Houlton Hotels: Where to Stay in Maine

Houlton is the county seat of Aroostook County, Maine, and sits just minutes from the New Brunswick border. The town has a short lodging list. Our guide to hotels in Houlton covers the two main motels, a newly reopened inn, and a campground. We also explain which old listings no longer match what we could find. Rates change often, so we do not quote any. Call each property to confirm details before you book.

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Where to Stay in Houlton, Maine

Hotels in Houlton: The Short List

Houlton is a small border town, not a resort. You will find motels and inns here, not large chain towers. The Maine tourism office lists two lodging properties for the town, Shiretown Inn and Suites and Ivey’s Motor Lodge. The University of Maine regional guide adds two more, the Stardust Motel and the Houlton and Canada Border KOA.

The Stardust Motel has since been rebuilt and renamed. We cover the change below. All four properties sit along North Street, which is also the Route 1 corridor into town.

Ivey’s Motor Lodge

Ivey’s Motor Lodge stands at 241 North Street, Houlton, ME 04730. Call 207-532-4206. The lodge runs its own website, and the Aroostook County tourism site lists the same address and phone number.

Both sources describe a long room list. Choices include one king bed, two queen beds, two full beds, a king room with a whirlpool, and a king accessible room. Larger groups can book a one-bedroom suite with a full kitchen. Every room has free Wi-Fi, a mini fridge, a microwave, and a Roku Smart TV.

Guests get a free breakfast from 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM. The on-site restaurant, Ivey’s Bistro, is open daily from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The lodge also has a guest washer and dryer, a large parking lot, and electric car charging stations.

This is the best fit for trail riders. The lodge states direct access to ATV and snowmobile trails from the property. Check-in time, check-out time, and the pet policy were not listed on the pages we read. Ask the front desk.

Shiretown Inn and Suites

Shiretown Inn and Suites is at 282 North Street, Houlton, ME 04730. Call 207-532-9421. The Maine tourism office, the University of Maine guide, and a local news report all agree on the address and phone number.

The Maine tourism office describes a motel near Route 95 with 50 guest rooms. A 2008 news report counted 57 rooms after a renovation. We could not settle the current room count, so treat both numbers as approximate. The same report says the Gervais family has owned the business since 1950. The property was once called Shiretown Motor Inn and took the Inn and Suites name in 2008.

The listed amenities include a heated indoor pool, a weight room, a health club, and a casual restaurant with a pub. The 2008 report also mentions furnished apartments with full kitchens. We could not confirm whether the apartments still rent today. Ask when you call.

Check-in and check-out times were not posted on the pages we read. Confirm them by phone.

Wolastoq Inn and Suites, the Former Stardust Motel

Older guides list the Stardust Motel at 672 North Street. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians bought the motel in 2021. The tribe rebuilt the 1965 building and reopened the property as Wolastoq Inn and Suites on April 26, 2024. Two news outlets reported the opening, and the tribe lists the inn at 672 North Street on its business page.

Reports describe about ten rooms and suites. Two suites have cooking areas. The rebuild added a fire sprinkler system, accessible rooms, and a filtered HVAC system. The blue and green decor honors the Wolastoq, or St. John River, and the Meduxnekeag River.

We found no phone number for the inn itself. The tribe’s main office line is 207-532-4273. Call the office or visit the inn’s website to ask about rooms. We found no check-in details and no amenity list.

Houlton and Canada Border KOA

Campers have one option inside town limits. The University of Maine guide lists the Houlton and Canada Border KOA at 659 North Street with about 70 sites. The phone number is 207-532-6739. The KOA site says guests can reach ATV trails through the woods from the campground.

We could not confirm the open season. Most campgrounds in northern Maine close for winter, so call before you plan a cold-weather trip.

Old Houlton Listings We Could Not Confirm

Our earlier version of this guide listed a Houlton Ramada, a Crowne Plaza, and two Presque Isle hotels. We removed all four. We found no Ramada or Crowne Plaza in Houlton on any tourism board or council list we checked. The Maine tourism office names only Shiretown and Ivey’s as Houlton hotels.

The Presque Isle properties are in another town. We did not verify them, and we could not source a drive time from Houlton. If you search for Houlton hotels on a booking site, check the town name on each result before you pay.

We also dropped the claim of a restored Queen Anne mansion inn. We found no current listing for a Shiretown mansion inn. The name Shiretown refers to the county seat, and the motel at 282 North Street uses the same word.

Motels in Houlton and Where to Stay Near Market Square

Every motel we confirmed sits along North Street. Market Square is the downtown National Historic District, with tall brick commercial buildings from the town’s boom years. The Temple Theatre on Market Square opened in 1919 and still shows movies. We did not find a sourced distance from each motel to the square, so ask your host for directions.

Houlton Riverfront Park runs along the Meduxnekeag River. A footbridge links the park to Market Square. The Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum stands at 109 Main Street. The museum opened in 1937 and covers local history and art.

If you want a short walk to downtown shops and cafes, ask each motel how far you are from Market Square. Sadie’s Bakery and the Courtyard Cafe are the downtown food stops named by the state tourism office.

How to Choose a Hotel or Motel in Houlton

Pick Ivey’s Motor Lodge if you want breakfast, an on-site bistro, and trail access. Pick Shiretown Inn and Suites if you want a pool and a gym. Pick Wolastoq Inn and Suites if you prefer a rebuilt room in a small property. Pick the KOA if you bring a tent or camper.

Book early for the July 4th weekend. The Houlton Agricultural Fair runs over the holiday weekend. The Meduxnekeag River Canoe Race fills the spring calendar, and the Black Fly Brewfest takes place in May. Small towns with few rooms fill quickly during events.

Call each property and ask three questions. What are the check-in and check-out times? Do you accept pets? Is the pool or breakfast open this season? Our research could not confirm these answers for every property.

Things to Do Near Your Houlton Hotel

Houlton is the southern end of the world’s largest scale model of the Solar System. Pluto sits in Houlton, and the Sun sits inside a University of Maine at Presque Isle building. The planets follow Route 1 for about 40 miles.

The Southern Bangor and Aroostook Trail runs about 37 miles on an old rail bed. Hikers, bikers, snowmobilers, and ATV riders share the trail. The state tourism office describes the trail as relatively flat. The KOA site says the trail is open year-round.

The Meduxnekeag River Trail is a free forest trail of about 3 miles round trip. Motor vehicles are not allowed. New Brunswick is a short drive across the border. Bring your passport or other border documents and check current crossing rules before you go.

The KOA site also lists Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin as hiking destinations for a longer trip. We did not source a drive time, so plan the day trip with a map.

What We Checked and What We Could Not

We checked Ivey’s Motor Lodge against its own site and the Aroostook County tourism listing. We checked Shiretown Inn and Suites against the Maine tourism office, the University of Maine guide, and a local news report. We checked Wolastoq Inn and Suites against two news reports and the tribe’s business page. We checked the KOA against the University of Maine guide and the KOA site.

We did not confirm any rate, check-in time, check-out time, or pet policy. We did not confirm the current room count at Shiretown. We did not confirm a phone number for Wolastoq. Treat these items as open questions and call before you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Hotels in Houlton are few, but you still have real choices. Ivey’s Motor Lodge, Shiretown Inn and Suites, the rebuilt Wolastoq Inn and Suites, and the KOA cover most trips. Call ahead for rates, times, and policies. Then use Market Square, the river trail, and the Solar System model to fill your stay.

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