Watch Hill Inn — Hotel in Westerly

An overall good property with little issues here and there that really prevent it from being a true five star experience. We visited in peak season (July 2023) and stayed in a two bedroom suite. The service was absolutely exceptional, besides the check-in snafu which I'll get into. For such an expensive room, I did expect a bit more than what was provided.

Our room was not ready at the promised time (4 PM) and we were left to roam the property until it was ready for us. We did press the staff around 4:30 to get us into the room and I wonder how long they would have kept us hanging if we didn't show that we were agitated about the situation. Once everything was ready, we were able to park our cars and were escorted up to the room.

The suite overall was very nice and clean, the AC worked nicely (a bit loud though) and the Nespresso machine was a nice surprise. The beds were very comfortable and the window treatments did a nice job of blocking out the sunrise. Bathrooms and showers were acceptable, abet a bit dark. Lighting and fixtures were also nice and modern with dimmer switches.

Our personal... Assistant (?) I guess you could call him, Pringle, was excellent. A very charismatic and helpful guy, always ready to drive us around or assist with whatever we needed. While I'm not usually a person who likes to be waited on and pampered, Pringle really elevated the experience for us.

Small details around the suite hampered our experience which shouldn't have been a thing for such an expensive two night stay. First, the entire property including the Ocean House have a massive fruit fly problem. All over the suite we were swatting fruit flies away. We also continuously heard the people above us stomping and dragging furniture around, up until the late hours of the night. The mounted televisions throughout the suite were cheap and had cabling hanging from the bottom, just a lazy and tacky look. Finally the fridge had a built in water dispenser but it didn't work and no bottled water was provided so we either had to drink from the tap or go out to get bottled water. These aren't things I would expect for a $1500/night stay.

I would not stay here again after assessing the stay from start to finish. The location and hospitality is great but it just isn't worth...

We were familiar with Ocean House through friends and decided to do a family beach weekend in July 2022. Due to our daughter testing positive for COVID, they kindly allowed us to move our stay to August. However, given the lack of availability at Ocean House, we ended up in the Watch Hill Inn.||Upon arrival at 2pm we were told to valet at Ocean House to start the check in process and that out accommodations wouldn’t be available until 4pm or later. We decided to have lunch at the “Verandah” restaurant and then use the beach. Lunch at “Verandah” was mediocre. A great example of this mediocrity was the “French union crab dip.” It’s basically melted cream cheese without any identifiable trace of onion or crab. The Verandah chopped salad was edible.||I do have to say that the beach is probably among the nicest beach in the Northeast. It’s really very very nice.||At around 5:30pm we left the beach and returned to the reception to get our keys and get access to our room. We were told to request our car from valet and to follow a staff member in another vehicle. It’s about a 2-3 min drive from Ocean House to Watch Hill Inn. Our accommodations were on the second floor, accessible via two flights of stairs. With young children 2 and 4 and a stroller, this was another problem. It was at this point that we realized that the Watch Hill Inn is basically a “motel” that is managed by the Ocean House. The units at Watch Hill Inn feel like cheap Airbnb apartments, with in-window AC units and cheap finishes. Considering we paid all-in $1500 for one night we had very different expectations and we feel that we were totally hoodwinked. ||After our request for alternative accommodations was denied, they offered to pick up our dinner at Thea, the beach restaurant at Ocean House. The food was extremely mediocre. The catch of the day tasted a bit like the catch of last week. The roasted “half chicken” was chicken thigh and a chicken wing. ||Overall, I think that the food and dining at Ocean House is terrible, despite the prices. I also am convinced that Watch Hill Inn is simply a joke for the pricing. Don’t stay at the Watch Hill Inn. Don’t dine at...

Previous reviews on TripAdvisor highlight that the Watch Hill Inn is not the classic Relais and Chateau experience, and they're correct. If you want the classic experience, you should stay at the Ocean House or perhaps even the sister property Weekapaug Inn. If, however, you are with children and do not have the celestial munificence to have multiple rooms (or suite) at either of those properties for an extended period of time, yet want access to those creature comforts, you will find yourself at the Watch Hill Inn. If your expectations are in line with what the hotel is you'll have a nice stay. If you are expecting something else, than you won't. Prior reviews are accurate that the hotel itself is bare bones with one person working reception and a limited complimentary breakfast. Nevertheless, we had no issue getting more than our fair share of fresh fruit, croissants, yogurt, and at happy hour Summer in a Bottle, Prosecco, and beer. (Side note: would have loved iced coffee or cold brew in the morning which were unavailable). The staff and team were very accommodating to us and we have only positive things to say about them. ||The physical facility could use an upgrade, and is showing its age. There was no central air and the bathroom and kitchen appear to be last updated during the George W. Bush administration and an update to the rooms would be welcome, if not market. Nevertheless, the view, particularly from our attic Eagle's Nest Suite were fantastic. ||What you're really getting at Watch Hill Inn is access to the Ocean House which is provided by shuttle or a quick drive or walk. Even then, our 3 night stay with a few lunches being billed to the room ran us about $7K. ||Overall, Ocean House is the star of the show and Watch Hill Inn is the Kelly Rowland to Ocean House's Beyoncé (but you're still a part of the band). It's a nice family escape with or without in-laws in their own room. Temper your expectations and brace your wallet accordingly, and you'll have a...