Haunted hotel guide · Middletown, Rhode Island
The Haunted Newport Beach Hotel and Suites: The Girl in Blue, the Top Hat and Jester
Across the road from Easton’s Beach, at the start of Newport’s Cliff Walk, the historic side of this hotel has more ghost stories per square foot than almost anywhere in Rhode Island.
Newport Beach Hotel and Suites sits at One Wave Avenue in Middletown, directly across from Easton’s Beach, also called First Beach, and a few minutes’ walk from the start of the Cliff Walk. It has two parts: the original Colonial Revival Historic Building, put up by the Toppa family in 1940 after the great hurricane of 1938 wiped out the beachfront, and a newer shingle-style Suites Building, plus a spa and pool. It has been a member of Historic Hotels of America since 2000.
Almost all of the ghost stories come from the historic side and from former staff. They describe a little girl in a bright blue dress, a man in a top hat who haunts the bar and the ballroom, a prankster in the maintenance shop and a kitchen poltergeist the staff nicknamed Jester. For the rest of the state, see our guide to haunted hotels in Rhode Island.
Newport Beach Hotel at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 1 Wave Avenue, Middletown, RI 02842, across from Easton’s Beach
- Opened 1940, built by the Toppa family after the 1938 hurricane; also known as the Inn at Newport Beach; restored and reopened in 2008 with a new Suites Building
- Most haunted spots The bar, the ballrooms and rear function room, the kitchen, the maintenance shop and the Annex units
- Best-known ghosts A girl in a blue dress and gold shoes, a man in a top hat, a kitchen poltergeist called Jester
- Booking the haunted room There is no single haunted room. Book a room in the Historic Building, where the stories are set.
- Good to know Pet-friendly rooms ($50 per pet per night, 50 lb limit, book by phone); check-in from 4 pm; guests must be 18; daily amenity fee includes one car.
The ghosts of Newport Beach Hotel & Suites
The little girl in blue
A ghost story posted on HauntedPlaces by a former staff member says that when the hotel is full of families, a small girl in a bright blue dress and gold shoes can be seen running and laughing in the hallways. If anyone follows her, she slips around a corner and is gone.
Guests have added their own accounts on the same page. One who stayed in Room 228 wrote in 2021 that she woke up saying a little girl had been in the room calling for her daddy.
The man in the top hat
A man in a top hat is the hotel’s most varied ghost. Bartenders say they have seen him peering around the corner at the back of the bar, ducking out of sight when anyone walks over. He has also been described dancing with a woman in an empty ballroom with no music playing.
The strangest story is from an overnight security guard who took calls about a man crying in the rear function room with the lights off. The guard said he found a man sitting in a chair with his face in his hands. Staff connect that sighting to the same figure.
Jester, the kitchen poltergeist
The kitchen staff gave their ghost a name and called it “a nasty little ghost”. Jester is blamed for food thrown off cooking stations, pots and pans slammed together overnight and faucets turned on by morning.
One story has a woman covering the front desk taunt it, saying the place was not scary at all. She said she was pushed forward in her chair and found scratches on her back.
The maintenance prankster
In the maintenance office, tools are said to vanish, sometimes for a day, then turn up again in exactly the place they went missing from. Maintenance crews everywhere lose tools, but here they have given the blame a personality.
The Annex closet
In the Annex units, staff say, a closet door rattles as if someone is pounding on it from the inside, trying to get out. The story is that the Annex stands where a brothel once did, before a hurricane destroyed the original building. The hurricane part fits the record: the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 flattened beach businesses here, and the Toppa family built the present hotel two years later. We have found nothing confirming the brothel, and maintenance usually blames vibration from the air conditioning, which is worth knowing too.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- Historic Building rooms: Queens, kings, two-queen rooms and two-bedroom suites in the original building, where the stories are set. Some rooms are reached only by stairs.
- Beach View rooms: King and two-queen rooms in the Historic Building that look across to Easton’s Beach and the Newport mansions.
- Room 228: Where one guest woke to a little girl calling for her daddy. Ask for it if you like, but it is not sold by number.
- Crew Quarters: A king bed plus a bunk bed in a maritime-themed room, good for families who want the historic side.
History of Newport Beach Hotel & Suites
Easton’s Beach, also called First Beach, is the long curve of sand where Newport’s Cliff Walk begins. The hotel stands in Middletown at One Wave Avenue, directly across the road from it.
On September 21, 1938, the Great New England Hurricane came ashore and destroyed many of the beach hotels and resorts along this coast; many owners never reopened. According to Historic Hotels of America, the Toppa family spent about two years rebuilding, and the hotel that became the Newport Beach Hotel dates to 1940, built in the Colonial Revival style. It has also been known as the Inn at Newport Beach.
The staff stories place a former brothel on the site of the Annex before a hurricane destroyed it. The 1938 storm is a matter of record, but we have not found anything confirming the brothel, so treat it as hotel lore.
After a multi-million dollar renovation the hotel reopened in 2008 with its historic building restored and a new all-suites wing alongside, with an indoor pool, rooftop hot tub and spa. It joined Historic Hotels of America in 2000, and in 2023 it was sold to the Procaccianti Companies, the parent of TPG Hotels and Resorts, keeping the same name.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Book the Historic Building rather than the Suites Building if you want the stories.
- Have a drink at the bar and keep an eye on the corner at the back, where the man in the top hat is said to look out.
- Start the Cliff Walk from the beach across the road at dusk; the mansions are at their most atmospheric as the light goes.
- If you bring a dog, book a pet-friendly room by phone in advance.
- Budget for the daily amenity fee, which includes parking for one car.
Ghost hunts near Newport with Haunted Rooms
Sleeping in a haunted hotel is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through the building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and lets you explore on your own during free roam.
- General Stanton Inn Ghost Hunt and Overnight VIP, Charlestown, RI: Rhode Island’s own Haunted Rooms event: exclusive use of a 1740 inn, vigils and a room for the night.
- Captain Grant's 1754 Inn Ghost Hunt and Sleepover, Preston, CT: Across the Connecticut line: an overnight ghost hunt at Connecticut’s best-known haunted inn.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Hotel Viking, Newport: the phantom party at the top of Bellevue Avenue
- The Outlook Inn, Newport: the former Pilgrim House Inn and its girl at the window
- Castle Hill Inn, Newport: the Agassiz mansion on its own peninsula
- Haunted hotels in Rhode Island
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is Newport Beach Hotel and Suites haunted?
Former staff describe several ghosts in the historic building, in stories posted online: a little girl in a blue dress, a man in a top hat in the bar and ballroom, a kitchen poltergeist called Jester, a maintenance prankster and a rattling closet in the Annex. These are stories, not documented events.
Where is Newport Beach Hotel and Suites?
At 1 Wave Avenue in Middletown, directly across from Easton’s Beach (First Beach) and near the start of Newport’s Cliff Walk.
Who is Jester at Newport Beach Hotel?
Jester is the nickname staff gave a poltergeist blamed for flying plates, banging pots, faucets turning on overnight and laughter in the kitchen vents.
Is Newport Beach Hotel and Suites pet friendly?
Yes, in select rooms. The fee is $50 per pet per night with a 50 pound limit, and pet rooms must be booked by phone.
Which building is haunted at Newport Beach Hotel?
The original Historic Building, including the bar and ballrooms, and the Annex units.
How old is Newport Beach Hotel and Suites?
The Historic Building dates to 1940. The Toppa family built it two years after the 1938 New England hurricane destroyed the beachfront, and it reopened in 2008 after a major renovation that added the Suites Building.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- Newport Beach Hotel and Suites (official site)
- Newport Beach Hotel and Suites: FAQ
- Historic Hotels of America: Newport Beach Hotel and Suites history
- Wikipedia: Newport Beach Hotel & Suites
- HauntedPlaces: Newport Beach Hotel and Suites
Get new haunted hotel guides by email
New guides, haunted hotel picks and ghost hunt dates near you. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
Booking links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.