Westerly hotel wins prestigious award

WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI) – A seaside Southern New England landmark received a prestigious honor that is a first for the Ocean State.

Forbes Magazine gave the Ocean House in Westerly a five-star rating making it the first time a Rhode Island hotel has received that top distinction.

Like many local businesses, the Ocean House hotel survived Hurricane Sandy, but not without some devastation.

“We had a couple of french doors and windows that blew out, but nothing compared to the devastation of Misquamicut,” said Communications Director Michelle Wade.

Not only did the hotel get fixed, it flourished. On Tuesday, the luxury hotel received the coveted five-star rating at the 2013 Forbes Star Awards.

“The property clearly takes us to an elegant level,” said Wade while touring the property.

Forbes says five-star properties provide virtually flawless service and the finest of amenities. This rating is extremely rare, just 76 hotels in the world received the rating this year, and the Ocean House is the first and only from Rhode Island.

The Ocean House has already received a number of positive calls because of this new rating, and they are hoping that propels them to even greater future success.