Melville House

2.5 star property

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Photo gallery for Melville House

Property entrance
Interior entrance
Standard Room, 1 Double Bed | Frette Italian sheets, premium bedding, iron/ironing board, free WiFi
Standard Room, 1 Double Bed | Room amenity
View from property

Reviews

8.4 out of 10
Very good

Popular amenities

  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning
$124
$110 nightly
$124 total
Total with taxes and fees
Jan 4 - Jan 5, 2026

Explore the area

View in a map
39 Clarke Street, Newport, RI, 02840
  • Place, Thames Street
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Place, Bowen's Wharf
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Bannister's Wharf
    ‪5 min walk‬
  • Airport, Providence, RI (PVD-T.F. Green)
    ‪38 min drive‬

Room options

Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed

8.8 out of 10
Excellent
(14 reviews)
  • 270 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Standard Room, 1 Double Bed

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful
(14 reviews)
  • 305 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Similar properties

About the neighborhood

Newport

With a stay at Melville House in Newport (Downtown Newport), you'll be a 4-minute walk from Thames Street and within a 5-minute drive of Newport Mansions. .This guesthouse is 2 mi (3.2 km) from The Breakers and 16.1 mi (26 km) from Narragansett Beach.

What's nearby

  • Thames Street - 2 min walk - 0.1 miles
  • Touro Synagogue - 2 min walk - 0.1 miles
  • Bowen's Wharf - 3 min walk - 0.2 miles
  • Newport Harbour - 3 min walk - 0.2 miles
  • Bannister's Wharf - 5 min walk - 0.3 miles

Getting around

  • Newport Ferry Station - 6 min walk
  • Newport, RI (NPT-Newport State) - 17 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Starbucks - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪Bar 'Cino - ‬2 min walk
  • ‪Gas Lamp Grille - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪The Fastnet Pub - ‬3 min walk

About this property

Melville House

Guesthouse with free parking, 4-minute walk to Thames Street
Melville House offers 7 air-conditioned accommodations with irons/ironing boards. Beds feature Frette Italian sheets and premium bedding. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Bathrooms include showers.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
Make yourself at home in one of the 7 air-conditioned guestrooms. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms with showers are provided.
Make use of convenient amenities, which include complimentary wireless internet access and tour/ticket assistance.
Free self parking is available onsite.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free self parking on site

Guest services

  • No housekeeping service
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Accessibility

  • No elevator

More

  • Built in 1750
  • Smoking not allowed

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Frette Italian sheets

Bathroom

  • Private bathroom
  • Shower
  • Towels provided

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Iron/ironing board

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:30 PM; Check-in end time: 9:00 PM
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 21

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

There is no front desk at this property
The host will greet guests on arrival
For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools
Guests planning to arrive after hours must contact the property at least 48 hours prior to arrival.

Access methods

Host will greet you

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Property payment types

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property

We should mention

This property does not have elevators

Property is also known as

Melville House Newport
Melville Newport
Melville House Hotel Newport
Melville House
Melville House Guesthouse Newport
Melville House Newport
Melville House Guesthouse
Melville House Guesthouse Newport

Reviews

Melville House Reviews

8.4

Very Good

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness
Rating 10 - Excellent. 203 out of 385 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 104 out of 385 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 37 out of 385 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 27 out of 385 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 14 out of 385 reviews

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

4/10 Poor

FILOMENA

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff and host were great Melville inn was as expected - but the bed was horrible my husband and I slid to middle most of night , so uncomfortable we got no sleep , also no ac but was advertised as to having one there was a fan which gave me a headache from blowing on my head all night ! My cousins stayed in another room same issues but they had no ac or fan . We were offered breakfast next day from host but when we came for breakfast we were greeted as if we were bothering staff followed by French toast takes 25 min to make we hadn’t even ordered yet , containers of coffee empty along with everything else at self service station , we ended up leaving .
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Shea

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
This place has real character and Rick the innkeeper was pretty darn entertaining. The location was superb and we had a fabulous time in Newport.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Staci

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great location

Great location. We had the smallest room but it worked great.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

Kaitlyn

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The room is tinyyyy! My husband is a 6’2” 250 pound big linebacker of a guy. This was totally my mistake in overlooking how small the room was. The bathroom was so small it was almost un useable. Pro tip- at the end of the hall on the second floor there’s a huge bathroom that I stumbled upon. I also made the mistake of thinking this place would have AC, so we were piled on top of each other AND sweating our butts off while putting on formal wear for a wedding. Also, this part is comical, but if we wanted breakfast, we needed to upgrade to get it… at a bed and breakfast. Made no sense. Other than that, I’ll give the location itself 5 stars because it was very walkable, and the woman who checked us in was kind. Again, most of this is my fault for not doing my research. I will say this bed and breakfast is definitely very authentic.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Kelli

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Charming place. Very nice owner and parking was easy.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kaitlyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Last Minute Trip- Met All Expectations!

The Inn staff were friendly and helpful. They greeted us on the street and assisted with parking. They walked us up to our room ensured we had everything we needed. Rick is friendly and goes above and beyond to make sure everyone’s stay is meeting their expectations. The bed was very comfortable.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

Carly

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Good option to stay if you’re not in the room and out all day. Everything in town is 5-10 minutes walking distance. Other than that the rooms are fairly small making it an uncomfortable living space for the price.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Joseph

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location, location, location! Absolutely phenomenal location to downtown Newport and the wharf area (Approx. 5 min walk). The buildings are Revolutionary War era construction, so don’t expect the modern amenities of a 21st century hotel chain. But, the properties are clean, charming and well maintained despite being nearly 300 years old. Off street (free) parking was also a plus, but beware if you driver a larger vehicle (large SUV or truck), the lots and driveways are very tight and would be near impossible to traverse in a pickup or large SUV.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Joan

Traveled with group
No elevator so there are stairs to navigate. There was a young man who helped us carry luggage to the room. Room ac’s, tv. Shower was good with plenty of warm water. Friendly efficient staff. My friend and I got the breakfast which was extra. The chef was very efficient and food was good. Location was ideal and we just walked everywhere or caught the free bus which took us to the mansion area and Cliff Walk.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

2/10 Terrible

John

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I booked in advance on Expedia only to then hear just before my arrival that the hotel doesn’t have a room at all for me. The person helping me was unhelpful, not particularly ‘with it’ and made for a very tough experience. Couldn’t have had a more frustrating experience
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

Paul

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
We reserved the Melville, but check-in was at the Cleveland and we were given a room in the Admiral Farragut. All 3 are listed as different hotels on booking sites, but they are owned by the same group. If the owners are going to treat these hotels interchangeably, then they should be listed as a single hotel with multiple buildings. In particular, they should not be listed with different prices. On our departure date, I checked listings for that evening and there was more than $80 difference in price between the cheapest and most expensive of these three hotels. The owner explained that the Farragut had bigger bathrooms. Maybe true, but the plastic shower stall was old. When we arrived in the afternoon, they gave us a spot right next to our building. We then drove to a restaurant for dinner and when we returned at 9:30 all the parking spots were taken. A staff member directed us to a different lot across the street, where we had to wedge between two big SUVs and had almost no room to get out. I was frustrated parking spots were not assigned. The bed was big, but fairly stiff. Once you got through all the decorative pillows, the two actual pillows were sad and lifeless. The next day we asked for more pillows, which were much better. The window AC was weak. Just enough for 80's temps, but not for hotter days. The wifi was nonexistent, despite 3 routers. Multiple ping tests had download speeds of 3-6Mbps. Couldn't load basic websites. Breakfast was fine. Staff were helpful.
Plastic shower stall
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Devannie

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Such a friendly staff and so accommodating!! The location was absolutely beautiful! Definitely would recommend and I would come again.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Jaden

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My girlfriend and I did not have the best experience with the Melville House. Upon check in, the owner Rick told us he hadn't received our reservation from Expedia, and that this happens all the time. He then said he would upgrade us to makeup for this mix up since we couldn't stay in the overbooked Melville house. For more context, we listened to him check in four other couples before us and upgrade them all; the group behind us also booked through Expedia and they had no knowledge of their reservation either. We were then brought to one of his other properties called the Elm Street Inn, about a 15 minute walk outside of town compared to the centrally located Melville House. This appeared to be someone's house and we stayed in a small, unfinished bedroom off the kitchen. Because this was our anniversary trip, we decided to just let the room situation go and focus on what we planned; staying in the room as little as possible. There was also an older, unfriendly man who we ran into a handful of times cooking in the kitchen - we think it may have been his house? It seemed like their business model was to overbook the Melville house, and then place people accordingly throughout their other 4 rooming locations. We wouldn't book here again or recommend to anyone, and definitely didn't think this was worth $350
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Elisa

Traveled with group, Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Parking on site Walkable
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Monika

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Stay away

Rooms were small, needed to pay for an upgrades to get decent room and pay extra money. Original room that I booked was very bad in dirty old house. Service people were nice, tried to make the best out of our stay. Will not recommend this hotel to my family or friends.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Ryan

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

andrew

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Close convenient great location
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

GARY, New York

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Convenient
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Trishna

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice property , great location
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Marion, Yonkers

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Location is great. Much of the town is within easy walking distance. Staff went out of their way to be helpful and solicit feedback. Finally the parking is a big bonus in the center of town.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2025

2/10 Terrible

Rachael

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Taylor

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent custom service, quaint location, and comfortable room.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Eli

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
nice room
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025