Thank you for that informative posting, USirritated - my error in overlooking the hotels you mention. Now when I see the many uniform Marriott properties, I'll remember your posting. Just seemed other hotel chains have more interestingly beautiful properties. In any case, there's something positive to be acknowledged about a good uniform product - guess that's why McDonald's and Starbucks, in part, are so popular.
Thanks for taking time to provide the info. It's what helps make FT compelling reading.
Originally Posted by
USirritated
In Washington, DC there are two very famous gems! The Mayflower is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was built by Allen E. Walker, the land developer behind Brookland and other residential neighborhoods of Washington. Nicknamed the "Grande Dame of Washington" at its opening in 1925, the hotel was said to contain more gold trim than any other building except the Library of Congress. An extensive renovation completed in 1998 uncovered decorative effects, including a skylight, which had been covered up to mask the hotel's opulence during the Great Depression. Shortly after opening, the Mayflower hosted a ball for the presidential inauguration of Calvin Coolidge. Although Coolidge himself never arrived, the hotel has sponsored a ball every Inauguration Day since.
In 1916, acclaimed developer Harry Wardman built the 1200-room Wardman Park Hotel (now the over 1300-room Marriott Wardman Park Hotel and Conference Center) along Connecticut Avenue in the Woodley Park neighborhood.
In Phoenix, AZ there is the aforementioned Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa which was ahead of its time as a desert resort of 300 individual pueblo style CASITAS, and became a haven for the rich in the Desert Southwest, to this day one of the most famous resorts in the country. It became part of the Marriott chain because the Marriott family were frequent guests for years before they owned it.
In San Francisco there is the Stanford Court, a Renaissance Hotel, In 1876 trendsetter Leland Stanford, a California governor and founder of Stanford University, was the first to build an estate on Nob Hill. The only part that survived the earthquake was a basalt-and-granite wall that's been restored; check it out from the eastern side of the hotel. In 1912 an apartment house was built on the site of the former estate, and in 1972 the present-day hotel was constructed from the exterior shell of that building. The lobby has a stained-glass dome and sepia-tone murals depicting scenes of early San Francisco.
In Alabama there are several, including:
The Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, since 1847, The Grand has maintained a gracious tradition of Southern hospitality on historic Mobile Bay. The Grand Hotel consistently receives the AAA Four Diamond Award and is a family-friendly historical hotel that is 160 years old.
Originally built in 1852, The Battle House, a Renaissance Hotel, captures classic Southern charm and takes you back to a simpler time when elegance reigned supreme and service was sublime. Nestled in the heart of Mobile ’s revitalized downtown, this historic, Alabama hotel is fresh from an extensive restoration, the 238 gracious guest rooms evoke timeless luxuries, while the grand, opulent lobby boasts a new level of splendor.
In Texas, deep in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, the Renaissance Casa De Palmas Hotel is a reminder of the area's colorful past. Originally built in 1918, in 2000 the hotel underwent a renovation that combines the magic of yesterday with the conveniences of today. Magnificent vegetation and a host of tropical birds complement the rich, colonial architecture, which feature soothing fountains and welcoming arches.
And these are just the hotels that I can think of off the top of my head in the US, there are quite a few more in the US, MANY in the UK, and Italy, and probably the rest of Europe (I can't swear to the rest of Europe, since I have not seen them or stayed in them). Most of the historic architecturally interesting hotels are not really business hotels though, for whatever that is worth.