Hotel Design

Our Salem hotel’s interior design is a key part of the guest experience at The Merchant. It's lavish — yet distinctly Salem. Our interior designer, the incomparable Rachel Reider, and her team drew inspiration from the property’s original wealthy sea merchant owner and the town’s shipping port history to infuse the hotel with a sense of mystery and charm from the days when Salem was a maritime powerhouse — importing molasses for rum, spices such as the widely popular Sumatran pepper, and (perhaps) looted artifacts from the East Indies.

Reider incorporated this feel into the design with gray/blues, rich reds, dark purples, and deep emerald greens mixed with Asian accents to lend an elegant and luxurious feel. Custom artwork and distinctive furnishings embrace the import/export history of original owner, Joshua Ward. Relax and luxuriate in our first-floor guest lounge where you will be enveloped by walls hand-painted by Massachusetts-based artist Pauline Curtiss of Patina Designs. Restored wainscoting, paneling, and the stunning “floating” staircases are the work of noted 18th Century architect, Samuel McIntire and our decadently restored and repainted original woodwork is now featured in Fine Paints of Europe's published brochure.