The White Elephant Inn

This beautiful boutique hotel is part of Nantucket Island Resort’s White Elephant portfolio.  The 20-room Inn boasts all modern amenities and was designed to feel like a home-away-from-home rather than an impersonal hotel.  The lobby is a sophisticated refuge in the busy historic district of the island designed to make visitors feel like they are guests in a private country house.  The study, located in the rear lobby, is set it apart from the adjacent open ­reception area by an architectural portico.  The fireplace stands as the focal point of the space and brings warmth both literally and figuratively.  Shelves were added either side to further augment the feeling of a private residence and to give guests the opportunity to borrow a book to read and enjoy during their stay. Requisite seaside accents finish off the glass shelves, that are illuminated with a hidden strip of LED lighting.  The space, a study in a neutral palette, is visually interesting through a ­careful layering of textures.  The rest of the hotel follows the same design intent: clean spaces that nod to the historic ­vernacular of the island in updated nautical finishes.  We believe that furnishings should be the backdrop to the people that will inhabit and ­ultimately bring “color” to a space.  The White Elephant Inn is a perfect example of this philosophy with its subtle palette of earth tones.

Excerpted from Forbes Travel Guide:

RESIDENTIAL-STYLE LUXURY IN NANTUCKET

Near Nantucket’s famed White Elephant resort sits the White Elephant Village, a Nantucket Island Resorts property. It consists of two areas of accommodations — a 20-room inn and 25 one-, two- and three-bedroom residences — nestled on a quiet block minutes from Nantucket Town. White Elephant Village is the most sophisticated of family-friendly destinations, with thoroughly modern, beach-inspired guest rooms designed by Kathleen Hay (the inn) and Alexandra Champalimaud (the residences), along with every crib, stroller and bottle warmer parents may need. Each of the complex’s seven buildings is in immaculate shape, having just opened between 2009 (the residences) and 2012 (the inn).

 The alluring amenities here were created with both discerning adults and curious children in mind. You’ll appreciate the “early riser” spread in the inn’s airy lobby each morning; the coffee, espresso, tea and pastries are best enjoyed on the inn’s front porch. In the residences, whip up your own breakfast — your kitchen is stocked with (among other perks) a Sub-Zero refrigerator, toaster, panini press and coffeemaker. Don’t miss taking the kids to White Elephant Village’s private pool; arrive early to grab a cabana and wait for the complimentary snacks that circulate regularly. 

At the Forbes Travel Guide’s Four-Star hotel, you’ll feel pampered with every top-of-the-line touch, from Pratesi linens to Bose stereos complete with CD collections. It’s the sort of place you wouldn’t want to leave — if not for the pleasures of Nantucket’s waters, beaches, restaurants and shops just outside your door.

Excerpt from Forbes:

The inn, which was added to the property in 2012, is home to 20 guest rooms designed by local decorator Kathleen Hay, whose modern take on classic beach interiors imbues each space with the chicest of laid-back vibes.