Rochambeau Roadside Inn
929 Capitol Landing Road
Williamsburg, VA
The motel built on land the Bryhns sold to the Rockefellers for Colonial Williamsburg.
About Rochambeau Roadside Inn
The land at 929 Capitol Landing Road has a specific origin story in Williamsburg. In the 1930s, the Bryhn family sold their home to the Rockefellers, whose foundation was acquiring properties throughout the historic district to reconstruct Colonial Williamsburg. George Bryhn took the proceeds and bought a parcel just outside the preserved zone. His son Howard opened the Rochambeau Motel in 1954, named for the French general who marched through Williamsburg on his way to Yorktown in 1781. Robert F. Kennedy stayed at the Rochambeau during the 1960 presidential campaign. The Bryhn family ran it for nearly 70 years. Lyle Schiavone, a Williamsburg native, bought it in 2023 and undertook a comprehensive renovation with his sister Anna as Creative Director.
What Rochambeau Roadside Inn Is Known For
The Rochambeau is the rare property whose story is not a renovation narrative but a continuity narrative: same land, same purpose, same Williamsburg address. The Bryhn family sold their home to help fund the preservation of Colonial Williamsburg, bought the land next door, and opened a motel so travelers could stay near the thing they helped save. That chain of events is not a marketing angle the Schiavone siblings invented. It is what actually happened. Lyle Schiavone, a local who watched this building his entire life, bought it in 2023 because he believed it was worth saving. The physical place and the story behind it are inseparable here, and that is what separates a Boutel from a well-renovated motel.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- EV Charging
- WiFi
- Fire pit with s'mores kits
- Mattresses handcrafted in Norfolk VA by Paramount Sleep
- Complimentary bicycles
- EV charging ports
- Contactless check-in
- Various indoor and outdoor gathering areas
- Ice machine and water bottle fill station
- Drinks, snacks, and merch available when staffed
What Guests Love
- Free light breakfast on weekends (only). Call to verify.
- Mattresses are hand-crafted in Norfolk, VA by Paramount Sleep, a sourcing decision guests notice, contributing to the specific praise about sleep quality that appears consistently in reviews.
- The 2025 renovation covered vaulted ceilings, hand-crafted furnishings, locally sourced Virginia artwork, and a full interior overhaul across all rooms. Post-reopening guest response has been consistently strong.
- Bunk rooms and the General's Quarters with private patio space and extend the property well beyond standard motel configurations, making it work equally well for families, couples, and small groups.
Worth Knowing
- Two recent guests mention HVAC noise. Light sleepers may want to request room placement away from the unit when booking.
- General's Quarters requires a 2-night minimum stay.
- Light continental breakfast available weekends only, not included on weekday stays.
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
Rooms in several configurations, all with private exterior entrances and parking directly outside each door. Standard rooms offer king or double-bed options, tiled walk-in showers, ceiling fans, individual climate control, 32-inch TVs, mini fridges, and in-room safes. The mattresses are hand-crafted in Norfolk, Virginia by Paramount Sleep: a deliberate sourcing decision that shows up in how guests describe sleeping here. The hand-crafted bunk rooms accommodate a small group, with a full-size bunk over a queen below, built from scratch rather than sourced from a catalog. The General's Quarters is the inn's anchor room: king bed, living room with fold-down sofa queen, kitchenette with microwave, private patio, and a TV. It requires a two-night minimum stay. A family suite connects a bunk room and a king room through an interior passage, each side with its own ensuite bathroom.
The Grounds
The Rochambeau sits on its original 1954 footprint: a single-story motor lodge with exterior corridors and parking directly in front of each room. Arrive, park, walk to your door. The fire pit is the social anchor of the grounds, with s'mores kits available for guests. The exterior retained the original motel bones while applying the same considered sensibility as the interiors: signage, landscaping, and the approach to the site all feel like a renovation that respected what the building was, not one that tried to replace it. The property is quiet and residential in character, with the Colonial Williamsburg historic district beginning less than 1.5 miles down Capitol Landing Road.
The Experience
Staying at the Rochambeau is a specific kind of Williamsburg trip. Park in front of your door, light a fire at the pit, and orient yourself to a city that contains more documented American history per square mile than almost anywhere else in the country. Colonial Williamsburg's historic area is 1.5 miles away. The Colonial Parkway, one of the most scenic drives on the East Coast, connects Williamsburg to Jamestown and Yorktown along a protected corridor. In the evenings the property is quiet and contained: the fire pit, the s'mores kit, the Paramount Sleep mattress waiting in a room that did not exist in this form a year ago. There is no hotel in Williamsburg with a comparable address story. Guests at the Rochambeau are sleeping on land that was part of the Rockefeller preservation purchase before it was not, in a building that Howard Bryhn opened in 1954 and his family ran until Lyle Schiavone took it over. That is a specific kind of context for a Williamsburg stay that no larger hotel on the strip can offer.
Details
Williamsburg, VA 23185
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rochambeau Roadside Inn have EV charging?
Yes, Rochambeau Roadside Inn has EV charging on site.
Does Rochambeau Roadside Inn have WiFi?
Yes, Rochambeau Roadside Inn has WiFi.
What is there to do near Rochambeau Roadside Inn?
Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area: 1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there. Busch Gardens Williamsburg: 5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there. Yorktown Battlefield: 10 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
How far is Rochambeau Roadside Inn from Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area?
1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
How far is Rochambeau Roadside Inn from Busch Gardens Williamsburg?
5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.
How far is Rochambeau Roadside Inn from Yorktown Battlefield?
10 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
Is Rochambeau Roadside Inn pet friendly?
Yes. Rochambeau Roadside Inn welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
How far is Rochambeau Roadside Inn from Colonial Williamsburg?
The inn is approximately 1.5 miles from Colonial Williamsburg's historic district, about a 5-minute drive or a short bike ride. The Colonial Parkway, which connects Williamsburg to Jamestown and Yorktown along a protected scenic corridor, begins nearby.
What is the history of Rochambeau Roadside Inn?
The Rochambeau was built in 1954 on land purchased by the Bryhn family using proceeds from selling their home to the Rockefellers for Colonial Williamsburg's preservation. Howard Bryhn opened the motel that year and named it after the French general who marched through Williamsburg en route to Yorktown in 1781. Robert F. Kennedy stayed here during the 1960 presidential campaign. The Bryhn family ran the property for nearly 70 years before selling to Lyle Schiavone in 2023.
What is the General's Quarters at Rochambeau Roadside Inn?
The General's Quarters is a 470-square-foot suite with a king bedroom, a living room with fold-down sofa queen, kitchenette with microwave, and a private patio. It requires a 2-night minimum stay.
What room types does Rochambeau Roadside Inn offer?
The inn offers configurations: king room, Classic Double (dog-friendly), hand-crafted Bunk Rooms, the General's Quarters suite with a private patio, and a Family Suite with two connected rooms each with a private ensuite bathroom.
What is the fire pit experience at Rochambeau Roadside Inn?
The fire pit is the primary outdoor gathering space at the inn. S'mores kits are provided for guests. On cool evenings the fire pit draws guests together in the way the classic motor court's shared courtyard was designed to do, which most renovations have lost. At the Rochambeau it is preserved as the social center of the property.
Does Rochambeau Roadside Inn have a pool?
No, there is no on-site pool. The fire pit is the primary outdoor gathering space, with s'mores kits available for guests.
What is Williamsburg worth doing beyond Colonial Williamsburg?
The Historic Triangle of Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement, and Yorktown Battlefield is the core, but the surrounding area has more. The College of William and Mary campus, founded in 1693, is a short walk from the inn. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is 4 miles east. The independent restaurant and brewery scene along Richmond Road has grown substantially in the last decade and is worth a dedicated evening.
Is parking available at Rochambeau Roadside Inn?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at Rochambeau Roadside Inn.
Does Rochambeau Roadside Inn include breakfast?
No. Breakfast is not included at Rochambeau Roadside Inn.
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Things to Do Near Historic Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area
1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
The 301-acre living history museum at the heart of Colonial Williamsburg, with original 18th-century structures, costumed interpreters, and the Governor's Palace -- the most extensively reconstructed colonial American landscape in existence, about 1.5 miles from the inn.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.
One of the most acclaimed theme parks in the country, built across rolling Virginia hills and organized around European villages. About 5 miles from the inn and consistently rated among the most beautiful theme park settings in North America.
Yorktown Battlefield
10 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
The site of the last major battle of the American Revolution, where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in 1781. Part of Colonial National Historical Park, about 10 miles from the inn along the Colonial Parkway -- one of the most scenic drives on the East Coast.