WASHINGTON, D.C.—Historic Hotels of America has inducted 37 historic hotels into membership in 2016. The oldest historic hotel inducted dates to 1789. Hotels nominated and accepted into the prestigious National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic Hotels of America program in 2016 range in age from 227 years to 51 years old. These newly inducted historic hotels represent 19 states and include Hotel Captain Cook, the first member hotel in the state of Alaska.
Historic Hotels of America welcomed these new members in 2016: The Georges (1789) Lexington, Va.; Woodstock Inn & Resort (1793) Woodstock, Vt.; The Bedford Village Inn (1810) Bedford, N.H.; Historic Hotels of Lake Geneva (1856) Lake Geneva, Wis.; Plaza Hotel 1882 (1882) Las Vegas, N.M.; Montvale Hotel (1899) Spokane, Wash.; The DeSoto (1890; 1968) Savannah, Ga.; AKA Times Square (1893) New York, N.Y.; Ames Boston Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton (1893) Boston, Mass. White Stallion Ranch (1900) Tucson, Ariz.; Pioneer Inn (1901) Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii; The Redbury New York (1903) New York, N.Y.; XV Beacon (1903) Boston, Mass.; AKA Wall Street (1907) New York, N.Y.; AKA Rittenhouse Square (1912) Philadelphia, Penn.; Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel (1915) Berkeley, Calif.; Hotel Congress (1918) Tucson, Ariz.; Marriott Syracuse Downtown (1924) Syracuse, N.Y.; The Scarlet Huntington (1924) San Francisco, Calif.; La Valencia Hotel (1926) La Jolla, Calif.; dusitD2 Hotel Constance Pasadena (1926) Pasadena, Calif.; The Hollywood Roosevelt (1927) Los Angeles, Calif.; NOPSI Hotel New Orleans, a Salamander Hotel (1927) New Orleans, La.; Hotel Durant- Berkeley (1928) Berkeley, Calif.; The Renwick Hotel New York City, Curio Collection by Hilton (1928) New York, N.Y.; AKA Sutton Place (1929) New York, N.Y.; Silver Birches Resort (1929) Hawley, Penn.; Hotel Warner (1930) West Chester, Penn.; Hotel Phillips Kansas City, Curio Collection by Hilton (1931) Kansas City, Mo.; The Lodge at Wakulla Springs (1937) Crawfordville, Fla.; The Raleigh Miami Beach (1940) Miami Beach, Fla.; The Campbell House Lexington, Curio Collection by Hilton (1949) Lexington, Ky.; Morris Inn (1952) Notre Dame, Ind.; Hotel Valley Ho (1956) Scottsdale, Ariz.; The Dewberry (1964) Charleston, S.C.; Hotel Captain Cook (1964) Anchorage, Alaska; and Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection (1965) Kohala Coast, Hawaii
Ten of the historic hotels are adaptive reuse (AR) projects that have involved converting some or all of a historic building to a hotel. Originally, these buildings were built for another purpose in their history. Examples include buildings originally built as a historic theatre, a military barracks, U.S. post office, office buildings, private homes, farmhouse, and residential buildings.
Several of these historic hotels have ties to famous guests, and have been featured in television and film. The Pioneer Inn has been the background for a number of films and television shows, such as The Devil at 4 O’Clock, a movie starring Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra, as well as the TV series Hawaii 5-0, Hawaiian Eye, Adventures in Paradise, and Baywatch. The White Stallion Ranch can be seen in over 25 films and television shows dating back to 1939 when William Holden shot Arizona on the site of
the ranch. Famed Hollywood star Veronica Lake lived and worked as a barmaid at The Redbury New York during a slower point in her career. Several films have either been inspired by or filmed at The Bedford Village Inn, including In Your Eyes starring Jennifer Grey.
“Each of these historic hotels has contributed to our nation’s history,” said Lawrence Horwitz, executive director, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “One was built as the first hotel in New York City to provide both short term and long term lodging for professional women. Another was the site of the first Academy Awards ceremony held in Hollywood on May 16, 1929. Another was once the NYC residence to John Steinbeck, Thomas Mann, and other celebrated writers and artists. One was built and is still home to the world’s longest known marble bar, at 70 feet 3 inches. Each is unique and has a history worth exploring and experiencing. We are delighted to recognize these wonderful historic hotels.”
