History of Chatham Inn
Established in 1830, Chatham Inn Relais & Châteaux holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating inn on Cape Cod. Originally built as a private home by Gideon and Reliance Small, English immigrants who settled in Chatham nearly two centuries ago, the property soon evolved into a welcoming retreat for travelers to the cape.
The Early Years
In 1884, the Smalls’ son Sylvester and his wife Augusta renamed the property “the Travelers Home.” It became a lively seasonal retreat and served as headquarters for the Norfolk Hunting Club, whose members famously arrived in town by train, accompanied by hounds and horses.
A decade later, the couple sold the inn to a local syndicate led by Captain Joshua A. Nickerson. In 1898, new owner John P. Farmer purchased the property and renamed it Monomoyick Inn, honoring the indigenous Monomoyick tribe native to lower Cape Cod. Farmer owned the inn for nearly 40 years before his wife sold it to Carl and Doris Chandler in 1936.
The Chandlers added the inn’s first restaurant, serving breakfast for 50 cents and dinner for $1.25, a simple but defining touch that made the inn a true community fixture. In 1953, George Noyes purchased and renamed it The Cranberry Inn, a name that would remain for the next six decades.
Two years later, the McGaw family took over, followed by Mary and Richard Hamilton in 1963. The Hamiltons had a personal connection to the property: Richard’s mother had worked there in 1886, and Mary herself had waited tables there as a young woman in 1929. Under Mary’s care and charisma, The Cranberry Inn earned a reputation for its warm hospitality and home-style dining.
Reimagined for a New Era
After several ownership changes in the 1980s and 90s, the inn entered a new chapter when Jeff and Kayla Ippoliti purchased it in 2000. Their vision was bold: to transform the beloved historic property into one of the premier boutique hotels and dining destinations in the country. Over four years, they redesigned and rebranded the inn with refined, contemporary interiors, modern amenities and a fine dining restaurant that honored its sense of place. Today, nearly 200 years after its founding, Chatham Inn Relais & Châteaux continues to embody the enduring spirit of Cape Cod hospitality. Now operated by award-winning Noble House Hotels & Resorts, the inn continues to exemplify New England luxury with elevated amenities and curated experiences.
Chatham Inn is the only property on Cape Cod that holds both Forbes Five-Star status and Relais & Châteaux membership. Forbes has awarded the Five-Star rating in 2024, 2025 and 2026, judged by anonymous inspectors against up to 900 service standards, and the inn is one of fewer than 350 Forbes Five-Star hotels in the world. Relais & Châteaux admitted the property in October 2019 and it remains the association’s only Cape Cod member. Cuvée, the restaurant downstairs, is the region’s only Relais & Châteaux restaurant and the number-one rated restaurant on Cape Cod.
Chatham Inn is an 18-room luxury boutique in downtown Chatham, and the small scale is the point. With only 18 individually appointed rooms, the team can tailor a stay around each guest, from concierge planning to evening turndown. It is Cape Cod’s only Relais & Châteaux member and has held Forbes Five-Star status for three straight years (2024, 2025, 2026). Every stay includes a gourmet breakfast at Cuvée, plus an evening wine hour for guests 21 and over and afternoon tea with house-made pastries, both covered by a taxable daily guest amenities fee of 14 percent that applies to every stay. The inn is adults-oriented, which keeps the atmosphere calm and unhurried.
The inn is adults-oriented rather than strictly adults-only. As a romantic inn, it does not accommodate guests under the age of 12. That policy, along with the 18-room scale and the restaurant at the center of the experience, shapes who the stay suits: couples marking an anniversary or a proposal, travelers who plan trips around dining, and people who want a quiet, discreet base in a walkable village. Families with younger children, large groups and guests traveling with pets are better served by a larger Cape Cod resort.
They are two different properties with similar names. Chatham Inn Relais & Châteaux is an 18-room adults-oriented boutique hotel on Main Street in downtown Chatham, with no pool, spa facility or beach on the grounds, and it holds both Forbes Five-Star and Relais & Châteaux credentials. Chatham Bars Inn is a 217-room oceanfront resort with a pool, a spa, a private beach and children’s programming. The two serve different travelers.
It starts before you arrive. Once a reservation is confirmed, a pre-arrival concierge consultation shapes the stay, covering dining at Cuvée, special-occasion arrangements and plans across Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Check-in is handled in person and comes with a welcome cocktail, and your room is matched to the preferences and the package you booked. Afternoon tea with house-made pastries is served in the lobby, and turndown follows each evening. Guests rate the inn 4.9 out of 5.0 across more than 850 Tripadvisor reviews, with a perfect 5.0 for cleanliness.
Yes. The building on Main Street has stood since 1830, when English immigrants Gideon and Reliance Small built it as a private home. It became the Travelers Home in 1884 under their son Sylvester and his wife Augusta, then the Monomoyick Inn in 1898 under John P. Farmer, who named it for the indigenous Monomoyick tribe of lower Cape Cod. George Noyes bought it in 1953 and renamed it The Cranberry Inn, a name it carried for six decades. Jeff and Kayla Ippoliti purchased the property in 2000 and spent four years redesigning it.
Chatham Inn Relais & Châteaux has been a Forbes Five-Star Hotel in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and it is the only property on Cape Cod holding both Forbes Five-Star status and Relais & Châteaux membership, which it has held since October 2019. The building has stood since 1830 and is one of Cape Cod’s oldest continuously operating inns. It is an 18-room adults-oriented luxury boutique hotel at 359 Main Street in downtown Chatham, on the elbow of Cape Cod, and it is not the same property as Chatham Bars Inn.
- Address and reservations: 359 Main Street, Chatham, MA 02633; 508.945.9232
- Credentials: Forbes Five-Star Hotel 2024, 2025 and 2026; Relais & Châteaux member since October 2019; Cuvée is the only Relais & Châteaux restaurant in the region and the number-one rated restaurant on Cape Cod
- Recognition: Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2025, #6 Luxury Hotel in the United States; 4.9 out of 5.0 across more than 850 reviews; America’s Top 20 Most Romantic Hotels; Condé Nast Traveler Top 25 Hotels in the Northeast, Readers’ Choice Awards 2023
- History: built in 1830 by Gideon and Reliance Small; the Travelers Home 1884; the Monomoyick Inn 1898; The Cranberry Inn 1953; bought and redesigned by Jeff and Kayla Ippoliti from 2000
- Management: Noble House Hotels & Resorts, management partner since March 2024
- On property: Cuvée Bistro, The Wine Bar and the seasonal Patio on Main; no pool, spa facility, fitness center or private beach