Originally published in November 2017 | Updated with Condé Nast Reader’s Choice Awards 2022 rankings
Condé Nast Traveler’s 2017 Reader’s Choice Awards loved the Ocean State this year.
Rhode Islanders already know that we have some of the best beaches and luxury hospitality groups in New England, but every once in a while, it’s nice to see that travelers do appreciate the attractive parts of the state.
For the most part—and little surprise—Newport and Watch Hill stole the show this year for Rhode Island.
- Newport, RI recognized as Top 15 Small Cities in the United States
- Two Westerly, RI Hotels recognized as Top 30 New England Resorts in the United States
- Hotels in Rhode Island Recognized as Top 40 Hotels in New England
- The Chanler at the Cliff Walk, Newport (#5)
- The Break, Narragansett (#8)*, **
- Castle Hill Inn, Newport (#13)
- Forty 1 North Hotel Marina Resort, Newport (#19)
- Watch Hill Inn, Watch Hill (#26)
- Hotel Viking, Newport (#27)
- Grace Vanderbilt, Newport (#30)
- The Dean Hotel, Providence (#32)
- The Attwater, Newport* (#37)
- 2023 Updates
- The Airport in Rhode Island Named Top 10 Domestic Airports
Newport, RI recognized as Top 15 Small Cities in the United States
The City by the Sea may have only scored #15, but it will always be my #1.
Two Westerly, RI Hotels recognized as Top 30 New England Resorts in the United States
Meanwhile, Weekapaug Inn and Ocean House—which are both located in Westerly—ranked #7 and #13 respectively for Top 30 New England Resorts in the United States.
Weekapaug Inn, Ocean House and their sister property, Watch Hill Inn, belong to the Ocean House Management Collection (OHM). The properties are in close proximity to each other, but each property retains its own character. I’ve visited the Ocean House and the Watch Hill Inn a few times while relatives were staying for the summer and once for Christmas—the OHM experience meets the incredibly luxurious standards.
2023 Updates
- Ocean House won Condé Nast Gold List in 2023 and Reader’s Choice Award for Top Northeast Resort in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022
- Weekapaug Inn won #1 in Top 30 Hotels in the Northeast, Condé Nast Reader’s Choice Awards 2022
- Newport Harbor Island Resort (formerly Gurney’s Newport); won Condé Nast Reader’s Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Hotels in Rhode Island Recognized as Top 40 Hotels in New England
The Chanler at the Cliff Walk, Newport (#5)
The Break, Narragansett (#8)*, **
Castle Hill Inn, Newport (#13)
Forty 1 North Hotel Marina Resort, Newport (#19)
Watch Hill Inn, Watch Hill (#26)
Hotel Viking, Newport (#27)
Grace Vanderbilt, Newport (#30)
The Dean Hotel, Providence (#32)
The Attwater, Newport* (#37)
* The Attwater and The Break** belong to Lark Hotels, a hotel management and development company mainly based in New England with a presence in California, upstate New York, and North Carolina. The group has a third property in Rhode Island—Gilded, located on Brinley Street in Newport. I stayed there last year for Salve Regina University’s annual Governor’s Ball and fell in love.
**The Break is no longer a part of Lark Hotels. The Break is proudly owned and operated by Jim and Becky Durkin.
2023 Updates
- Hotel Viking won #8, Top 30 Hotels in the Northeast, Reader’s Choice Awards 2022
- Castle Hill Inn won #15, Top 30 Hotels in the Northeast, Reader’s Choice Awards 2022
- The Chanler won #25, Top 30 Hotels in the Northeast, Reader’s Choice Awards 2022
The Airport in Rhode Island Named Top 10 Domestic Airports
I will admit that I was surprised to see T.F. Green Airport rank at all—it took the #9 slot—but it’s true that Rhode Island has been investing a lot of resources into making this airport a hub for the state.
2023 Updates
If you thought I was surprised in 2017, I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw that T.F. Green did it again and ranked #4 in Condé Nast’s Reader’s Choice Awards 2022 edition:
Rhode Island’s T.F. Green Airport gets kudos from fliers as a “great little airport” that’s easy to reach and to navigate: More than two-thirds of New England’s population lives within a 75-minute drive of the Providence airfield. Long favored by budget carriers as a less expensive alternative to Boston Logan, the airport has been growing steadily in recent years and is well-positioned to benefit from a resurgence in domestic air travel. Next year, in fact, PVD will become a hub for the new Breeze Airways, with 44 weekly departures expected by 2027.
The Best Airports in the U.S.: 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards
It was fun poring through the score of hotels, resorts, and destinations for the Condé Nast Traveler 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards. I recognized a few other places on the list from Connecticut, New England, and, of course, Paris. With so many boutique hotels and resorts getting renovations or entering the market, it will be interesting to see how the rankings will add up in 2018.
For the complete list of this year’s Readers’ Choice Award winners, pick up the September 2017 copy of Condé Nast Traveler magazine.
New England Parisienne 
#8 – The Break in Narragansett is not and never was owned by Lark Hotels. It was built by and always owned by Narragansett residents Jim and Becky Durkin.
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This is such a wonderfully useful post. I’ve never been to Rhode Island so these will come in very useful for when I can go. Thanks for a lovely post
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This is such a wonderfully useful post as I have never been to Rhode Island. This will come in super handy for when I go. Thanks for a great roundup.
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Wow! These hotels are stunning. I grew up in PA and didn’t spend much time in the New England States. Now I want to see more of what they have to offer. Thank you for this awesome list. I’m saving it for when I can get back up that way!
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Wow! This is such a helpful post. Loved it. Thank you for sharing. Bookmarking it for the future.
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Bookmarking this for the future! Beautiful photos too!
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I haven’t had a chance to visit Newport yet. But the hotels and the beaches look incredible. Thanks for sharing!
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