Vibe-Fall-2024 - Flipbook - Page 73
WHAT MADE THEM GRAND?
Prior to 1850, New Hampshire was a difficult place to
travel to, and its vast wilderness was not highly traveled.
Once the railroad was expanded to reach the White
Mountains in the 1870s, access to the area greatly
improved and New Hampshire became a destination
for fresh air, beautiful mountain views, and high-class
relaxation. With the influx of travel to the area, many
hotels began to be built throughout the area, ushering in
the Grand Hotel Era.
Hotels were considered “grand” if they were able
to house 200-plus guests, featured an elegantly styled
dining room, had a parlor, and a grand lobby space.
These hotels also offered several indoor and outdoor
recreational events and entertainment, such as tennis
courts, horseback riding, in-resident artists teaching
painting classes, and an in-house band that performed
pieces written specifically for the hotel.
For the mostly upper-class members of society who
frequented these hotels, these events and activities were
not something they could find close to home. Rooms
would be booked for an entire month, or for the entirety
of the summer season, allowing guests to enjoy the exclusivity and fresh-aired ambience they sought. It would
also allow guests to don their best, most fashionable
outfits and be seen and admired by members of the same
social class.
Out of the roughly 30 hotels considered part of the
Grand Hotel Era, most succumbed to fire over the years.
Many were rebuilt several times and survived until the
Grand Hotel Era was coming to an end in the 1950s and
60s. With the construction of highways and most families
owning an automobile, travelers were no longer reliant on
the railroads in the way they previously were. Travel by
car provided much more flexibility and car owners felt the
freedom that enabled them to explore along the way.
Recreation was very important to guests, especially
those who were coming to stay for the entirety of the
summer season. Many people who lived in the cities were
prescribed “mountain air” by their physicians, and they
happily obliged. The hotels offered dedicated courts for
the following activities: badmitton, croquet, tennis, a ball
court, bowling alleys, and barns for horseback riding.
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