Is the Hotel Viking in Newport, RI a good place to stay? There hasn't been a post on this site for that hotel since 2001.Anyone been there recently with comments? Thanks!

I was just in Newport - Hotel Viking is very nice - one of the best rated hotels in Newport. Be aware though that it is not located near the water and shops - you might consider renting a car if staying here

We stayed at the Hotel Viking for July 4 2001. While it is not on the water, it is a short walk to the shops and waterfront -- I don't think you need a car unless you plan on traveling outside of the tourist area or aren't able to walk short distances. They do have free parking, though, which can be hard to find in Newport.

It was definitely a nice hotel -- the lobby is nice, the service is fine, the rooftop deck is convenient, our room was nice and the bathroom, too. I will say, though, that I didn't think it was worth the $$$. It was nice, but not that nice. Our room was incredibly small (and I live in NYC -- I'm used to small living spaces!). You could barely walk around the bed and there weren't even any closets -- nowhere to open up your suitcase! The bathroom was even smaller -- two people couldn't even stand in there. Plus, our room was located next door to the maid's closet, so the doors started slamming at about 6:30 am every day. All of this for over $300 a night!

I have to admit that we wouldn't stay there again. We just didn't feel it justified the price. Next time, we'll probably stay at a B&B.

Just to explain the walking/parking/driving situation -- the Viking is located a few blocks from the waterfront/shopping area. It is uphill to the hotel from the water. But I can't imagine that you'd drive down to the waterfront (and give up your space in the Viking's parking lot) just to drive a couple of blocks and have to find parking again. JMHO.

Thanks for your comments. I'm hoping our room will be larger since we'll have 2 adults/2 children. The hotel said the new section had bigger rooms.Maybe hiking the hill will give us some exercise!Just wanted to make sure it wasn't run down (since it only rates 2 stars from Mobil.) Thanks!

We've stayed at the Viking a few times and found the rooms to be a bit undersized on each occasion.

The hotel is clean, the staff very cordial, and parking (with in and out availability) is free.

We have seen the excessice room rates advertised, but have NEVER paid them. The hotel always has a special rate of some sort. We accidently planned our stay in Newport a few years back at the same time as the X Games, and even though the Viking was the ESPN headquarters, we still found a room for $79.

Good luck!!

we stayed there a few years ago and were very disappointed. I usually love staying at old, historic hotels, but not this one. they had mixed up our reservation (even though I had confirmation number, date i made reservation, person i spoke with, etc all avaialbe). we wended up with a tiny room for our family of 4. the kids were small at the time but it was still crowded. we were beginning to think someone was going to have to sleep in the bathtub. they eventually moved us to a room that was slightly larger but i would not stay there again. I also felt the staff was somewhat rude the entire time. If you do decide to stay there, make sure they give you some sort of guarantee on the room size.

The Hotel Viking is a wonderful place to stay in Newport. The hotel has just undergone fabulous renovation and is truly elegant. Service is outstanding. The restaurant food is wonderful and the service is abundant and totally accomadating. No request went unfulfilled. I can't wait to go back. We were there for 3 nights with another couple and loved the pool and spa. What a relaxing way to end a day of sightseeing.

The Viking like many other summer resort hotels in New England suffers from a very short high-season. This puts them in a competitive situation for staffing, etc. with chain-hotels in the area.

At one time long ago, the Viking was a favorite hotel year around with the Officers Candidate School in Newport. Those days are long gone with the departure of the Navy as well as OCS.