One of the World’s Best Hotels Is in the Berkshires

Photo by Frank Muyjtens

For the latest Hot List, the experts at Condé Nast Traveler checked into hundreds of new hotels across the globe from the biggest cities to the most remote locations to determine which ones are worthy of being called the best. Obviously all the amenities had to be top-tier, but most importantly, the editors asked themselves if they dreamed of retuning the moment they left. Only 83 hotels worldwide had the stuff of dreams and the Inn at Kenmore Hall in the Berkshires was one of them. Only 15 other hotels in the United States can claim the same bragging rights, and no others in Massachusetts.

What’s so special about this B&B tucked away in the woods, a road trip away from any major city? The proprietors happen to be Frank Mutyjens, the former head of menswear for J.Crew, and his partner, artist and restaurateur Scott Edward Cole. The two creatives embedded their impeccable taste in every nook of the five-room 18th century Georgian home surrounded by 20 pastoral acres when they purchased the property last January. This is not the first makeover for the storied property, which was originally built as a private home in 1792, before becoming a boarding school and then lodging for many Tanglewood musicians, including Leonard Bernstein.

Bernstein would surely have appreciated the building’s current visage, which shows off industrial, midcentury modern and classical design notes that all seamlessly work together to create an architectural symphony. Each room has its own unique masculine interior with American-made Matteo linens and Fabribault Mills wool blankets on the beds and Aesop products in the bath, but Traveler describes Room 3 as “the pink of the bunch.” In addition to the two fireplaces, in the bedroom and bathroom, there is a freestanding soaking tub and a heated floor, a velvet chaise, vintage Eames lounge chair and a four-poster king bed.

The editors at the luxury travel magazine go on to describe the inn’s vibe as “super-intimate and feels like a well-kept secret, straight from the pages of an interiors magazine…It’s rare to find such an intimate accommodation with inspirational interiors that provides a smart experience while being delightfully unstuffy.”

The understated sophistication even extends to the daily breakfasts, served in the parlor and prepared by Cole himself. Past menus have included homemade pastries, apple cider doughnuts, poached eggs with smoked salmon, and granola. No one will judge you for enjoying a leisurely meal and keeping your seat until the complimentary bar cart and pistachios come out in the afternoon. Another advantage to perching for the day in the living room is the potential to swap opinions about the current exhibit at MASS MoCA with the other stylish and interesting guests, who typically hail from New York and Boston.

Feel free to book a room and pretend that these are your friends and this is your country house, as long as you do check out at some point.