As you drive up Memorial Boulevard heading toward Easton’s Beach, the stone wall and stately wrought-iron gates of number 117 come into view on your right.  A turn onto the cobblestone driveway guides you under the port cochiere where you have arrived…at the first mansion on Cliff Walk:  The Chanler. 

Originally built some time from 1860 to 1880 by John Chanler (who married Margaret Astor Ward), The Chanler was merely a wooden and clapboard building with a slate roof.  Throughout its nearly 150-year history, the building served many purposes…as a nursing home, school, place for veterans to recuperate, a summer home for the Greek ambassador to the U.S., and a hotel.   

In 2000 it was purchased by John Shufelt, a wealthy businessman originally from Michigan.  He enlisted the assistance of architect Richard Long and his wife Jeanie Shufelt as interior designer, and the building now known as The Chanler re-opened as a five-star hotel in August of 2003.  The plan was to create a property with all of the wonderful contemporary nuances of a modern hotel, yet provide the ambiance of one visiting an old friend and staying in one of the “summer cottages” of the Astors or the Vanderbilts. 

Today, The Chanler is a stunning three-story Georgian-style beige brick and stucco building with slate roof, stately Doric columns, a wrap-around second-story balcony, brilliantly manicured gardens and landscaping, and an incredible perch overlooking the mighty Atlantic Ocean.  It features a total of 20 rooms – including Manor Rooms, Estate Rooms, and Signature Rooms, as well as a private board room, lounge, and the Spiced Pear Restaurant. 

As you enter the front door of The Chanler, you immediately realize you are not arriving at a traditional hotel with a front desk.  Instead, you come into a warm and welcoming living room with a stunning chandelier descending from an intricate plasterwork masterpiece on the ceiling, a staircase to the right, and a small, discreet desk off to the left where guests are warmly greeted.  Then, as if the lady of the house has beckoned, the butler escorts you to your private quarters for the weekend.