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The Bow Hotel

4.0 star property

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Photo gallery for The Bow Hotel

Beach
King Studio Suite | Premium bedding, memory foam beds, desk, iron/ironing board
City view from property
Exterior
Exterior

Reviews

8.6 out of 10
Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning
$136
includes taxes & fees
Jan 4 - Jan 5, 2026

Explore the area

View in a map
121 Bow Street, Portsmouth, NH, 03801
  • Place, Market Square
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Place, Strawbery Banke Museum
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, The Music Hall
    ‪5 min walk‬
  • Airport, Portsmouth, NH (PSM-Portsmouth Intl.)
    ‪9 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Petite Queen

Premium bedding, memory foam beds, desk, iron/ironing board

Petite Queen

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful
(17 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Gallery Queen

Premium bedding, memory foam beds, desk, iron/ironing board

Gallery Queen

8.6 out of 10
Excellent
(28 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for King Studio Suite

King Studio Suite | Premium bedding, memory foam beds, desk, iron/ironing board

King Studio Suite

8.8 out of 10
Excellent
(6 reviews)
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 King Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed

View all photos for Gallery King

Gallery King | Premium bedding, memory foam beds, desk, iron/ironing board

Gallery King

8.6 out of 10
Excellent
(11 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

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About this property

The Bow Hotel

4-star hotel in Downtown
Along with concierge services, this hotel has express check-in and free WiFi in public areas. Housekeeping is available on request.
The Bow Hotel offers 10 air-conditioned accommodations with bathrobes and designer toiletries. Memory foam beds feature premium bedding. 32-inch flat-screen televisions come with cable channels.

Bathrooms include shower/tub combinations, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Housekeeping is offered on request and hypo-allergenic bedding can be requested.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
The Bow Hotel features concierge services and express check-in. Public areas are equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access.

The Bow Hotel has designated areas for smoking.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Offsite parking available (USD 35 per night)
  • Limited onsite parking (max 1 space per unit)

Things to do

  • Bicycle rentals

Conveniences

  • Luggage storage
  • Virtual front desk

Guest services

  • Concierge services
  • Housekeeping (on request)

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • 15 steps to reach entrance
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only

More

  • Built in 1880
  • Designated smoking areas

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Hypo-allergenic bedding
  • Memory foam mattress
  • Premium bedding

Bathroom

  • Bathrobes
  • Designer toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Shower/bathtub combination
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • 32-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Desk
  • Heating (climate-controlled)
  • Iron/ironing board

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 4:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime
Express check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 21

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM
Late check-out subject to availability
A late check-out fee will be charged

Special check-in instructions

There is no front desk at this property
Guests will receive an email within 24 hours before arrival with check-in instructions and an access code; access will be through a private entrance
A virtual front desk provides assistance to guests
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Access code, private entrance

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Nearby parking fee: USD 35 per night (49 ft away)
  • Late check-out is available for a fee (subject to availability)

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, and a first aid kit

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly)

Property is also known as

Ale House Inn Portsmouth
Ale House Inn
Ale House Portsmouth
Ale House Hotel Portsmouth
Ale House Inn
The Bow Hotel Hotel
The Bow Hotel Portsmouth
The Bow Hotel Hotel Portsmouth

The Bow Hotel Reviews

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 272 out of 503 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 135 out of 503 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 59 out of 503 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 20 out of 503 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 17 out of 503 reviews

9.2/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Lisa

Disliked: Staff & service
We are an older couple and this property doesn’t have people on site for anything. You have to download an app to get in, all questions are via text. Having said that, we did have a few glitches but we were able to solve most of them through this method. The TV didn’t really work. It kept “freezing” and tiling…. Too hard to actually watch. The hotel is in a premium location. We were able to walk everywhere …that was great as parking is a premium here. Overall, our stay was good, but we were a little stressed when we found out it was all virtual. If they told us when we booked, I sure missed it. Maybe this is the style of the future. I hope not. Book for the location, but be ready to use your smartphone.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Amanda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect location, right next to the water and downtown. Our rom was really comfortable and clearly updated with new furniture and textiles. I wish they had mentioned there was no elevator to the main floor from the street and that we had to pay for parking. I thought it was included due to the wording they used.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Kelly

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Sam

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Neil

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

Timothy

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Did not like check in procedure. Requires internet connection which is not guaranteed. Downloading the app took more than 15 mins without WiFi.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

donald

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
A+
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Patrick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Cynthia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great location for exploring historic Portsmouth

Great location for exploring historic Portsmouth. Room was clean and modern, but had a funky layout (shower and toilet in a small, separate area, with tiny sink area outside right next to entry door). Check-in was entirely online with no reception area, which wasn't made clear in communications; I called a number shown at the front door (open only with a key code) and a receptionist walked me through the process. Front door was up an outside flight of steps--not accessible. Small common area with coffee machine (which wasn't working) and ice; pantry with drinks and snacks available for purchase on the honor system. Very close to restaurants, shops, bars and the waterfront.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

2/10 Terrible

Mercedes

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

Christina

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The room was clean and contemporary, but very small. There was central air but our room was still quite warm making it difficult to sleep. The hotel offered use of bikes and helmets which we would have used if weather permitted, but we took full advantage of the hotel umbrellas. Much appreciated! My biggest complaint is that there was a lot of noise. Lots of doors slamming and I was woken up at 1:15 by very loud talking and laughing in the hallway. The rooms are not sound proof at all. I did enjoy its location; it was a quick walk to numerous restaurants, bars, shops, and the park. There is also a theater on the ground floor of the hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Anita

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great Location, comfortable beds, spacious rooms.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ina, Farmington

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Bobbi

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Francesca

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
On the plus side, the location is good and you can walk everywhere. Decor was nice. The rest wasn't great for us. The room had a window at most 10-11 inches across and maybe 3 feet high, up toward the ceiling like in a movie prison cell. It was dark and depressing. The towels and floor had long brown hairs on them, with clumps of it under the desk, so no kudos on the cleaning. The room was freezing and no way to control the AC. Staff was responsive by text, but they are offsite so you never see a person. No lobby, no grounds. All in all a weird experience, and we stayed out of the room as much as possible. If refundable, would have looked for another option.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Rusty

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Disliked: Staff & service
They contacted me on multiple occasions to see if there was anything I needed. Each time, I told them the internet was out, and the television did not work. Each time, they promised get back to me. They never got back to me even to say it could not be fixed. However, they continued to send automated messages asking if there was anything I needed.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Debra

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

michael

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
It was super convenient to everything in town and very comfortable.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Amanda

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

Ty

Not really full service hotel but great location.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Nancy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Johnathan

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My wife and I loved our stay here at the Bow. We enjoyed the location and its proximity to all the shopping and restaurants near by. The room is spacious with beautiful decor. The only thing to be aware of is that noise travels very easily in this establishment, other than that I would recommend staying here.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

justin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Miriam

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Cinderella Musical Show.

It was a very convenient hotel, close to restaurants, shopping, Theatre and much more.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025