“I’m still relaxed after my visit to this reinvented Massachusetts motel”

Bringing Brooklyn-cool to the pastoral Berkshires

I’ve spent a lot of time in the Berkshires over the years. I love the bucolic valleys and pristine villages in this part of northwestern Massachusetts. It makes for a wonderful weekend escape, just three hours hours from New York City, and is home to an increasingly world-class art scene with the outstanding Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art at its centre. The only problem is finding somewhere to stay – until this summer, that is, when the retro-chic Tourists opened its doors in the small city of North Adams. 

The ranch-house-cum-lobby has a cool grown-up house party aesthetic and is furnished with Mario Bellini sofas | Image: Peter Crosby

My first thought as we approached this stylish take on a motor lodge this summer was, “I’m never going to be able to sleep,” given that the property runs alongside a particularly busy thoroughfare. But Tourists’ 48 rooms are located well within its generous grounds – a mix of woodland and lush gardens with the babbling Hoosic River in its backyard – and pretty much the only sound that wafted into my room was the soothing music selection from the short-wave radio. I’m still feeling relaxed from my recent visit thanks to the river views bought into our plywood-clad Canopy room via enormous picture windows. There’s even a state-of-the-art ventilation system that pumps in fresh mountain air.

The hotel has its own suspension bridge – an über-cool, minimalist metal construction courtesy of adventure park designer Gerhard Komenda | Image: Peter Crosby

Tourists boasts a salt-water pool and outdoor deck shower | Image: John Dolan

The reinvention of this roadside motel was helmed by Ben Svenson, a Boston-based design-loving developer whose creative partners in the project range from architect Hank Scollard and noted landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand (who created the stunning grounds of The Clark Art Institute just up the road) to musician John Stirratt, bassist in Grammy Award-winning band Wilco, and local brewery owner Eric Kerns. Together, they’ve brought all kinds of cool aesthetics to this grown-up house party: tan Mario Bellini sofas adorn the original 1960s ranch-house-cum-lobby, while sleek bathrooms are kitted out with Dornbracht fixtures, organic toiletries from Vermont brand Ursa Major (the Perfect Zen body lotion is delicious), denim robes and rainbow-coloured towels for use in the outdoor deck shower and saltwater pool. The hotel even has its own suspension bridge – an über-cool, minimalist metal construction courtesy of adventure park designer Gerhard Komenda.

Food is another major focus, overseen by chef Cortney Burns, former co-chef of San Francisco’s revered Bar Tartine. A restaurant called Loom will open in early 2019, but for now guests can dine in the Lodge or on the sprawling Deck Bar. And the menus are already impressive – charred summer vegetables with brown rice tabbouleh, green tahini, yoghurt and olives; seared halibut with aubergine and tomatoes. Delightful.