The Francis Malbone House

What The Francis Malbone House does

The Francis Malbone House is a privately held historic boutique bed and breakfast inn operating from a single asset at 392 Thames Street in Newport, Rhode Island. The property, originally built in 1760 as a private residence for Colonel Francis Malbone and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was converted to a hospitality inn in the 1990s and now operates 18 bedrooms across seven room types (Gardenside, Harborside, Harborside Double, Newport, Courtyard, plus the Counting House Suite and Courtyard Suite). The company monetizes overnight accommodations on a quote-based pricing model and layers ancillary revenue streams on top: the $1,500 all-inclusive Elopement Package, the $350 Sweet Escape Romance Package, a Small Meeting Package bundling up to eight deluxe rooms with meeting space and F&B for groups of up to 20, gift cards via a dedicated online storefront, and complimentary daily gourmet breakfast (8:00–10:00 AM) and afternoon tea (3:00–6:00 PM) included with every stay.

Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the company's owned website (malbone.com, powered by thinkreservations.com) and phone reservations, with no third-party OTA visibility and cross-referrals to sister property Gardiner House, which also provides the Mediterranean-inspired Flora restaurant used by the Elopement and Sweet Escape packages. Customer segments are horizontal across leisure use cases: romantic couples, honeymoon/anniversary travelers, elopement and intimate wedding parties, social event hosts (birthdays, showers, bachelorette weekends), and small corporate meeting planners. The company carries Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice 2024 recognition and Select Registry membership as credibility markers, is ADA- and WCAG 2.1-compliant, and has no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capabilities, no funding activity, and no disclosed parent company or institutional ownership.

Name

The Francis Malbone House

Legal name

The Francis Malbone House

Website

https://malbone.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1760

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Francis Malbone House is a privately held 18-bedroom historic boutique inn (built 1760, National Register listed) in Newport, Rhode Island, serving leisure couples, elopement weddings, and small corporate meetings via direct bookings, packages, and sister-property F&B.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Inn and Historic Bed and Breakfast

NAICS

Bed-and-Breakfast Inns (721191)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Boutique Inns (THAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Inns & Heritage B&Bs (THAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Boutique inn hospitality
• Historic bed breakfast
• Wedding venue packages
• Corporate meeting retreats
• Newport waterfront lodging

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Accommodation Rental: Room rental for overnight stays including gourmet breakfast and afternoon tea. Rooms include Gardenside Rooms, Harborside Rooms, Newport Rooms, Courtyard Rooms, and Suites.
2. Elopement Package: All-inclusive wedding elopement package including Justice of the Peace, photographer, florals, champagne toast, and dinner at Flora restaurant. Price: $1,500.
3. Sweet Escape Romance Package: Romantic getaway package including dinner voucher, champagne, chocolate truffles, and roses. Price: $350.
4. Meeting & Event Venue Rental: Corporate meeting space rental including Small Meeting Packages with eight deluxe guestrooms, full breakfast, meeting room, refreshments, A/V equipment, and lunch. Host up to 20 guests.
5. Gift Cards: Gift card sales through malbone.mews-giftvoucher.com for guest purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Francis Malbone House is a historic 1760 boutique inn in Newport, Rhode Island offering overnight accommodations across seven room categories, daily gourmet breakfast and afternoon tea, curated romance and elopement packages, and small corporate meeting and event hosting for up to 20 guests. The property features 18 bedrooms with antique furnishings, marble bathrooms, fireplaces, and Jacuzzi tubs, overlooking Narragansett Bay from Thames Street in Newport's waterfront historic district.

Product overview

The Francis Malbone House is a premier historic bed and breakfast inn offering a portfolio of boutique accommodations and hospitality services. Its core product is lodging across seven distinct room types: Gardenside Room, Harborside Room, Harborside Double, Newport Room, Courtyard Room, and two suites (Counting House Suite and Courtyard Suite). These are complemented by curated packages including the Elopement Package ($1500) and Sweet Escape Package ($350), as well as meeting and event services accommodating up to 20 guests. Dining offerings include daily gourmet breakfast (8-10 AM) and afternoon tea (3-6 PM). The property also has access to Flora restaurant at its sister property Gardiner House. Amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, parking, fireplaces, and concierge services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gardenside Room Cozy room in the original 1760 mansion offering sunny charm and vintage elegance with queen-size bed, private bath, seasonal gas fireplace, AC, and refrigerator. Targeted at individual travelers and couples.
• Harborside Room Large room in the original mansion with limited views of Newport Harbor, featuring king four-poster bed, private bath, AC, fireplace, flat-screen TV, and refrigerator. Targeted at couples seeking harbor-view stays.
• Harborside Double Large room with limited harbor views featuring queen bed plus twin bed, private bath, AC, fireplace, flat-screen TV, and refrigerator. Targeted at small families or friends traveling together.
• Newport Room Room in the courtyard wing offering elegant comforts at Newport's waterfront with king or four-poster bed, private bath with tub or Jacuzzi, and seasonal fireplace. Targeted at couples seeking refined lodging.
• Courtyard Room Quiet retreat opening to garden patios with natural light, featuring king or queen bed, modern bathroom, fireplace, flat-screen TV, and private external entries in some cases. Targeted at couples seeking garden views.
• Counting House Suite Large suite in the main house dating to the 1750s, offering king-size canopy bed, private bath with corner Jacuzzi and oversized marble shower, large living room, dining room table, refrigerator, and seasonal gas fireplace. Targeted at guests seeking premium suite accommodations.
• Courtyard Suite Suite on the first floor of the courtyard wing with king four-poster bed, private bath with oversized shower, spacious sitting area, flat-screen TV, Bose stereo, wet bar, refrigerator, and seasonal gas fireplace with French doors to a semi-private courtyard. Targeted at guests seeking premium courtyard suite accommodations.
• Elopement Package All-inclusive wedding elopement package priced at $1,500 including Justice of the Peace, photographer, one dozen red roses, bridal bouquet, boutonniere, champagne toast, and $200 Flora dinner voucher. Requires minimum two-night reservation. Targeted at couples planning elopement ceremonies, intimate weddings, or vow renewals.
• Sweet Escape Romance Package Romantic getaway package priced at $350 including a $100 Flora dinner voucher, chocolate truffles, one dozen red roses, and chilled bottle of champagne. Targeted at couples planning romantic getaways.
• Meetings and Events Venue Corporate meeting and social event hosting service with six adaptable meeting rooms, two fireplaced parlors, a library, two boardrooms, and a dining room accommodating up to 20 guests. Includes business-ready amenities, complimentary Wi-Fi, and catering options. Targeted at small corporate groups and social event hosts.
• Small Meeting Package All-inclusive meeting package including eight deluxe guestrooms, full gourmet breakfast, meeting room, meeting refreshments, basic audio/visual equipment, lunch, afternoon tea, and off-street parking. Targeted at small corporate groups of up to 20 guests.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase at fixed denominations through malbone.mews-giftvoucher.com for use at The Francis Malbone House. Targeted at gift givers and previous guests.

Quantifiable outcome

• Condé Nast Traveler 2024 Winner recognition
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gardiner HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister property under common ownership. Gardiner House is a waterfront hotel that shares branding and cross-referrals with The Francis Malbone House. Both properties are owned/operated together, with cross-promotional links on websites.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• White Elephant Hotel: Luxury waterfront hotel on Nantucket offering comparable high-end rooms, weddings, and harborfront leisure; comparable New England coastal luxury heritage segment without direct Newport geography.
• The Nantucket Hotel & Resort: Resort-style historic inn on Nantucket Island with similar meeting/event and family-leisure offerings; coastal New England luxury heritage segment, regionally comparable though not in Newport.

Direct peers

• Daniel P. Maffei House / Inns of Newport collection: Multi-property boutique inn group operating historic B&Bs in Newport (e.g., Inn on Long, Jailhouse Inn); comparable boutique B&B model, wedding/elopement events, and Select Registry positioning in same town.
• Vanderbilt Grace: Boutique historic hotel in downtown Newport offering refined rooms and dining; competes for the same romantic/corporate guest and historic-heritage positioning.
• The Chanler at Cliff Walk: Historic mansion-turned-luxury hotel on Newport's Cliff Walk with curated rooms, restaurant (Cara), and event venue; directly comparable on heritage asset, luxury pricing, and romantic/wedding target segments.
• Castle Hill Inn: Luxury Relais & Châteaux historic waterfront inn in Newport, RI offering similar high-end rooms, fine dining, and romantic/wedding packages; comparable on Newport boutique luxury segment, prime harborfront real estate, and Condé Nast-elite positioning.
• Hotel Viking: Historic Newport hotel offering boutique rooms, rooftop bar, and event space comparable to Francis Malbone on heritage positioning and meeting/event catering in the Newport market.
• Gardiner House: Waterfront boutique hotel in Newport under co-ownership with Francis Malbone House, sharing cross-referrals and dining (Flora); closest peer by structure, geography, and management.
• Cliffside Inn: Select Registry member boutique bed-and-breakfast on Newport's Cliff Walk; a same-segment, same-market competitor for romantic getaways and small weddings.
• Forty 1 North: Luxury waterfront hotel and residences in Newport's harbor district; comparable on prime Thames Street-adjacent location, upscale rooms, and corporate/event capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/francismalbonehouse
• Xx.com/FrancisMalbone
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFrancisMalbone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/francis-malbone-house-inn

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Francis Malbone House