion’s fine dining restaurant offers an unforgettable seasonal six-course tasting menu from Chef Jennifer Backman that changes nightly. For a pre-dinner cocktail or after-dinner cordial, the inn’s Room No. 9 Speakeasy will open later this year with an entrance hidden behind a bookcase in the reception hall. Head Mixologist Jennifer Lancaster and the team craft the classics as well as modern innovations and made-to-order libations, with an extensive list of premium New England spirits, fine coffees and teas, and paired bites. The 2,000 square foot subterranean space, envisioned by OHM Design Group, is inspired by the classic Prohibition-era speakeasies of the 1920s. A strong burgundy leather and velvet palette is highlighted by the bookcase-like liquor displays next to the bar and the ceiling treatment of traditional pressed copper tiles. Cigar aficionados will find their own slice of heaven; the Cigar Room features hand-rolled selections from around the world, with expert pairing advice.
Rates start at $495 per night for weekdays and $560 per night for weekends, with a two-night summer minimum for weekend stays. Guests of Spicer Mansion have full signing privileges at its beachfront sister properties the Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn, just 20 minutes away. In addition to the Forbes Five Star OH! Spa complex, the Ocean House boasts 950 feet of private beachfront dotted with private cabanas, squash courts, a state-of-the-art culinary education center, and an array of restaurants and bars, including the Forbes Five Star Seasons restaurant, Seasons.
