We are very proud at Hampton Terrace of our loyal customer base.   There are more than 4,000 couples who remain on our newsletter list, even though opting out is one click away.    We are equally proud that our summers fill each year with more than 50% repeat visitation.

We are careful about sending out our e-mail newsletters, knowing that an abuse of our valuable e-mail list will result in more opt-outs.  So we limit our newsletters to about three per year….two of them pertaining to important dates involving Tanglewood.   The third features off-season specials.

So we see Facebook as a terrific opportunity for those guests who want to hear more from us to voluntarily do so.    Through Facebook we will be offering last-minute specials, discounts and values….and as importantly….we will keep you in touch with interesting Berkshire activities….for example…last night was the inaugural lighting of the new Westinghouse Street Lights in the village.    A little known fact:   Lenox was among the first towns in America to have electrically lit streets, due to the fact that George Westinghouse's wife did not like the dark ride from her summer home into the village.   He was in  the process of installing street lights in downtown Niagra Falls, so she leaned on him to  throw a few around Lenox.    Now, 100 years later, there are still a few of the original (although non-working) lights around town, which served the role of allowing us to make exact replicas for the newly restored Lenox streetscape.   

The town leaders turned out last night, dressed in full turn-of-the-century formality, to flip on the new lights.   You could have been here.    Future Facebook fans of Hampton Terrace will hear about such fun opportunities.  CLICK HERE!

Every year we schedule major upgrades at Hampton Terrace, and this year involves all new flooring  in our Wynnstay Cottage.    Our Living Room area (shown) now has a durable hardwood-style planking with area rugs to aid areas that have always had too much traffic for carpet.

And the guest rooms, as of yesterday, are newly carpeted with some bold new color changes.    All-in-all, a hugely positive experience for us…a chance to rebuild all of the beds to make sure they are solid, clean behind and under furniture which has not been moved in a while…    We get a lot of repeat visitation in our Wynnstay Cottage (6 guest rooms, all with gas fireplaces and Jacuzzis) and I cannot wait to hear the reactions.

Before Marti Mayne of BedandBreakfast.com visited Hampton Terrace a couple of years ago on a tour of Berkshire inns, she checked out our website.   I had always been told that we had a good website, but deep down I was not so sure.

After her stay, she volunteered that our inn photography undersold our inn, and that we should give serious thought to an upgrade.   She put me in touch with Mark and Matthew of Jumping Rocks Photography and the rest, as they say, is history.   In November 2008, they spent a couple of days shooting all of our guest rooms, and by January 2009, Kathy Barto and I had created a whole new website to showcase our pictures.    The impact was immediate and profound.

Our 2009 occupancy was 25% higher than 2008, in spite of the economy.   Most impressively, our off-season occupancy (all months except July, August and October) was up 60%!     The power of good images.

This increase got us noticed by USAToday as well.  

So next month in Austin, Texas, when PAII holds their annual convention, Jumping Rocks has asked permission to use Hampton Terrace as an example of the impact of good photography on a website.    Could not be more pleased to help out the guys who so profoundly helped us.

We are pleased to share that you can now  be a fan of Hampton Terrace, with a special set of benefits to be associated with that.    By following us on Facebook (and soon Twitter) you will be the first to know about special events here and in  the Berkshires, last-minute availabiilty, associated discounts, and other items of interest.  

CLICK HERE to register as a fan.

The Boston Symphony Tanglewood Schedule is out.   Tickets go on sale in February, but many people are locking in their accommodations now.    Hampton Terrace's Mid-Week Discount can save approximately 30%.   Add that to a weekend stay, and your average night stay will come well below average Lenox accommodations.

All rooms in the Main House and Cottage are discounted from $275 to $190/night.   Our King Suites drop from $345 to $275.    Hampton Terrace features full breakfast and an outdoor heated pool.   We have 14 guest rooms with private baths and are fortunate that our Trip Advisor ratings are above 98%.  

I bet you dd  not  know that last summer Hampton Terrace was the Official Summer Home for Larry King, the voice of the Tanglewood radio broadcasts.    If you live in the Boston area, you will know it soon, as the name Hampton Terrace floods the airwaves.    In return for hosting Mr. King for the summer, we earned a schedule of advertising time on Classical 99.5 WCRB Boston, and we plan to use it over the next six weeks.

The campaign will promote our long weekend New Year's Eve package, and the upcoming summer, as soon as the Tanglewood schedule is released.

WCRB also has a Classical Club Promotion, which will include a 2-night stay at Hampton Terrace, so tune in to the station for more details.

Hampton Terrace, the #1 rated Lenox inn according to Trip Advisor reviews, has been an inn since 1937.    We have 14 rooms, an outdoor heated pool during the summer, and include full breakfast buffet.   Currently, we are featuring a Romantic Weekend Special.

For fans of Peter, Paul & Mary, there will be special event in the Berkshires this weekend:   Peter Yarrow, his daughter Bethany and virtuoso cellist Rufus Cappadocia will honor the legendary folk trio at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.    Mary died earlier this year, so this show, and its post-show cocktail and hors d'oeuvres at Blantyre will honor her, and raise money for the Berkshire Eagle's Newspaper in Education fund.

Tickets are $25 and $35 for the show, with an opportunity to have special seating and attend the post-show reception at Blantyre for $100.   They can be purchased by going to www.thecolonialtheatre.org or by calling 413-997-4444.

Turn this opportunity into a Romantic Weekend in the Berkshires by staying at Hampton Terrace in Lenox, the #1 rated Lenox b&b on Trip Advisor.   A two night stay includes a $30 gift certificate to Nejaimes, the local wine and gourmet food shop in town, full breakfast by candlelight each morning, and a fireplace/Jacuzzi room for either $189/night, or $249/night for a king suite.     If you are used to Lenox summer prices, you will recognize that this is a savings of about $100/night compared to the "season."   www.hamptonterrace.com  800-203-0656

Always take advantage of a 3-day weekend!    At  Hampton Terrace it is possible to do that with a 30% discount on the 3rd night, and a $30 wine gift certificate to help make it feel like vacation.

Hampton Terrace, the #1 Lenox inn on Trip Advisor, still has rooms available for Thanksgiving weekend.    We only serve breakfast here, but we are one block walk from the Village Inn, which serves excellent New England style meals, and which will be featuring a special Thanksgiving Dinner menu.    Also, Cranwell Resort is advertising a Thankgsgiving Buffet from noon until 5 on Thanksiving Day.

At Hampton Terrace, all of our rooms have private baths, most with Jacuzzis, unless you prefer to soak in an antique claw-foot tub.   I do.    Twelve of our fourteen rooms have fireplaces…quite high in a historic inn.     We include full breakfast buffet each morning, and we help you plan your 3-day weekend with e-mailed lists of the better restaurants and lists of things to do in the area.   The Hancock Shaker Village is a perfect match for a Thanksgiving Weekend in the Berkshires.

We are entering our second week now of our Romantic Weekend Special.    So popular that our existing guests will not let it go away.   You can take advantage of it every weekend until late June.

A two-night weekend stay includes a $30 Gift Certificate to Nejaimes, the local wine/gourmet food shop, full breakfast buffet by candlelight, early check-in and late check-out subject to availablity, and our help planning your perfect getaway.    With your confirmation you will receive several lists:   a limited restaurant recommendation list based on the feedback we receive from thousands of guests…and a list called "Planning Your Stay" which covers every subject we could think of, from hikes and spas to museums and nightlfe.

Speaking of Nejaimes, November is their 15% to 30% off month.    And all wine bottles over $50 are 30% off!    In essence, using this discount, you can get a $50 bottle of wine, almost FREE when you stay here.

Check Availability On-Line or give us a call at 800-203-0656.

After several years of inconvenient mid-week New Year's Eves, this year we get a long weekend.    And we all need it.

As usual, Hampton Terrace celebrates the New Year with added value.   At midnight on the 31st, we offer free champagne and favors in our private bar, and a countdown with the Times Square multitude.   On New Year's Day, we offer a brunch instead of our usual breakfast fare.

And this year, to encourage as many people as possible to make it a LONG weekend, we offer our OFF-SEASON RATES for a three night stay.    Thursday, Friday and Saturday.    We have always used IN-SEASON rates for New Years…so this represents a savings of about $300 over the weekend.   All rooms in the Main House and Wynnstay Cottage are $189/night and our King Suites are $249.      Same as the weekend after.     Susan says I have lost my mind.

If you can only do New Years and one extra night….then we will split the difference with you.    One night at the in-season rate and one night at the off-season.    This works out to $225 for a main house or cottage room and $295 for a king suite.

We also would be willing to accept just New Year's Eve….at the same rate as we use in July, August and October.    Not a bad deal either, considering the addition of the midnight celebration and brunch.

New Year's is always nice at Hampton Terrace.   There is usually snow on the ground and all the fireplaces are going.   The great restaurants in Lenox offer fixed price specials and several seatings.    If you are so inclined, we can help you find a New Year's Eve celebration somewhere….although most couples who come to the Berkshires for New Year's are looking for something tranquil and private.    Nothing like one of our fireplace/Jacuzzi rooms with the snow falling outside.

Call us at 800-203-0656 to discuss your options.