Hotel ReVUE: The Coach House

The Coach House

Salem is best known for the infamous Salem Witch Trials but is also known for its colonial architectural heritage and its appearance in hit pop-culture films Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2. The city also lived a past life as a booming merchant town, bolstering its population and the wealth of many merchants in the late 18th and 19th centuries. The busiest time of the year for this town is, most appropriately, October and specifically Halloween weekend, however, it’s easy to find plenty of witch-focused museums, a growing restaurant scene, nearby beaches, and plenty of pre and post-Revolutionary War history that’s available to explore all year round. The city is filled with a number of historically quaint, inns, boutique hotels, and bed and breakfasts to choose from.

Built in 1879 for local sea captain Ephraim Augustus Emerton, the building that houses The Coach House retains a number of original Victorian details that catch the eye such as filigree ventilation grates, hardwood parquet flooring, and original winding staircases. The property has rarely changed ownership since its inception and it became a bed and breakfast in the 1950s for over a 60-year span. In October 2020, it was newly acquired, gutted, rebuilt, and after about 7 months of complete renovations, The Coach House reopened to the public as a local boutique hotel. The Coach House is located seven minutes away by car from Salem proper and is not too far from the popular Pioneer Village which was also featured in Hocus Pocus. 

As soon as guests step into the King Suite they’re greeted with large bright windows, an elegant grand fireplace, a large king-sized bed, and en suite amenities like a Keurig coffee machine, water bottles, and trail mix snacks. The most luxurious amenities in the room include the lush Frette bathrobes and Frette linens that dress the microfoam mattress. The entire hotel is modern chic with plenty of black accents to be found in and out of the rooms. Bathrooms have up-to-date brass accessories in the shower and sink as well as C.O. Bigelow soap, body wash, and moisturizer. The owners personally tested a variety of toiletry brands before landing on C.O. Bigelow to ensure they selected the product that would be most enjoyable for guests. Next to the bathroom is a quaint vanity table and stool with plenty of natural light which makes getting ready for the day a more enjoyable experience. It is easy to notice the attention to detail that the owners put into the design, with full-body mirrors in every room and even in smaller nooks throughout the shared hallways and fun benches with accent walls and neon lights to capture the best instagrammable moments. Most of the decor found at The Coach House is locally sourced from small shops in the Salem area in an effort to support local small businesses. In the same vein, The Coach House works with a number of local plumbers and handymen who are often on call in case of any emergencies. 

Since the boutique hotel opened during the peak of the pandemic, its owner Eric used his tech background to develop a number of virtual amenities in order to continue providing hotel service without risking the health of hired personnel. Owners and staff still visit the property consistently to ensure that the property is kept up to standard. Through the use of a virtual concierge, guests can ask questions about their reservation, request more linens and water for the room, and ask for recommendations for places to eat or things to do in town. The team at The Coach House can also monitor the temperature of the rooms in case of any split air malfunctions and have cameras on-site to ensure safety on the premises. While it may be jarring at first to self-check in and not see any reception staff, it’s very easy to adapt. The hotel is much quieter and makes it even more comfortable to enjoy the public areas. For those working on the go, there is also a conference room that can be used for events or as an office space. There is also limited on-site parking behind the house. Overall, The Coach House is a small town oasis, free of crowds and noise but still very near all of the attractions that Salem has to offer.