Real Estate

For Sale: Historic Cottage, 60 Bedrooms

The Village Latch Inn Hotel in Southampton counts Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore among its notable guests.

If you’re looking for a property with architectural provenance and plenty of room for guests you might find the the Village Latch Inn & Hotel on Hill Street in Southampton of interest. The main house is rumored to have been designed by Stanford White, and another house on the property was transported from the old Merrill Lynch estate. 

Marta and Martin White have owned the Latch Inn for the past 40 years. They came to their careers as innkeepers via artistic pursuits: She was a theater director who studied with Stella Adler and he was a lighting designer for television. They met and on their fourth date they decided to buy a house together in the Hamptons. They pooled their joint savings and found they had $10,000 to spend. Their first house cost $18,000 (the previous owner gave them a mortgage for $8,000) and they were off, riding the property boom with great success. They sold their first house for $35,000 and immediately bought a 12 bedroom house for $60,000. That house was across the street from the Latch Inn—which was falling into dilapidation. Marta, who sees everything as a creative problem awaiting her ministrations, was drawn to the idea of refurbishing it and so they found themselves in the role of innkeepers.

“I’m not a business person,” Marta said. “I like the creative element in everything. I see rooms as boxes, similar to designing stage sets.” Marta’s artistic approach to life can be seen in the unique and carefully curated lounges and rooms at the Latch Inn. Each one is filled with figurines, mirrors and one-of-a-kind items from her travels. 

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“I created this life because of my husband,” she said. It was right for us as a team. He's a creative person, he likes to draw, but nude ladies only.”

Today, the main hotel has 20 guest rooms and the additional six buildings combine for another 40 rooms. The property is on five acres with shady sitting areas, a heated pool and tennis courts. A zoning variance is pending to increase the rooms to 76. Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, among many other famous guests, have spent the night.

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The asking price for the property and business is $23 million. “I first saw it when it was a deserted white elephant,” Marta said. “I saw the potential. I’ve never done anything for money and when people say put a price on the Inn I say put a high price on it. I’ve worked for everything I have and the Latch is what I did. I gave it 40 years. It’s priceless to me.”

The property is available through Esther Paster at Douglas Elliman. The listing can be seen online


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