“We’re committed to this land and property. We love it and believe in it. We love that people can come and be immersed in nature; guests can hike and come back, sit by the fire, and have the ultimate relaxing nature experience with sublime dining. If they’re coming from the city, they can return rejuvenated.”—Casey Rothstein-Fitzpatrick, “director of vibe control” at Race Brook Lodge
Located at the foot of Mount Race in Sheffield, Massachusetts, Race Brook Lodge offers lodging, dining, live music, weddings, wellness and yoga retreats, family gatherings, and corporate events. Outside are hiking trails with terrific views from the top of Race Brook Falls and access to the Appalachian Trail. Across the brook is a farm garden that (from spring to fall) grows much of the produce for the on-site restaurant, The Stagecoach Tavern—named for its history as a watering hole for weary travelers along the Hartford-Albany stagecoach route.
This combination of nature, history, community engagement, and farm-to-fork food epitomizes what makes the Berkshires unique.
The modern iteration of the Lodge was started in 1990 by “Captain” David Rothstein, who had deep roots in the Berkshires. An architect who studied at Yale and worked for Louis Kahn, Rothstein had always been interested in music and inviting spaces. In 1967, he and some business partners bought the legendary Music Inn in Lenox, known for hosting the preeminent jazz musicians of the 1950s, and turned it into a hotbed of 1970s counterculture, booking notable artists such as Jackson Brown, Arlo Guthrie, and Emmy Lou Harris.
A decade after purchasing the circa-1750 Race Brook Lodge buildings, Rothstein acquired the Coach House and Tavern property and has been caring for the 100-acre compound ever since.
Passing the torch to a new generation
Today, proprietor Casey Meade Rothstein-Fitzpatrick (his mother is Nancy Fitzpatrick, co-founder of Main Street Hospitality and retired owner of the Red Lion Inn) continues the family business and tradition.
“I took over management of the hospitality operations and stewardship of the property in 2014. I am passionate about hospitality,” Rothstein-Fitzpatrick says, adding that the particular circumstances of the Race Brook Lodge property and facilities were attractive for its proximity to great hiking trails, forests, and waterfalls. “Hotel guests and groups can very easily immerse themselves in nature.”
Pointing to the event barn and other gathering spaces, he says he was “interested in the potential for curating cultural events and other interactive programs and gatherings of all kinds. These two elements keep me inspired and devoted to this property moving forward.”
Although Rothstein-Fitzpatrick has been immersed in the hospitality business since he was a child, he had been immersed in documentary film and event production and non-profit management prior to 2014—gaining skills that apply to his new role.
In terms of initial funding, Rothstein-Fitzpatrick continues the legacy his father started. “My father and brother purchased the property in pieces between 1990 and 2000 with funds from other property sales and bank loans. I have continued to invest on a small scale over the last nine years. We are currently embarking on an effort to raise capital through additional investments from our community of returning guests and other friends of Race Brook Lodge to make more significant upgrades to the property,” he shares.
He has also continued the mission, which “has always been to provide an opportunity for guests to gather in an environment conducive to relaxation and creative collaboration, with an emphasis on cultural events, healing workshops, and cultivating community,” he explains.
Stewarding a historic property is an ongoing challenge. “It always needs a lot of maintenance,” Rothstein-Fitzpatric notes. “Finding great staff, particularly on the management level, has also been very challenging.” Currently, Race Brook Lodge has between 15 to 25 employees, including full-time, part-time, and seasonal staff.
“The pandemic and the post-pandemic period was a very stressful roller coaster,” he notes. “At first, of course, the business really suffered due to lockdowns and a precipitous drop in travel in 2020. Then, in 2021 and 2022, demand was strong, but finding the staff that we needed was impossible. On the positive side, a lot of new guests discovered Race Brook Lodge during that time, and we made many physical and logistical improvements to the operation.”
Evolving and expanding the business
Rothstein-Fitzpatrick says they continue to improve the facilities and refine the practices and services offered to guests to increase occupancy in a more competitive market. Having a wellness director and Ayurvedic practitioner (Saadia Khan) on the team is one such distinguishing asset, as are the Lodge’s yoga and wellness retreats.
Regarding their value-proposition uniqueness, he says, “Race Brook Lodge’s direct access to nature, cultural programming, and authentic rustic yet comfortable hospitality make it a one-of-a-kind diamond in the rough.”
The Stagecoach Tavern is another draw. The handsome eatery retains its historic charm, with hand-hewn beams, wide-plank floors, intimate private dining rooms, and cozy fireside tables. There’s also an outdoor courtyard for warmer months. With a nod to traditional (hearty) tavern fare, the new executive chef, Andrew Jalbert (who started in May 2023), focuses on sourcing seasonal ingredients from area farmers and using creative flavors from across the globe. Here, you’ll also find inventive vegetarian and gluten-free options. (It is currently open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays; click here to view the changing menu.)
Rothstein-Fitzpatrick notes that they attract new business via social media and online searches, and describes success as “mainly defined by the positive reactions of guests who come to stay, dine, enjoy a performance, or participate in a group retreat on the property. A positive bottom line and good staff morale are also essential.”
On being engaged with the community
Community involvement is integral to the Race Brook Lodge ethos. “We are always open to supporting local organizations by hosting benefits and supporting the community in different ways,” Rothstein-Fitpatrick says.
For example, Race Brook Lodge recently began offering a Campfire & Creative Kid’s Club on eight Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., January 17th through March 6th. Melanie Williams, a dedicated early childhood professional, runs the program, packing the time with games and creative activities—starting with an hour of running around the barn—and enlisting local artists to participate. One upcoming session (March 8) is a collaborative STEAM workshop with The Flying Cloud Institute. (Parents are welcome to stay or to drop off the kids and enjoy an afternoon hike or a relaxing dinner in the Tavern.)
“We would like to be more and more active in the community, but often immediate business priorities take up a lot of bandwidth and make it difficult to do more,” Rothstein-Fitzpatrick confides.
One of the biggest priorities goes back to the staffing issue, especially as the area’s cost of living has increased dramatically. “It’s so hard for people to find housing here,” he says.
The seasonal nature of the market is another issue, but he says they have learned to adapt to it over time. “We are cultivating Race Brook Lodge as a year-round destination so we are not so tied to that cycle. Still, more people generally come out in the summer and fall, and that’s ok,” Rothstein-Fitzpatrick says.
He continues, “As a hotel, we attract a large number of customers from out of town. However, our restaurant and cultural and community programming has been attracting more locals every year.” On that point, he says they are excited to expand their offerings and curate additional experiences with an eye to unique bookings—including movie nights, “Music Inn Meetups,” and dance parties.
“We love presenting live music and performance events in our barn and other spaces on the property. Since we are primarily a hotel and restaurant, we can leverage our hospitality facilities to bring in artists normally playing in larger venues. I’m looking forward to offering more intimate concert experiences with well-known artists.”
According to Rothstein-Fitzpatrick, another important aim is to align the operation with their values and principles. “This means renovating our HVAC and other infrastructure to become more efficient and reduce our carbon footprint, and also finding ways to make our facilities available to NGOs [non-govermental organizations in the nonprofit sector] and other groups who are doing important work in the fields of social justice, climate change, and mental health,” he adds.
One such collaboration is with Mumbet’s Freedom Farm, a self-described “Black- and Brown femme-led farm and community sanctuary” named in honor of Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman, the first formerly enslaved person to be freed in Massachusetts. “They produce food for our culinary operation, and we work with them to develop the menu,” Rothstein-Fitzpatrick notes, adding that this year, they are also serving eggs from the Lodge’s chickens for guests at breakfast.
Looking back and to the future
When asked if, in hindsight, he would have done anything differently, Rothstein-Fitzpatrick responds, “It’s hard to say. We have tried a lot of different things over the years. Some things worked, and some things didn’t. If they didn’t, it wasn’t always because it was a bad idea. Luck plays a big part, as well as the people on the team at any given time.”
And what about the inevitable question of succession planning for family-run businesses? “We are currently in a kind of succession process as I have reaffirmed my commitment to the business, and some other family members want to move on,” he comments. “We are bringing in new partners and investing in the property. The next five to ten years are vital. We’ll see where things stand then. My daughters are very young, and we don’t know if they will be interested in carrying the business forward.”
That said, he is prepared to carry on the family legacy. “We will never lose the authentic, rustic, laid-back style and essence of the experience at Race Brook Lodge. Even as we make renovations, we will still keep things a little rough around the edges as we find it puts guests at ease and creates a very unique combination of a relaxed environment with sophisticated facilities and hospitality services,” Rothstein-Fitzpatrick says.
“We’re committed to this land and property,” he adds. “We love it and believe in it. We love that people can come and be immersed in nature; guests can hike and come back, sit by the fire, and have the ultimate relaxing nature experience with sublime dining. If they’re coming from the city, they can return rejuvenated.”
Can’t wait for spring? Come for “An Almost Spring Weekender,” from Friday, March 8, at 8:00 p.m. through Sunday, March 10, at 10:00 a.m. Here’s the promo: “You need to dance. Be outside. Stand around a fire or soak in a sauna. Climb a mountain peak. Jump in a waterfall. Join us at Race Brook Lodge in the Berkshires for all or part of this thing.”
