Portland, Maine's Coolest Neighborhood Just Got a New Boutique Hotel — and It's Got a Wellness Focus, Too

Jacqueline Dole
·3-min read

The Longfellow Hotel is Portland, Maine's first independent, full-service hotel in more than 20 years.

<p>Carley Rudd/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel</p>

Carley Rudd/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel

With peak tourist season on the horizon in Portland, Maine, the city has welcomed its newest boutique hotel just in time. The Longfellow made its debut last week with 48 guest rooms and suites, two on-site dining options, and a spa focused on sauna, meditation, and massage.

Designed by The Post Company, the West End hotel is the first full-service independently owned hotel to open in the city in the last 20 years. The hotel is named for Portland-born poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The property focuses on sustainability and rest: guest rooms are all appointed with king-sized beds from Mattress Concierge and organic linens and custom-designed wool blankets by Swans Island. Additionally, the Longfellow Hotel engaged Sleep Wise Consulting to best implement as many recommendations as possible to provide guests with an environment most conducive to sleep. This includes blocking out all the indicator lights from smoke detectors, TVs, and HVAC units.

<p>Carley Rudd/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel</p>

Carley Rudd/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel

<p>From left: Carley Rudd; Chris Mottalini/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel</p>

From left: Carley Rudd; Chris Mottalini/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel

The Longfellow is completely free of single-use plastics, offering guests amenities such as bamboo toothbrushes, and opting for in-room French press coffee, rather than a single-use alternative. The hotel serves Burundi Star coffee, and organic and fair trade tea from Grace Farms in locally crafted Campfire Pottery mugs.

Each floor has a pantry where guests can access filtered water, ice buckets, shaving kits, toothbrushes, combs, vanity kits, and other necessities. There is also a communal workspace, Henry’s Study, located on the fifth floor of the property.

The hotel’s spa, Astraea, is home to two massage rooms, a set of meditation loungers, and two private infrared sauna suites available to book. The hot-cold infrared sauna rooms include an infrared sauna, and a private rain shower to mimic the cold plunge experience. Rather than focus on anti-aging treatments, the spa focuses on inclusivity and full body and mind wellness. (Astraea is the only spa in New England to feature the award-winning VOYA product line, which can also be found in guest rooms on the property as well.)

<p>Carley Rudd/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel</p>

Carley Rudd/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel

Twinflower Cafe will operate all week, offering counter service breakfast and lunch. The menu focuses on utilizing local ingredients whenever possible and has an array of vegetable-forward options, such as avocado toast with crispy chickpeas, nori, and sourdough, and a grain bowl with salmon, farro, and quinoa. Helmed by chef Wilson Sulivera, the hotel strives to keep this menu lighter, and is also serving pastries from neighborhood favorite Ugly Duckling.

<p>Carley Rudd/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel</p>

Carley Rudd/Courtesy of Longfellow Hotel

Five of Clubs seeks to be the heart of the property, as the dramatic centerpiece of the hotel’s lobby, which is filled with vivid velvets and deep wood tones. The bar is overseen by Siobhán & Mike Sindoni, proprietors of neighboring Wayside Tavern at The Francis Hotel, another project from Uncommon Hospitality. Guests can find a sommelier-selected wine list, cocktail program, local beers, and a thoughtful and ample selection of zero-proof cocktails and creations. Bites include snacks like crispy chickpeas with shawarma spice, Siberian caviar with tarragon egg salad, and a foie gras torchon with fennel and lemon jam.

To learn more, visit longfellowhotel.com.

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