Historic hotels

I am very blessed to be married to a man who loves history as much as I do. We have spent many wonderful hours traipsing around historical sites, perusing museums, and touring old homes. And we love them all. But in the past few years we have come to discover another love: staying in historic hotels.

Yes, we’ve also stayed in historic homes turned Bed and Breakfast or Airbnb, but it’s something different to stay in a building that was built and used as a hotel from the beginning. Many such hotels are as pricey to stay in now as they were in those late 19th and early 20th century years, but we’ve been fortunate to get to experience some due to my husband’s business meetings—or chosen them when we had credits from all his travel. It is always special to spend a few days in a hotel that is 75-100+ years old.

Why do we enjoy history over luxury (although admittedly, sometimes we get both!)? For one thing, there is usually a uniqueness to each room. No uniform squares as in modern construction, given that old hotels had to be reconfigured to give each room its own bathroom.. And even if the ceilings are low or the bathrooms or closets cramped, there is a certain affinity with past guests which makes us happy to be there anyway.

Then there are the public spaces in these grand old ladies, usually quite generous and kept in a style at least reminiscent of its heyday. We like to sit in those spaces and read. Or try to. Mostly I end up watching the people, imagining them coming and going in various historical time periods.

So in case you find yourself planning a special vacation or getting to choose a place to stay on a business trip, I thought I’d share some of our favorite historic hotels—in no particular order.

The Algonquin Hotel — New York City

Combining history with literary figures makes this one of our all time favorites. We splurged on our trip in 2007 when we celebrated my 40th birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary. It’s still one of our best trips ever.

The Del Coronado Hotel — Coronado Island, California

We have visited San Deigo and Coronado many times through the years and always wanted to stay at the Del. This year we did! We ran away for a vacation over Christmas (since we spent Thanksgiving with all our kids and wouldn’t be able to be with them at Christmas) and due to a great special they were running, we made our dream happen—opting, of course, to stay in a room in the original Victorian-era building.

The Mayflower Hotel — Washington, D.C.

My husband attends a conference here almost every year and we love going back time and time again. Beyond the history of notable figures who have stayed in the hotel (and yes, this is the one of the Mayflower Madam fame!), we love the sitting in the mezzanine and watching the lobby comings and goings. And the location is great, too!

Mountain View Grand Resort — Whitefield, NH

We discovered this gem in their “off” season early one spring. We practically had the place to ourselves! Wide porches overlook the White Mountains with hiking trails all around. It even had a designated “library” room with large windows—which is, of course, where we often chose to read!

Hotel Monteleone — New Orleans, LA

As elegant and ornate as you would expect an old New Orleans hotel in the heart of the city to be. And the view of the city from the upper floors is fabulous!

Belmond Charleston Place — Charleston, SC

Such an amazing lobby with a grand staircase and right near the historic areas along the waterfront. Luxury meets history in these spacious rooms.

Francis Marion Hotel — Charleston, SC

Another grand Southern lady. Our room was much smaller here than at the Belmond, but the public spaces in the Francis Marion were awesome—and beautifully decorated for Christmas when we were there in late November!

The Broadmoor — Colorado Springs, CO

Such an amazing place! We have never actually stayed in the rooms in the original part of the hotel, but there is so much history throughout the hotel and grounds that it hasn’t seemed to matter.

The Breakers — Palm Beach, FL

When business brought my husband to this hotel without me, he said if he ever had meetings there again I needed to go. I’m so glad I got the chance! An incredibly ornate hotel with so many wide, long hallways with groupings of seats. Perfect for reading, people-watching, and daydreaming of those who walked the halls in prior years.

As you can see, we’ve managed to experience quite a number of historic hotels over the years! Of course there are so many others where we’d love to stay. Some of those include the U.S. Grant (San Diego), the Jekyll Island Club (Jekyll Island, GA), Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island, MI), Historic Menger Hotel (San Antonio, TX), The Driskill Hotel (Austin, TX)—and all the ones we don’t even know about yet!

What historic hotels have you stayed in or visited? Are there ones you want visit? What draws you there?

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D'Ann Mateer

Inspired by novelist Eugenia Price, D’Ann’s dream of writing historical fiction with an element of faith began in middle school, though her serious drive toward publication took a bit longer. D’Ann is the author of four historical novels and one novella, as well as a contemporary short stories in a compilation volume. D’Ann and her husband of 30 years can be found in Austin, TX when they aren’t touring historic sites or visiting their grown children.

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