Renovations

The inn and Ostrich Room closed for renovations in November 2025. We don’t know when we’ll reopen, but hope to see you this summer. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow on Instagram for updates. Newsletter subscribers will hear first when bookings re-open!

Projects include:

• Demolishing the front porch and round room.
• Building a new glassed-in dining room on the front of the house.
• Reorienting the primary entrance to be on the east side.
• Adding garden space.
• Redecorating the Lodge.
• Rebranding to Avaloch.

Rebranding from “Apple Tree Inn” to “Avaloch”

Claire never loved the name “Apple Tree Inn”. It’s very common — there are about ten in the U.S. — and “cute”. As she researched the history, she learned about Roy Rappaport, who initially opened the house as an inn, and who named it Avaloch. We still don’t know why. It seems to be a variation on Avalon, the island of the apple trees from Arthurian legend, where Excalibur was forged and where King Arthur went to die.

We’ve always liked Roy’s vibe! He seemed to have a cool thing going on here. “Avaloch” appears on some old maps of the area; see if you can find one next time you’re in the lobby of the Red Lion Inn. Michael Bakwin carried it on, and we’ve revived the logo from that era. We still don’t know who designed it; tell us if you know! The name’s last era was “Alice’s at Avaloch”. Before she died, Alice told us it meant “over the lake”, i.e. the Stockbridge Bowl, which our hill looks over.

Watch Claire’s announcement.

Updates

February 28 — They’ve begun timber framing over the basement.

February 22 — They’ve filled the dirt in around the new concrete foundation so we can walk around it for the first time. Honestly, just being able to walk fully around the hotel on level ground is incredibly gratifying.

February 5 — The new foundation is fully dug out, and they’ve started pouring concrete. It’s a lot more fun when you move on from the melancholy demolition to building something new!

January 15 — Posted our 2025 in review reel on Instagram. It’s especially sweet to look back at everything operating, in full swing, now that we’re closed.

January 13 — In two days of hard work, the front porch and round room have been demolished. Until now, there was hardly any trace of renovation; now it’s dramatic and feels very real.

November 3 — Held our last event of the season (a memorial for Alice Brock) and closed.

October 8 — Announced that we’re closing. Claire will be posting lots of renovation content on our Instagram. The problems she’s trying to solve, the books that inspire her, the iterations of the blueprints, the people involved… follow along!