With an aesthetical nod to its ancestors, The Glen House Hotel was built in classic New England vernacular, with clapboards, painted trim and signature chimneys, similar to the previous four Glen Houses that have stood on its site since 1852. The design of the guestrooms is reflective of the simplicity of Shaker design while the public spaces embrace both the history of the Mt. Washington Auto Road and local Native American roots.

Sustainability at Glen House Sustainability at Glen House Sustainability at Glen House
Sustainability at Gorham Sustainability at Gorham Sustainability at Gorham

Although inspired by the past, the technology of today separates The Glen House from its predecessors. The Glen House Hotel will be close to energy self-sufficient and carbon neutral. Present-day day Glen House is the fifth generation of Glen House hotels, with the first built in 1852 and the fourth built in 1924. Each new hotel improved upon its predecessor's theory and technology that was available at the time of each construction, from electricity and gaslights to the telegraph and elevators, to insulation. 

Glen House Today

Today's Glen House is by far the most advanced in technology, construction and certainly sustainability. Designed to continue the tradition of stewardship that the family has displayed during their 110 years of ownership of the Glen and the Mt. Washington Auto Road, there are many features in this Glen House that fit with the pristine environment of the location.

  • Our geothermal system consists of thirty 500-foot wells that use the energy naturally stored in the ground using a closed loop system. This provides heating and cooling throughout the hotel without the use of fossil fuels.
  • The spray foam and rigid panels used for insulation contribute to the building’s efficiency with a high rated resistance to heat flow.
  • Energy consumption is reduced with the use of LED lighting throughout the hotel – from the smallest of decorative fixtures to the parking lot lighting.
  • All of our outdoor lighting is “Dark Sky Compliant” – meaning all of the lights are directed toward the ground, and not into the sky, which preserves the night sky.
  • Our highly efficient elevators are equipped with ReGen drive, a regenerative system, which feeds generated energy back into the building's grid where it is used for other electrical devices such as lighting.
  • A new hydro generator produces around 80% of the electric needs of the lodge across the street. Another additional generator using the same water and source will produce an additional 20 kWh of energy for the new Glen House. The hotel landscape irrigation is gravity fed from this same water system. 
  • The outdoor fire pit is fired with propane by design to maintain the Class I air quality standard found in the Great Gulf Wilderness area.