Press Release: Orient-Express Hotels
January 14, 2002
LONDON -- The Inn at Perry Cabin on Maryland's Eastern Shore has temporarily closed from January 6 to May 30, 2002
in order to complete a $17 million improvement programme that will double the hotel's room count from 41 to 81
keys.
The scope of the project includes the creation of a more stylish entrance, increase the number of luxury suites
and guestrooms with water views, re-design existing rooms, enhance public areas, restaurants and grounds, and add
a conference facility for high-level board meetings.
``A true luxury boutique property such as the Inn at Perry Cabin offers a very distinctive atmosphere accompanied
by a very personal glimpse into the essence of the region. We are fully committed to maintaining and enhancing
the warmth that the Inn exudes and I'm confident that this effort will continue to appeal to sophisticated travellers
in search of a truly memorable Eastern Shore experience,'' said Dean Andrews, Vice President of Orient-Express
Hotels in North America.
Guests will still approach the hotel along the dramatic tree-lined private drive, but will in future be greeted
by an elegant sweeping circular courtyard paved with red brick. They will then enter the hotel through a grand
canopied door that was part of the original 1816 house.
In order to double the total number of guestrooms to 81, the Inn's current service areas will be relocated to a
separate building. Forty new guestrooms and suites will replace the site where the laundry and maintenance departments
are currently housed. The existing 41 rooms will also be completely re-designed and feature new bathrooms, Frette
linens, rich fabrics and opulent wall coverings.
A new nautical theme will be introduced throughout the resort to more accurately reflect the destination and The
Inn at Perry Cabin's famous waterfront locale. The hotel has always attracted discerning boaters, nature lovers
and water-sports enthusiasts as it has a private dock, which extends into the Chesapeake Bay, offering access and
overnight docking for vessels up to 110 ft.
A new outdoor horizon edge swimming pool will be created in a walled kitchen garden to ensure privacy. Additionally,
a cabana will be erected adjacent to the pool, featuring a steam room, sauna, private massage rooms and a plunge
bath, as well as state-of-the-art fitness rooms and separate work-out rooms for yoga and Pilates.
Already one of the resort's greatest assets, Perry Cabin's lush gardens will also be landscaped with indigenous
flora and fauna. Upon completion, the project promises to capture the senses of visitors -- horticultural enthusiasts
and novices alike -- through a combination of visual designs and an aromatic selection of carefully chosen plants.
In order to attract corporate retreats and high level board meetings, the new Inn will feature a new 6,000 sq.
ft. conference centre with facilities to accommodate up to 150 people banquet-style and 300 theatre-style, with
two breakout rooms. The Conference Centre will follow the theme of an English tithe barn, with exposed beams, and
will feature a separate entrance with a covered canopied walkway.
There are also plans to improve the dining room and build on the hotel's reputation for offering some of the finest
dining in the state of Maryland. The hotel has an excellent selection of wines and award-winning cuisine served
under the culinary direction of Master Chef Mark Salter. The dining room will undergo a complete redesign, with
the aim of bringing diners even closer to the water. New menus will be created and a nautical theme will be evident
in the plush, soft furnishings. A separate entrance will be created for diners, along with a private vintner dining
room with stunning views of the Bay.
A Colonial Revival design with connected white-shingled buildings fronted by columns, the Inn at Perry Cabin's
rich history dates back to the early 19th century. In fact, the site of the property is one of the English Crown's
original land grants in the New World. The original Inn (now the north wing of the manor house) was designed and
built by Purser Samuel Hambleton, a War of 1812 Navy veteran and aide-de-camp to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.
Named for the renowned Perry who is famous for his declaration, ``We have met the enemy, and they are ours,'' the
Inn was built to resemble the Commodore's cabin ('Perry Cabin') on the flagship U.S.S. Niagara.
The resort's colourful past includes the transformation from a private home to a working farm, and then a riding
academy. In 1980 the Myerhoff family of St. Michaels, who established a comfortable six-room hotel with a small
restaurant, converted it into a lodging facility for the first time. In September 1989, British entrepreneur Sir
Bernard Ashley purchased the property. He then began a two-year expansion effort that transformed The Inn at Perry
Cabin into its present state - a 41-room luxury hotel, offering a host of five-star amenities and services.
The Inn is located in the historic village of St. Michaels, which is filled with Victorian storefronts and antique
shops, and is an easy walk or cycle from the hotel. The village once served as a major Chesapeake port accommodating
merchant vessels and tall ships which weighed anchor in these quiet waters whilst on their way to Baltimore.
SOURCE: Orient-Express Hotels