The view from The Rooftop bar at the new Artisan Hotel in Salem, N.H. says it all. From one of the comfortable couches in front of a gas fireplace, you can survey the growing Tuscan Village lifestyle complex, as it converts the former grounds of the Rockingham Park racetrack into an appealing destination for shopping and dining – and now getting away from it all. Like the rest of the boutique 163-room property, The Rooftop bar feels like a welcoming yet urbane escape – Italian pop art posters line the walls and every bartender knows how to make a spritz.
The Rooftop is just one of the inviting spots at the Artisan – guests enjoy rooms with free Wi-Fi, done in a soothing palette of neutrals, and everyone can stop in at Caffe Artisan for breakfast, or the newest Tuscan Kitchen location for dinner.
“Salem needed a place like this – an upscale and sophisticated destination that adds a new dimension to the town,” says owner Joe Faro. “There’s nothing quite like it in the area.”
Indeed, the hotel is just one more piece of Faro’s vision of building a destination for tourists, locals, daytrippers, and anyone else drawn to its dynamic offerings. The property is steps away from Tuscan Market – a trattoria-style restaurant and Italian specialty shop serving salads and pasta and selling everything from a carefully chosen selection of wine to cheese, bread, and handmade pasta to-go. The attached cooking school offers classes many nights a week – you can learn to make the perfect calzone, pumpkin gnocchi, and even mozzarella cheese. And the adjacent outdoor beer garden hosts lawn games and summer concerts.
Not to mention an L.L. Bean, a Williams-Sonoma, and a growing roster of other shops. The 3.8-million-square-foot mixed-use super-regional destination also boasts more than 1,200 luxury residences, and a state-of-the-art life science campus space, in the midst of a pedestrian-centric development featuring outdoor gathering spaces with firepits, a panoramic lake, walking trails, and a Grand Lawn.
Perhaps it’s this package of amenities that enabled the new hotel to join Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, a growing global family of independent hotels with a shared passion for captivating design and a drive to create vibrant social scenes for guests and locals alike. The intent is for the Tribute brand to represent spots that build community while focusing on individuality and offering travelers a fresh, often colorful, perspective – the Artisan joins nearly 100 hotels found everywhere from Cartagena to Singapore.
That mission aligns well with Faro’s plans. “My vision for The Artisan Hotel is to create a place that transforms Salem into a bustling hub for locals and visitors alike,” he says. “We’ve injected a fresh, vibrant energy into this town, and The Artisan Hotel is a testament to that vision coming to life.”
17 Via Toscana, Salem, N.H., 603-912-8450, theartisanhotelattuscanvillage.com