The Grand Summit Hotel

908-273-3000

The Grand Summit, a historic boutique hotel where old school meets new school….

The Blackburn House, Summit, N

The Grand Summit Hotel is unique; unlike the Hilton and Hyatt Hotel chains you will find minutes away near the Short Hills Mall. Our storied history will help you understand why discerning travelers like you appreciate our boutique hotel.

The year was 1868, one of classic elegance, horse-drawn carriages, gas lamps, and top hats, and the early beginnings of The Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, New Jersey.

The “Hill City” was the embodiment of late 1860’s gentility, made famous as a gracious resort area. New Yorkers flocked to Summit for its beautiful rural charm, “pureness of atmosphere”, and “salubrious climate and pure water supply.”

As the Summit Suburban Hotel in 1929

At the heart of this idyllic setting lay The Blackburn House, an elegant country resort. In season, a picturesque parade of horses and buggies would be seen carrying hotel patrons and their servants from the nearby Lackawanna Railroad Station – the “Road of Anthracite” to The Blackburn House.

The Blackburn House offered amenities such as a bowling green, tennis courts, a casino, rambling wooden verandahs, and cuisine noted to be “the best obtainable”.

Many wealthy guests so enamored with the area eventually relocated here, building mansions and giving rise to Summit’s legendary high society and a reputation as the “Newport of New Jersey”.

In 1929, as a result of the growing number of visits to Summit, the Summit Suburban Hotel as it was originally known was erected on the site of the original Blackburn House. Expert European craftsmen were commissioned to design the intricate exterior brickwork reminiscent of a classic Tudor mansion. The original interior lobby featuring vaulted beamed ceiling, gold leaf detailing, chestnut woodwork, and stone fireplace have been restored and maintained throughout the years.

The new Summit Suburban Hotel was opened just months before the 1929 stock market crash, and many of the wealthy residents who lost their homes and estates now called the hotel their home moving in with their family and staff.

The Summit Suburban Hotel continued as the home of celebrated lifestyle frequented by prominent politicians and celebrities who were drawn to the park-like setting, convenient proximity to cultural and recreational attractions, charming downtown Summit, and easy access to Manhattan.

Today The Grand Summit continues to exude its classic styling while offering innovative and progressive services and amenities. Family owned and operated The Grand Summit believes in collaboration with our friends and neighbors, as well as the reinvention of the American economy by working with local artists, craftsman, food artisans and coffee roasters. Many of the art pieces in the hotel, were created by local Artists and are offered for sale with a percentage of the proceeds being donated to the Reeves-Reed Arboretum.

Find out why our clients include such notable guests, speakers, such as Doris Kearns Goodwin, William Forsythe, Carolyn Kepcher, Diane Sawyer, Martha MacCallum, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Dan Dierdorf, DeAndre’ Bembry, Rex Ryan, Buddy Ryan, Phil Michelson, Daryl Dawkins, Keith Van Horn, Dave Schultz, Joe Nolan, Gary Papa, Matthew Stafford, Jim McGreevy, Jon Corzine, Christie Todd Whitman, Chris Christie, Jim Cramer, Willie Wilson, Danny Stubbs, Eli Manning, Glenn Anderson, Douglas Rodriguez, Craig Shelton, Giada De Laurentiis, Jose Garces and others.

We are a one of a kind boutique hotel offering an alternative guest experience.