Last Updated on July 3, 2025
Gardiner House is a waterfront boutique hotel in Newport, RI. Led by co-owners and local Newporters, Howard Cushing and Wirt Blaffer, the hotel feels and flows like a seaside house full of playful design transporting guests to an enchanted world of art, whimsy, culinary delights and breathtaking views of Newport Harbor.
Located steps from the liveliest part of town, visitors easily veer off the famed Thames Street to find Gardiner House tucked away in a waterfront oasis overlooking Newport Harbor and the neighboring International Yacht Restoration School, a famous maritime school training tomorrow’s boatbuilders and artisans.
The hotel embraces the fabric of Newport’s artful history, drawing much of its design story and creative roots from Cushing’s great-grandfather, American artist Howard Gardiner Cushing, and his nearby family home, The Ledges, built in 1867.
Howard Gardiner Cushing
Howard Gardiner Cushing (1869–1916) was a celebrated artist in his lifetime, renowned for his nuanced portraiture, symbolist-inflected murals, and richly atmospheric depictions of interior life. His work is held in major institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MFA Boston, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Yet, Cushing’s name has all, but vanished from the canon.
The Newport Art Museum looks to change that with “Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color,” the first major retrospective in decades of one of the Gilded Age’s most visionary—and overlooked—American artists. On view from July 12 through December 31, 2025, the exhibition brings together over 55 paintings, many of which have not been publicly exhibited in more than 60 years
Cushing was a founding member of the Newport Art Association—now the Newport Art Museum—and maintained a studio at The Ledges, his family home in Newport.
Remarkably, over 90 percent of his life’s work remains in the care of family descendants and private collections. The exhibition represents a powerful homecoming for the artist, reuniting his works with the city that shaped his vision and career. The show is presented in the Museum’s Cushing Gallery, named in his honor and funded through the support of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Cushing’s friend and patron.
Gardiner House is a supporting partner for the exhibition.
Gardiner House
The Gardiner House location was the old site for the William & Manchester Shipyard which had historic routes to the America’s Cup. More recently the site had been a parking lot. When Blaffer and Cushing stumbled on the property in the summer of 2018 they saw the opportunity to create something special and made sure that the building’s design did not obstruct but enhanced the waterfront aesthetically.
Guests who enter Gardiner House are welcomed by a two-story mural wrapped around a spectacular staircase – a masterful recreation of an original mural by Howard Gardiner Cushing painted circa 1905 that still remains in the front hall of his Newport family home.
Gardiner House brims with local identity, hidden corners for a nightcap, and a playful spirit encouraging visitors from near and far to explore and unwind. The heartbeat of the hotel is found in the Studio Bar, a warm, inviting and timelessly chic space for all of Newport to start or end a night out. Featuring a menu of cocktails and flavorful bites, the bar is intimate and art-filled with rich green walls, a working wood fireplace, and mix of seating areas to inspire conversations that linger into the night with friends new and old.
The hotel’s signature restaurant, Flora, is a celebration of coastal Mediterranean cuisine with a distinctly Newport touch under Executive Chef Miguel Somoza. The 110-seat restaurant has an expansive waterfront terrace with views of the Newport Harbor, poised to be a gathering place for locals and destination diners. Flora’s menu captures the spirit of Mediterranean seaside towns from Saint Tropez to Capri to Marbella, spotlighting the bountiful seafood and vibrant produce that are hallmarks of coastal cuisine while uplifting local, farm-to-table cooking.
Gardiner House’s 21 guest rooms and suites are impeccably appointed and thoughtfully designed featuring a mix of warm textures including rattan-accented standing wardrobes, bamboo cane furnishings and custom upholstered headboards. A selection of rooms boast 14-foot ceilings and stunning harbor views, while others open to private terraces and panoramic seascapes.
From fine architectural details and mini bars brimming with local treats to sumptuous beds with Matouk linens, every room is a private, indulgent sanctuary that feel like luxurious home away from home.
Pricing begins at $425 a night in the winter and $725 a night in the summer.
About Newport, Rhode Island
The City of Newport is a part of the “Classic Coast,” which is made up of nine connected waterside towns that boast a combined 400 miles of beautiful coastline. Since 1689, Newport has been a bustling center for diversity, commerce and creativity – a town at the center of innovation and advancement in the United States connected to the world via the Narragansett Bay and the Newport Harbor waterways.
At the turn of the century, Newport became America’s first resort and was home to the first lending library and gas-powered illuminated streetlamp.
Today, Newport stands as a charming seaside coastal community, home to 25,000 inhabitants but visited by millions annually because of its natural beauty, varied architecture, and historic significance. Newport offers welcoming hotels and inns, waterfront dining experiences, wineries, nature preserves, the historic Cliff Walk, breweries, coffee shops and boutique shopping.
Considered the sailing capital of the world, Newport is home to the largest fleet of America’s Cup 12 Meters. To indulge in history and culture, visitors may take a step into the past by visiting the stunningly preserved Gilded Age mansions on the shores of the Atlantic, learn about maritime history at The Sailing Museum, rich local art scene at the Newport Art Museum, and attend the many concerts and cultural events that take place throughout the year. In the summer, Newport comes to life with the Newport Folk Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Flower Show, Newport Film Festival, Newport Antiques Fair and Newport International Boat Show.
