Hotel Online Special Report Ashley House Hotels Sells Keswick Hall and The Inn at Perry Cabin to Orient-Express Hotels for $25.5 Million NEW YORK, May 6, 1999 – — Orient-Express Hotels Inc., continuing its rapid expansion in luxury hotels around the world, today announced the acquisition of the 48-room Keswick Hall at Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia and The Inn at Perry Cabin, a 41-room hotel on 25 acres in historic St. Michaels, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay.
The hotels have been acquired from Ashley House Hotels, owned by Sir Bernard Ashley, former founder with his wife of the Laura Ashley retail group, for US$ 25.5 million. Under the agreement with Ashley House, Orient-Express will manage the Keswick Club, which features an 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed signature golf course, indoor/outdoor pool, spa facilities, and an open-air pavilion pool and tennis complex. Keswick Estate, also part of the transaction, consists of a series of ideally situated residential sites with sweeping views of the golf course, lakes and Blue Ridge Mountains.
Keswick Hall 
The Inn at Perry Cabin “Keswick Hall and The Inn at Perry Cabin are very distinctive properties, the ideal complement to our existing North American hotels,” said Simon Sherwood, President of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.
“Those with an appreciation of U.S. history will enjoy the rich Southern tradition and the opportunity to visit many historic landmarks close by, which embody the fabric of America’s heritage.” Keswick Hall, deep in the heart of Virginia hunt country and the area Thomas Jefferson once described as “the Eden of the United States,” was originally a private home built in 1912. It is in sight of Monticello, Jefferson’s home, which attracts 500,000 visitors a year.
The current property was purchased in 1990 and restored and expanded incorporating
elements of Italian Renaissance and Tuscan design. Each room is individually decorated and themed, the majority with antique furnishings. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are offered in the property’s main dining room, while lighter fare is available at the adjacent Keswick Club. From May to October, al fresco meals are also served at the Pool Pavilion. Keswick Hall can accommodate groups of up to 100 for board meetings, social events and executive conferences, as well as weddings and receptions for up to 200.
Within easy driving distance from Washington DC, Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia, and with convenient rail services from most major U.S. cities, as well as domestic and international air links, Keswick Hall is ideal for corporate gatherings and incentive programs.
A navy veteran of the war of 1812 originally built the Inn at Perry Cabin on Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore. It was named after his commanding officer, Commodore Oliver Hazzard Perry, who is famous for his declaration of triumph: “We have met the British and they are ours.”
The Inn at Perry Cabin is a Colonial Revival structure with a steeple pitched roof and composed of connected white-shingled buildings fronted by ten-foot columns. Before being transformed into a hotel in 1980, and subsequently expanded and re configured to its current size, the property was a private home, working farm and riding academy.
Spacious guest rooms at the Inn at Perry Cabin underscore its country home ambiance and historical legacy with antiques and elegant appointments. An indoor swimming pavilion with an exercise room, sauna and steam room is among the special amenities. The Inn, overlooking Chesapeake Bay, offers many recreational activities, including fishing, boating, hunting, golf, biking, and croquet. Small and medium-size groups can be accommodated for board meetings, executive conferences and social events. The conference room is one of two function areas that can seat 60 people theatre-style, while two other rooms can host eight to 30 guests for meetings.
Both Keswick Hall and the Inn at Perry Cabin have been acknowledged for excellence with innumerable awards. The 1997 Zagat Survey of Hotels, Resorts and Spas, for example, named them the top hotels in their respective states and both feature in Conde Nast Traveler’s list of the ten best small hotels in the U.S. As well as Monticello, Keswick Hall is near Montpelier, the national monument, which was the home of James Madison, the fourth U.S. President and the place where he wrote the Constitution of the United States more than two centuries ago. Montpelier offers breathtaking vistas with 2,700 acres of rolling pasturelands, formal gardens and surrounding national landmark forest.
Located on a mountaintop in Albemarle County, Monticello was Jefferson’s retreat from the pressures of public office. Commanding views of the rolling Virginia countryside that Jefferson so dearly loved, the grounds of Monticello reflect his attention to garden design, featuring orchards, a vineyard and an 18-acre ornamental forest.
“Both of these superb properties embody the same five-star qualities as our global assortment of hotels, trains and cruises,” added Dean P. Andrews, Director of Operations at Orient-Express Hotels. “With their reflection of luxury, grandeur and sense of history, they are clearly a perfect fit with our worldwide portfolio and the international travelers that we serve.”
Founded in 1976, Orient-Express Hotels Inc. owns and operates leading hotels, trains and cruises around the world, and has an unparalleled reputation for offering distinctive style, heritage, luxury, personalized service and award-winning cuisine.
Orient-Express is represented in North America by the world famous Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, Charleston Place in Charleston, South Carolina and the world-famous ’21’ landmark restaurant in New York City. The company’s portfolio also includes the Hotel Cipriani in Venice; Reid’s Palace in Madeira and the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town.
Keswick Hall The Inn at Perry Cabin “Keswick Hall and The Inn at Perry Cabin are very distinctive properties, the ideal complement to our existing North American hotels,” said Simon Sherwood, President of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.
“Those with an appreciation of U.S. history will enjoy the rich Southern tradition and the opportunity to visit many historic landmarks close by, which embody the fabric of America’s heritage.” Keswick Hall, deep in the heart of Virginia hunt country and the area Thomas Jefferson once described as “the Eden of the United States,” was originally a private home built in 1912. It is in sight of Monticello, Jefferson’s home, which attracts 500,000 visitors a year.
The current property was purchased in 1990 and restored and expanded incorporating
Contact: Orient-Express Hotels at 800-237-1236 http://www.orient-expresshotels.com Patricia Harper 212-302-5055 [email protected]/ Also See: Orient-Express Hotels to Open the Hotel Splendido Mare in Portofino, Italy / May 1998 Sea Containers Ltd.’s Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. Invest in Peruvian Hotels / April 1999