Black-owned Boston hotels and bed and breakfast inns all around. List updated October 2026.
AboutBlackBoston.org · Travel guide
Black-Owned Hotels, Inns & Bed-and-Breakfasts in Massachusetts
A place to rest. A community to discover. Explore Black-owned lodging in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, and plan a Massachusetts visit connected to Black history and culture.
Research reviewed September 29, 2026
Where can you stay?
This guide features four Massachusetts lodging properties supported by ownership reporting and current official hospitality websites—all in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard. Three belong to the same Inkwell Haven family collection. This is a researched shortlist, not a complete statewide census.
Looking specifically in Boston? We have not confirmed a currently Black-owned hotel within Boston city limits for this update. That is a research limitation, not a statement that none exists. Martha’s Vineyard is a separate island destination; plan the ferry or flight portion of your trip before reserving lodging.
Oak Bluffs · Boutique inn
The Oak Bluffs Inn
A Victorian inn on Circuit Avenue with an intimate setting for an island getaway. Its central location puts visitors close to the shops, dining and attractions of Oak Bluffs.
Owners: Rhonda and Erik Albert. The official website identifies them as the current proprietors; travel publications identify the inn as Black-owned.
Address: 64 Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
Telephone: 508-693-7171
Sources: Official ownership page · Parents travel feature
Oak Bluffs · Historic inn
Narragansett House
A historic Oak Bluffs lodging property in the Inkwell Haven collection. Owner Kahina Van Dyke has also made its porch a gathering place for Juneteenth conversations and community celebrations.
Ownership: Kahina Van Dyke’s family-owned Inkwell Haven collection. The official collection website records the acquisition in 2018.
Sources: Official collection website · Ownership reporting · Juneteenth at Narragansett House
Oak Bluffs · Historic cottage lodging
Dunmere by the Sea
Also called Dunmere House or Dunmere Cottage, this property combines island lodging with a significant Black travel legacy. It was listed in the Green Book and later added to the African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard.
Ownership: Kahina Van Dyke’s Inkwell Haven family collection. The official collection website records the acquisition in 2020.
Sources: Official collection website · Ownership and heritage-trail reporting
Oak Bluffs · Beach guest house
Inkwell Beach House
A historic guest house overlooking Inkwell Beach, with a porch facing the water. It offers a setting for enjoying the shoreline and exploring the community’s Black cultural heritage.
Ownership: Kahina Van Dyke’s Inkwell Haven family collection. The official collection website records the acquisition in 2021.
Address: 83 Seaview Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
Collection telephone: 838-245-8830
Sources: Official website and contact information · Inkwell collection ownership reporting
Before you reserve
Contact the property for your travel dates, rates, minimum stays, breakfast arrangements and cancellation terms. For historic inns, ask about stairs, accessible rooms and parking. The Oak Bluffs Inn specifically states that it has no ADA-accessible rooms and that all guest rooms require stairs.
Coordinate island transportation with your lodging dates. For ferry planning, visit the Steamship Authority.
Add Black Boston history to your visit
Pair your Massachusetts getaway with time exploring Boston’s Black heritage. AboutBlackBoston.org helps visitors connect with the people, places and stories behind the city.
Explore Boston tour options
Archive Section. sample 2021 list of Black-owned hotel – Boston area
Breaking News June 24th, 2021 – In the magazine Sweet July, Ayesha Curry’s quarterly lifestyle magazine, she highlights 14 independent Black-owned hotels across America in the article “Black-owned hotels for the ultimate road trip.” MASSACHUSETTS scored in the Top Ten for The Oak Bluffs Inn on Martha’s Vineyard..
The largest Bed & Breakfast at Martha’s Vineyard Ink Well beach, the Black’s beach, is the Dunmere-by-the Sea at 7 Pennacook Avenue. The Dunmere is a stunning Victorian overlooking the Inkwell Beach. In her previous life she was an Inn and featured in the 1964 Green Book as a welcome haven to African Americans vacationers at a time when many hospitality establishments were not an option. Recently, a Black couple took ownership of the property and here’s what they posted on Facebook about it. Oh by the way, it cost $8,000 a week in the Summer and comes with lots of rooms so the bigger your traveling party, the cheaper per room cost will be. Eight K is on the high side even for an Oak Bluff beachfront property. Wecan tell you stories about how to score comfortable rooms for two for $125 – $250 per night in Oak Bluff. Timing is everything and time of year makes a very big difference. The 2021 post pandemic Martha’s Vineyard is at its most expensive lodging price level ever!
Owner’s statement about her space on Oak Bluff she is renting.
“My mission is to honor and preserve this property and this community by creating a place that all feel welcome to gather, connect and restore. A place of kindness. A place of inspiration. A haven. We hope to find you this summer laughing on a porch, closing your eyes inhaling deeply the ocean breeze, or dozing off with the feeling of the sun on your faces or splashing through the strong spirit of the blue ocean. Connecting, restoring, being. Please join us at The Narragansett House or Dunmere by the Sea this summer. We will be waiting for you on the porch. “
Isn’t that nice?
Back in town, Black people are renting their homes as AirBnbs. They are everywhere, in all neighborhoods. Many of the hosts are retired school teachers and professionals. They are in Boston, Cambridge, Hyde Park and Randolph, to name a few location. The more expensive AirBnB are in the North End, the Back Bay and in Cambridge near Harvard and MIT Universities
Hi-quality but cheaper AirBnBs are found in the Neighborhoods of Dorchester, Roxbury, Mission Hill, Hyde Park, Randolph and other, because they are a distance from Downtown Boston but its easy to get to them in your car or by public transportation. Now, we don’t have a comprehensive list of Black AirBnb hosts but we are working on it.
Massachusetts has Black-owned hotels and there is one in Boston that we know of. Many Black homeowners offer AirBnB rentals. The Crosstown Park section of Boston’s South End has a Hampton Inn built by black developers. #buyblack there are hundreds of black-owned hotels in the US.
Shout out to Lee Lewis, Jr. co-founder of iamblackbusiness.com for the referral to the The National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers.
Black-owned hotels in Massachusetts
Hampton Inn & Suites Boston Crosstown Center
Marriott Residence Inn Boston Harbor on Tudor Wharf
Sheraton Colonial Hotel & Golf Club
Food Outlets on on Martha’s Vineyard
The short list of popular Martha’s Vineyard foodie stops
For Oak Bluff foodies
- Back Door Donuts, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday; 7 to 10 p.m. Friday & Saturday: backdoordonuts.com, 508-693-3688
- Bangkok Cuisine, 4 to 10 p.m. daily: bangkokcapecod.com, 508-696-6322
- Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Thursday; noon to 8 p.m. Friday & Saturday: benandbillsmv.com, 508-696-0008
- Big Dipper Ice Cream & Deli, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily: instagram.com/bigdipper.carousel, 508-693-4845
Carousel Ice Cream Factory, open daily at noon: instagram.com/bigdipper.carousel.mv, 508-696-8614 - Island Food Pantry, 2 to 4 p.m. Monday; 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday: islandfoodpantry.org, 508-693-4764
- Juice By the Sea, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday: juicebytheseamv.com, 781-385-0997
Mocha Mott’s, 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.: mochamotts.com, 508-696-1922 - Murdick’s Fudge, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily: murdicks.com, 888-553-8343
- Sea Smoke Barbecue, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday: seasmokemv.com, 508-338-7404
The Sweet Life, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday: sweetlifemv.com, 508-696-0200 - Tony’s Market, deli open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily: tonysmarketmv.com, 508-693-4799
- Vineyard Caribbean Cuisine, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday & Saturday: facebook.com/Vineyard-Caribbean-Cuisine, 508-338-7077
