“A haven of tranquillity in the bustling resort of Newport!”

23 November 2009

Vanderbilt Hall, a luxury mansion hotel, in the heart of Newport, Rhode Island has been purchased by Vanderbilt Hall Holdings LLC, a company under the leadership of Peter de Savary the well known English entrepreneur, yachtsman and philanthropist.

Vanderbilt Hall was constructed over 100 years ago during the “Gilded Age” by Alfred Vanderbilt as a residence for his mistress! It was subsequently used as a YMCA and latterly as a fine hotel.

The mansion has recently benefited from a major redesign and refurbishment of all its accommodations which now offer 33 superb suites ranging from 400 square feet – 3,000 square feet, each having its own wet bar and attractive views. The impressive reception rooms provide comfortably furnished lounging and dining areas with working log fireplaces. The intimate bar and garden conservatory complement the wonderful ambience of the mansion with its charming garden; whilst the roof terrace enjoys spectacular sunset views of Newport Harbour and Narragansett Bay.

Peter de Savary Projects:

In the field of hotels, golf, equestrian, spa, recreational, hospitality, marina and real estate villages:

Vanderbilt Residences, Rhode Island, USA

Vanderbilt Hall, Rhode Island, USA

Old Swan & Minster Mill, Oxfordshire, England

Cary Arms, Devon, England

Port Louis, Grenada

Mount Cinnamon, Grenada

Bovey Castle, Dartmoor National Park, England

The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Abaco, Bahamas

Skibo Castle, Scotland

Stapleford Park, England

Carnegie Abbey Club, Rhode Island, USA

Founder and Chairman, born 11 July 1944 on a farm in England; married with five daughters.

Peter de Savary is a well known international entrepreneurial businessman, who, since the age of 16, has applied his skills in many areas, including the petroleum industry, shipping, shipyards, property, import/export and the club and hospitality industry amongst others. His activities have spanned three continents. Peter de Savary has been responsible for the regeneration of substantial areas of industrial waste land into very successful projects both in the UK and USA. As the driving force and chairman of various companies he was responsible for the success of thirteen shipyards and established a significant international ship refuelling company and has been at the helm of three oil refineries. His extensive agricultural experience includes the management of Royal and Government farms in the Middle East.

By Gordon Mott from Cigar Aficionado

Why does a man with no interest in golf build four world-class golf courses? Why does an investor put $40 million into a fantastic, bay-side resort-style development on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, and make it a private club? Why does a cigar smoker who enjoys seven to 10 cigars a day quit for three months every couple of years? You might consider such a man a study in contradictions. But it doesn’t take long to accept that British entrepreneur Peter de Savary is a man of strongly held opinions with no lack of confidence about using them to get things done. “It’s simple really. If I played golf, I would have an opinion and a view, and I would be paying the bills. I would influence the outcome because of what I expected and what I wanted,” says de Savary, puffing on one of the oldest Cuban cigars in existence, a nearly 150-year-old cigar made for a Scottish noble. “As I can’t play golf, I can’t say much other than to make comments about landscape architecture, which is my hobby. My only input is about the backdrop of the scenery, and I let Donald Steel and his partner, Tom McKenzie, do the rest.”