Rooted in New England Tradition
With an aesthetical nod to its ancestors, The Glen House Hotel was built in classic New England vernacular, with clapboards, shingles and painted trim similar to the previous four Glen Houses that have stood near this 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 the earlier Glen House hotels.
Inspired by the Past, Designed for Today
Although inspired by the past, the technology of today separates The Glen House from its predecessors. The 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.
Committed to Sustainability
The Glen House Hotel is committed to sustainability. From the initial design, the goal was to minimize energy use overall and utilize renewable energy wherever possible. Some of these initiatives include geothermal heating and cooling so the needed energy was coming from the energy naturally stored in the earth’s surface. The commercial kitchen walk-in coolers and freezer also use this geothermal energy rather than conventional compressors. Geothermal involves electric pumps to circulate water, so a combination of on-site small hydro generation using existing waterworks dating back to the 1800s and a large solar array reduce the need for grid fed energy.
Powered by Solar
In late 2024 a large solar array was constructed for the Glen House designed to generate all of the electricity needed for the hotel on an annual basis. The array, located in the field below the hotel, consists of 672 panels each producing 595 watts for a total production of approximately 400 kW DC/300 kW AC.
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 125+ 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 hydro generator produces more than 80% of the electrical needs of the Auto Road day lodge across the street. Another additional generator using the same water and source is producing an additional 17kW of energy for the new Glen House. Also, 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.