Shortly after Claire Collery purchased the Apple Tree Inn in April 2024, the telephone calls and the casual drop-ins from curious locals began. And they all seemed to have the same question: When would the Ostrich Room be back open? Yes, it’s a stunning late-Victorian 22-acre property, perched on a hill across from Tanglewood, with manicured grounds and finely appointed rooms. But what about the bar?
The inn’s previous owners, James and Maxwell Khagan, had put the property on the market last year, after owning it for just two years. While reviews of the lodging under their ownership were mixed, the Ostrich Room attracted a loyal local following. “A lot of love went into that room,” says Collery. Think cocktail lounge meets billiards room in an English manor house. There’s lots of leather, carved dark wood, and a chandelier made with real ostrich eggs (hence the name)—a cozy den featuring great craft cocktails and an eclectic assortment of live music. And Collery is bringing it all back. When we spoke at the end of May, she had just hired two bartenders and was planning a soft opening in the beginning of June.
But, of course, there’s more to Apple Tree than the bar. Stepping into the role of innkeeper is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Collery, who spent summers working at the tony Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod. “I fell in love with the industry,” she says. She went on to work at Rosewood Hotels and Starwood Capital Group. “It was important for me to really understand the business and learn from the best of the best, but my dream was always to have my own place,” Collery says. At the end of last year, she quit her job and began looking at properties, first on the Cape. Prices were “insane,” so she broadened her search to include the Berkshires, which she had visited with her husband, Toph Tucker.
Apple Tree Inn was one of the first properties she looked at and it immediately struck a chord. “I fell in love with it and I had my mom come out in December and do a gut check,” Collery says. The inn passed the mom test and Collery, undaunted by the inn’s somewhat troubled past, decided to move forward. “I felt the fundamentals were good,” she says. “It’s the only hotel that’s walking distance to Tanglewood and I think the views are better than almost any other hotel in the Berkshires.” She hopes to “bring a young energy to old-school hospitality.”
The inn has been hosting guests on weekends and will open its rooms—both at the main property and an adjacent, more modern building—seven days a week when the Tanglewood season begins. For the time being, the Ostrich Room will offer a full bar and snacks; Collery plans to offer a more extensive menu as soon as she hires kitchen help. And, yes, there will be music!
Apple Tree Inn
10 Richmond Mountain Rd.
Lenox
413-200-8456
appletreeinnlenox.com
