Our Inn
A Boutique Hotel de Charme in Historic Downtown Exeter, New Hampshire
The Inn by the Bandstand is an awarding-winning boutique hotel de Charme located in the heart of historic downtown Exeter, New Hampshire and it is one of the premier places to stay in the New Hampshire Seacoast.
Housed in an historic 1809 Federal-style mansion, it is only two blocks from the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy, eight miles from the seacoast, 20 minutes from Portsmouth and Manchester’s airport is 30 minutes away. The elegant Inn offers eight beautifully furnished rooms with precious antiques and works of art: all with private baths, top of the line linens and seven with working fireplaces; it is what you would expect from a Select Registry property and one of the few Four Diamond AAA Inspected and Approved properties in New England.
For over 200 years, the Sullivan-Sleeper House has been the ‘grande dame’ of downtown historic Exeter. The mansion was built in 1809, in the Federal style, for George Sullivan, a leading lawyer and statesman, and the son of General John Sullivan, a friend of George Washington. The house changed hands several times after Sullivan passed away in 1838. It was eventually purchase by Otis Sleeper in 1889 who built the Victorian-style jewelry store next to the mansion, which is now Otis. Restaurant.
By 1970, the building was facing demolition. Instead, it was purchased by the Exeter Historical Society and repurposed into apartments. The close call prompted the creation of Exeter’s protected historic district. Today the Sullivan-Sleeper house is a home away from home called “Inn by the Bandstand” welcoming visitors from mean and far to our historic town.
Inn by the Bandstand
Boutique Hotel
Testimonial
We have loved calling your lovely place our 'home away from home' while our son was a student at Exeter. We will miss the warm welcome for all, and all the special touches, help with football parties, prom and more. You are like a family to us, so his graduation makes this visit bittersweet. We will be back to our favorite Inn in the world, so will not say "au revoir" but "a bientot." I made a last-minute reservation here and the inn was extraordinary -- beautifully decorated, comfortable, immaculate, historic in its feel but outfitted with all the modern amenities. Friendly hosts and absolutely delicious food. Located right in the heart of a walkable downtown with plenty of restaurants and shops to explore, but when you step through the front door (or sit in the courtyard), you feel like you are miles away from it all. Delightful!
Concierge Service
The Inn’s concierge services is what makes us different from other venues in the Exeter area and what makes the Inn “your home away from home”. From the simple request of tailoring day trips for our guests, to arranging car services, and making dining reservations, we pride ourselves with the relationships built, especially with our Academy parents and students.
Your Innkeeper
Your Innkeeper, Jaime Lopez, was born in Los Angeles and raised in the heartland of Mexico. A United States Navy nuclear submarine for about six-year, he went on to graduate with high honors from the prestigious Whittemore School of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, and majored in hospitality.
Under his guidance, the Inn has been successfully turned into one of the few Four Diamond, AAA-rated venues in New Hampshire. His attention to detail and ensuring every guest merits the highest degree of service is attested to the multitude of highly rated reviews on various social media platforms. Jaime looks forward to welcoming you from near and far!
Housekeeping
The Inn is extremely proud to highlight Housekeeping for the hard work done by Robin Davis. Responsible for primarily ensuring the ‘perfection’ of our guests’ rooms, Robin is also gifted with arranging the lovely flowers in the house and taking care of the Inn’s garden. The Inn, and therefore, Robin were recently recognized with a special AAA Award for “Best of Housekeeping”; a top award achieved by only 25% of all 25,000 AAA designated hotels.
