<p>An investment group from Newport Beach, Calif., is the new owner of the boutique hotel created by businesswoman Maggie White on Upper Main street Edgartown.</p>
Hob Knob Inn, the upscale boutique hotel tucked on Upper Main street Edgartown, is under new ownership.
The hotel owned by Edgartown businesswoman Maggie White was sold last week for $4.9 million to VIC Partners, LLC, a company based in Newport Beach, Calif. The sale closed Nov. 6. The sale price does not include the amount paid for the business, furniture and fixtures. That price is not being disclosed, Ms. White said.
The property was marketed independently with no public asking price.
“We had it on the market for a little over a year and we found terrific buyers from Southern California,” Ms. White told the Gazette Wednesday. She said the buyer is a gentleman with an investment group. “Hob Knob came across his desk and he fell in love with it,” she said.
Two nearby guest houses owned by Hob Knob are still for sale.
VIC Partners invests, owns and operates real estate, primarily lodging properties, the company’s managing partner William D. Booth, Jr. told the Gazette in an email.
“Our long-term strategy is to acquire very good properties and businesses in markets with strong and consistent lodging fundamentals, such as Martha’s Vineyard,” he said. “I see us as long-term owners and we do not have an exit strategy.”
Mr. Booth said the company has hired Vineyard resident Diane Carr as the hotel’s general manager, and he said the company is excited to meet and work with the community.
“Maggie White did a terrific job developing and building this business over the past 20 years,” he said. “It is our intention to continue on with that legacy.”
Ms. White purchased the former Governor Bradford Inn in 1995. The Gothic Revival building dates to the 1900s. After extensive renovations, the Hob Knob opened; the name comes from the initials of Ms. White’s grandmother, Helen Osborne Bruch, and her grandmother’s Ohio estate, located on a hill known as the Knob.
The 17-room inn is described as an eco-chic luxury boutique hotel. When Ms. White moved to the Vineyard she brought cows with her, and they inspired a motif for the hotel and for Hob Knob’s related businesses, Hob Knob Realty and Hob Knob Construction. An abstract wire cow is featured as the inn’s logo.
Ms. White quickly became an Island business leader and was active in the Edgartown Board of Trade, among other things. She said she plans to focus now on her real estate and construction companies.
“It’s certainly bittersweet, but I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time,” Ms. White said. “You get yourself prepared and ready, and it’s time after 20 years to hand the baton to the next generation of Hob Knobbers.”
Ms. White said she took a few keepsakes from the hotel, some gifts given to her over the years — “certainly cow-related” — and some of her family’s things. “Generally speaking the hotel remains fully intact and they intend to manage and run it as they have,” she said. The same staff will continue on under the new ownership, she said.
“It’s a good time of the year to do it, give everybody the winter to get reorganized and ready to relaunch anew in the spring.”

Comments
May I just say it was a very
Jeanne Hunt Bayonne New JerseyMay I just say it was a very wise decision to retain the Hob Nob Staff especially General Manager Diane Carr....She is a rare gem. Good Luck.
If painting services are
Rick Convery Painting, Inc. Edgartown, MAIf painting services are needed the we will make our services available. Www.rickconverypainting.com
Diane Carr, as the General
Barry & Dottie Sullivan Aquinnah, MADiane Carr, as the General Manager of the new Hob Nob is a wise decision. Congratulations!
Since 1993 family has been
Francis Ford Tilton Way, EdgartownSince 1993 family has been lucky enough to have a home two doors down from the Hob Knob (The Gov. Bradford, at the time) on Tilton Way. Maggie White has been a terrific neighbor and a tremendous asset to the island in general and Edgartown in particular. We wish her well and look forward to seeing her on-island for many years to come.
Congrats Maggie!
MARILYN & ALLEN CAMP Ojai, CaliforniaCongrats Maggie!
Has it really been 20 YEARS??
Martha MageeHas it really been 20 YEARS??!!
Wow.
Wishing you all the very best, Maggie.
Thanks for letting me be part of the ride.
All I can say is, MOO.
Martha Magee
;-)
My heartfelt congratulations,
Jo Anne Adair (Dolo) Banning, CaliforniaMy heartfelt congratulations, Maggie. I know the love and effort you put forth and now you will have treasured memories. Wishing you continued good health and happiness.
Wishing all involved, many
Patrick D Workinger Palm Beach.Wishing all involved, many happy successful years to come.
Congrats on selling Hob Nob.
Coco Adams South Ocean Lane 33316Congrats on selling Hob Nob. Having lived for 18 years by Menemsha I rarely visited Edgartown. Now live in Manomet but Ft. Lauderdale in winter.
Add new comment