This summer, Americans from sea to shining sea (and everywhere in between) are embracing our nation’s history. And if you’re searching for a stay in the heart of America the Beautiful, look no further than a truly old-school inn.
From major political milestones to pop culture moments, hotels have seen it all, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation includes more than 300 properties on its list of Historic Hotels of America.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most fascinating inns, oozing Americana, to celebrate our star-spangled 250th anniversary.
The lobbyist
From “the King of K St.” to Jack Abramoff, we all love to hate one of the most American of bloodsuckers: the lobbyist. According to legend, they got their start at what is today the Willard InterContinental Washington, located steps from the White House at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave.
Its lobby is where influence peddlers gathered to press flesh with lawmakers in the days of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, leading Nathan Hawthorne to write: “The Willard Hotel more justly could be called the center of Washington than either the Capitol or the White House or the State Department.”
This is where Grant provided the smoke for the smoke-filled rooms and where Lincoln reportedly chose members of his cabinet prior to his 1861 inauguration. Wander through the hotel’s history gallery, and you’ll also learn that Martin Luther King Jr. penned part of his “I Have a Dream” speech here.
Book any of the property’s 335 rooms and suites (from $500 per night) before July 6 and enjoy a $250 hotel credit in honor of America’s 250th birthday.
The financier
Fast-forward to July 1944: delegates from, appropriately, 44 countries convene at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. When they arrive, the British pound dominates international trade; by the time they leave, the US dollar is on top. The delegates meet in the hotel’s Gold Room to establish the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Today, the 269-key property (rates from $230 a night) is owned by Omni Hotels & Resorts.
Take in mountain views of the Presidential Range while soaking in its heated pools, or play on one of its championship golf courses.
Call it a day over a nightcap in the Cave, a basement bar that was a Prohibition-era speakeasy in a past life.
The big house
Many of America’s most infamous names — from crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger and Malcolm X to “Catch Me If You Can” inspiration Frank Abagnale Jr. and mobster Raymond Patriarca — all have one thing in common: They checked into Boston’s Liberty Hotel. (Note: not of their own accord.)
Before it became one of the West End’s poshest properties, it was known as the Charles Street Jail. But after operating as a prison for more than 120 years, it closed in 1973 when prisoners sued, citing inhumane conditions. The inmates won a landmark federal case that would prove pivotal to U.S. prison reform.
Today, the 298-key hotel (from $300 per night) plays up its past with a restaurant cleverly named Clink, and a former jail catwalk that converts into a bar on Thursdays and Saturdays — and a DJ even spins tunes in the former drunk tank. Walk outside, and you’re just steps from many Freedom Trail stops, including the Paul Revere House, Boston Common, and the site of the Boston Massacre.
The suite treat
Just 13 days after opening in 1871, Palmer House was burned to a cinder in the Great Chicago Fire. When it rose from the ashes two years later, it made headlines again for offering then-unheard-of amenities: an elevator, electric light bulbs, and in-room telephones.
The property’s sweetest claim to fame, however, is being the birthplace of the brownie. It was invented in the hotel’s kitchen for the 1893 World’s Fair. (The original recipe called for a gelatinous apricot glaze.) With 1,641 rooms, Palmer House (from $169 per night) is one of the largest properties in the Hilton portfolio.
The Rough one
Down in San Antonio, Texas, you’ll find a rose: the Menger Hotel. It’s the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi. Located just an acorn’s throw from the Alamo (and don’t forget it), the Menger opened in 1859 as a modest two-story, 50-room boarding house. Lt. Col.
Theodore Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders for the Spanish-American War around its beloved mahogany bar. Without them, he may never have become president. Today, the property (from $120 per night) boasts five floors with 316 rooms and premium suites named for Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers and other hallowed guests who slept in its beds.
The feminista
Legend has it that the pool at Los Angeles’ Hotel Figueroa is shaped like a coffin — to bury the patriarchy. When the YWCA opened the property in 1926, women still needed a male chaperone to check in to most hotels. The Fig bucked that tradition. It also banned men from the top nine floors. This unconventional approach was a catalyst for women’s professional mobility. The 268-key hotel embraces all genders nowadays.
Rates start at $185 a night, but expect them to soar anytime there’s a major event just across the street at LA Live.
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