Exterior view of the Pelham on Earle by the street

Our Story

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The year is 1997… Bill Clinton is president, the first Harry Potter novel is released and James Cameron's Titanic reigns at the box office. But more importantly, at age 52, Bob McCarthy from Melrose, Massachusetts decides to fulfill a lifetime dream. He moves his family to the charming Cape Cod town of Dennis Port, Massachusetts. After liquidating his stake in the Chelsea, Massachusetts-based insurance and real estate company he had built and managed for three decades, Bob finally makes the leap and puts his heart and soul into a new hotel "On the Cape," where he had spent every marvelous summer growing up as a kid. The result was one of the most unique hotels on the Dennis Port waterfront. And as they say, "the rest is history"…

Labor of Love

Bob, with his vast experience and success in real estate and sales, was able to acquire and quickly transform the Pelham House Resort to a coveted vacation hotel and an exclusive wedding destination. In 1998, Bob hosted the Pelham House's first tented wedding on the breathtaking Nantucket Sound. It was a defining affair. The spectacular wedding under the oversized tent perched on the beautiful Cape Cod waterfront bluff adjacent to the Pelham House Resort set the wheels in motion for hundreds more to come thereafter. Bob and his team personally catered every wedding hosted there over the subsequent five years. Embracing the role of "gracious host" with all of his heart and soul, Bob was even spotted cutting the roast at his own son John's wedding in June 2000 at yet another Pelham House affair extraordinaire. In short, hosting premier events and caring for guests with exceptional passion and creativity most certainly became Bob's great "labor of love."

An Exclusive Experience

Over a ten-year span of owning, improving and expanding the Pelham House, Bob created an event and vacation destination that was second to none, both in Dennis, Massachusetts and on Cape Cod. In 2007, Bob sold the hotel to Boston Group Development, after which Bob's son John decided to stay on as the General Manager of this thriving resort. Over the last 12 years, the Pelham House has gone through many additional updates and room renovations. Today, as under Bob's exquisite leadership and vision, Pelham House’s weddings are a staple of this iconic establishment. Bob and his son John were able to envision, create and capture a wedding niche like no other Cape Cod venue by offering an exclusive experience, where wedding groups may have sole use of this magnificent oceanfront resort property for the weekend. We welcome you to explore your own dreams and visions for your event at our timeless, elegant and breath-taking venue.

Car park by flower plants at Pelham on Earle

Restaurant terrace with dining tables at Pelham on Earle

Simply "THE BEST!"

In 2017, Bob McCarthy passed after a long battle with Vascular Dementia. He was valued and remembered by anyone whose path he crossed as "The Best!" Nobody else would do more or make you feel as special or important as Bob did. During the winter of 2018, John McCarthy succeeded in bringing the Pelham House back in the family with help from partners Dennis Leary, Kevin Garcia and Frank Hursey. We are now in the process of realizing Bob's ultimate vision for the Pelham House. Extensive hotel and lobby renovations were completed in May 2019. For the 2020 season, we are in the process of building a new oceanfront wedding venue and rooftop bar, which will make the Pelham House an unequaled destination on Cape Cod. The Pelham House will now have the facilities to match the amazing service that it has had a reputation for providing for decades. Bob McCarthy's legacy lives on through his son John and his staff who ensure that every guest is treated like family and every wedding experience is simply "The Best." Cheers to Bob!