Here is the 2024 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Where U.S. Presidents Made History List. The 25 noteworthy historic hotels included on this list illustrate the many ways presidents of the United States of America worked, entertained, relaxed with their families, and made history at historic hotels that are open to the public today.
John Rutledge House Inn (1763) Charleston, South Carolina
The historic John Rutledge House Inn in Charleston, South Carolina, dates to 1763, the start of an era when dissatisfaction and tension grew between England and its colonies in North America. In its early decades, the historic inn was the private home of John Rutledge, a prominent jurist and politician who was instrumental in guiding South Carolina through the American Revolution. Rutledge organized protests against England’s efforts to tax the colonies in the wake of the Seven Years’ War and served as a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress. After the American Revolutionary War and the failure of the Articles of Confederation, Rutledge helped frame the new U.S. Constitution. A vigorous proponent of a strong centralized government, Rutledge was one of the more vocal delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Though Rutledge never served as president, he was an acquaintance and a political ally of both George Washington and John Adams. The John Rutledge House Inn has the distinct honour of being one of the few surviving historic hotels that hosted President Washington while he was in office. During a tour of the new nation, Washington visited Charleston in 1791 and, although he was often careful to avoid staying in private homes lest he be accused of favouritism, he did visit the Rutledge family home and stayed for breakfast. The second notable presidential visit occurred in the 1920s, when President William Taft—after serving in office—visited his friend, Mayor Robert Goodwyn Rhett. Charleston’s mayor lived at the John Rutledge House Inn and hosted Taft for dinner. This visit is very well-known in the city, in part because it inspired one of Charleston’s classic recipes. Before Taft arrived, Mayor Rhett asked Chef William Deas, butler at the grand house, to “dress up” their typical crab soup. Deas’s presidential variation of the soup featured orange crab eggs, giving the dish a bright colour and unique taste—and its name, She-Crab Soup. Guests of the Inn today can enjoy She-Crab Soup just like Taft, and
anyone can recreate the historic dish at home with the recipe. Designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the John Rutledge House Inn is a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America, founded in 1989.
Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn (1766) Rhinebeck, New York
The two historic buildings that constitute the Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn in Rhinebeck, New York, have a long and storied history. The Beekman Arms tavern was built in 1766, and played an important role in the American Revolution as it unfolded in the Hudson Valley. During the early 1770s, the 4th Regiment of the Continental Army performed drills on the front lawn of the Beekman Arms tavern, and colonists took refuge here while the British burned the first state capital, Kingston, across the river. After the war, President George Washington and Vice President Aaron Burr—as well as Philip Schuyler, Benedict Arnold, and Alexander Hamilton—all slept, ate, drank, argued about politics, and laughed at the Beekman Arms tavern. In the 1840s, the Delamater Inn was built a block away. In 1888, when Benjamin Harrison was nominated for president, he and his running mate, Vice President Levi P. Morton, assembled their supporters in the Delamater Inn when they learned that they had been selected by the Republican Convention. Harrison won the election that year, becoming the 23rd President of the United States. In the 20th century, President Franklin D. Roosevelt—who called the Hudson Valley home for many years—was a frequent guest at the Beekman Arms. Roosevelt was responsible for the construction of the nearby Rhinebeck Post Office, which was built by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. Roosevelt concluded each of his political campaigns for governor and president with a public address from the tavern’s front porch. Other Vice Presidents who have visited include Nelson Rockefeller and Al Gore. The Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2006.
The Omni Homestead Resort (1766) Hot Springs, Virginia
Best known for its historic championship golf courses and natural Warm Springs Pools, The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, has offered rest and relaxation to U.S. Presidents for over 200 years. Two major springs from the Allegheny Mountains flow through the resort, and separate men’s and women’s bathhouses allow visitors to soak in the natural mineral waters. In the 1750s, George Washington travelled through the region a few times, and historians suspect, but cannot officially determine, that he bathed in the springs in 1756. Washington’s visit was followed more than 60 years later by an ageing Thomas Jefferson, who sought relief there in 1818 for his rheumatoid arthritis. The trip proved to be so uplifting that Jefferson praised the entire location as being one of the best places to vacation in the whole country. Other presidents followed: President James Madison; President Martin Van Buren and his son; President John Tyler and First Lady Julia Tyler visited twice; President Millard Fillmore; President Franklin Pierce and First Lady Jane Pierce; President Benjamin Harrison and First Lady Caroline Harrison; President William McKinley and First Lady Ida McKinley; President Herbert Hoover; Harry S. Truman and First Lady Bess Truman; President Richard Nixon; Gerald Ford; George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. President William Howard Taft and his family stayed at the resort for months at a time in the early 20th century. Woodrow Wilson honeymooned at the resort with First Lady Edith Wilson in 1915. President Franklin D. Roosevelt celebrated the Fourth of July at the resort in 1931. Dwight D. Eisenhower was a frequent visitor who stayed before, during, and after being in office. Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter both visited (separately) to attend meetings during their terms as governors of California and Georgia, respectively. In addition to enjoying the Warm Springs Pools, many of these presidents and first ladies played on the resort’s two famous golf courses, the Old Course and The Cascades. Notably, William McKinley was the first U.S. President to play golf while in office, and he did so on the Old Course, teeing off in 1899. While enjoying their honeymoon, Woodrow Wilson and Edith Wilson played golf together each morning on the Old Course, and Jacqueline Bouvier learned to play golf on The Cascades as a young girl in the 1930s. The historic resort offers five Presidential Suites named after Madison, McKinley, Taft, Wilson, and Eisenhower. In the Lobby Bar, guests can discover 23 portraits by Paul Bertholet that represent each president who has been a guest of the Resort. Designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, The Omni Homestead Resort is a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America, founded in 1989.
Historic Inns of Annapolis (1772) Annapolis, Maryland
Three historic 18th-century Inns make up the Historic Inns of Annapolis, a charming trio located in the heart of Annapolis, Maryland, across the street from the Maryland State House. The Governor Calvert House and Robert Johnson House were established first as private homes, but since 1772, the Maryland Inn has hosted politicians visiting the city. Annapolis briefly became the capital of the United States of America under the Articles of Confederation. On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris that ended the war between England and its former colonies was ratified by George Washington at the Maryland State House, a block away from the Maryland Inn. This document was signed at the State House by diplomat and inventor Benjamin Franklin, 6th President of the Continental Congress John Jay, and future president John Adams. After the peace treaty was ratified, the three Founding Fathers retired to the tavern at the Maryland Inn to celebrate. The Maryland Inn’s tavern is today an event space and restaurant named The Treaty of Paris in honour of that history. Historic Inns of Annapolis are contributing structures to the Colonial Annapolis Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and were inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1996.
Omni Bedford Springs Resort (1806) Bedford, Pennsylvania
On August 16, 1858, Queen Victoria sent the very first telegram over the newly built Transatlantic telegraph cable. Sitting President James Buchanan received it at his favourite “Summer White House,” the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Pennsylvania. From his Sheraton desk at the historic resort hotel, Buchanan read:
London, England: Come let us talk together. American genius and English enterprise have this day joined together the Old and the New World. Let us hope that they may be as closely allied in the bonds of peace, harmony, and kindred feeling. Signed, Victoria R.
Buchanan responded:
Bedford Springs: New England accepts with gladness, the hand of fellowship proffered by Old England, and if ever discord of diversity of interest should threaten this alliance, let our language be, “entreat me not to leave thee, or return from following thee, for the interests of thy people shall be the interests of my people, and thy God shall be my God.” Signed, James Buchanan, President, U.S.A.
It was an international achievement, marking the moment when messages could travel thousands of miles in minutes, instead of days or weeks. After forty messages were sent over three days, the first working Transatlantic cable failed, and eight years passed before a new cable was completed. The 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan, ran his campaign for office from Bedford Springs. Many important papers were signed at Bedford Springs on a Sheraton desk, which he refused to let the hotel dispose of; he maintained that the drawers were just the right size for his shirts. In all, the popular Pennsylvania bachelor president spent 25 summers at the resort. Other presidents who have visited the Omni Bedford Springs Resort include Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, James Garfield, Dwight D. Eisenhower, William Howard Taft, and Ronald Reagan. On a guided history tour of the resort, guests can view historical photos, record books, and even James Buchanan’s desk in the lobby. The Omni Bedford Springs Resort is designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2008.
Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa (1852) Mobile, Alabama
Established in 1852 in the rapidly expanding port city of Mobile, Alabama, the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa is a must-see for anyone travelling through the city on a tour of the Gulf Coast. Many illustrious guests visited the “Battle House Hotel” over the years, including the likes of Senator Henry Clay, General Winfield Scott, and U.S. President Millard Fillmore. In 1860, Senator and presidential candidate Stephen A. Douglas spent Election Night inside the hotel. The present-day site of the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa was once the headquarters of General—and future U.S. President—Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812. The most significant presidential visit was by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. During his visit to Mobile, members of the Southern Commercial Congress held a Presidential Breakfast in his honour with nearly 200 guests in attendance. Hotel staff at the time recalled how seemingly countless Secret Service agents had sprawled across the building’s interior. Afterwards, Wilson travelled a block south to the Lyric Theatre, where he gave a speech repudiating the Monroe Doctrine as a means of appeasing the country’s Latin American allies. It was here that President Wilson gave his now-famous remark: “The United States will never again seek one additional foot of territory by conquest.” The Lyric Theatre was demolished in the 1950s, but the elegant historic hotel is still welcoming guests after 172 years. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2009.
The Menger Hotel (1859) San Antonio, Texas
When The Menger Hotel opened on February 1, 1859, it was hailed as “the finest hotel west of the Mississippi River.” Since then, the San Antonio, Texas, hotel has hosted U.S. Presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Menger Hotel is best known for its ties to Theodore Roosevelt, who visited before, during, and after his time in office. In 1892, Teddy Roosevelt visited The Menger Hotel at age 29 while on a trip to hunt javelina, a pig-like animal. In 1898, he returned with Colonel Leonard Wood to organize the first U.S. Volunteer Calvary, the Rough Riders, who fought in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. When the Rough Riders trained in San Antonio, Roosevelt and his soldiers were known to gallop their horses up to the hotel entrance. In 1905, when Roosevelt was President, he and the Rough Riders returned to The Menger Hotel for an elegant reunion banquet. Today, guests can reserve the hotel’s Roosevelt Luxury Suite, which features decor and memorabilia related to the president’s life and his time at the hotel. Visitors at the hotel’s Roosevelt Bar can view a collection of photographs of its namesake. One legend suggests that Roosevelt occasionally haunts the bar. The Menger Hotel brings Roosevelt to life for visitors, too, through an annual show put on by Joe Wiegand, a Theodore Roosevelt Reprisor. During Wiegand’s show, he takes on the persona of the President, and shares stories of his time in San Antonio recruiting the Rough Riders, his path to the White House, and his land conservation legacy. The Menger Hotel is a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America, founded in 1989.
Palace Hotel (1875) San Francisco, California
When the Palace Hotel opened in 1875, it was San Francisco’s first luxury hotel, and the largest hotel in the world. The first U.S. President to visit the hotel was Ulysses S. Grant in 1875, and 19 presidents followed him, 13 of whom stayed in the hotel’s Presidential Suite: Rutherford B. Hayes, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Of great historical significance was President Woodrow Wilson’s visit in 1919, when he hosted two luncheons at the Palace Hotel to garner support for the Treaty of Versailles to end World War I. Wilson also advocated for the creation of the League of Nations during these meetings. Decades later, when the United Nations was chartered in San Francisco, the hotel hosted a grand soiree in The Garden Court to honour the opening session of the new international body in 1945. President Harry S. Truman was present for this historic event. The Palace Hotel manages its own museum to share stories from its past with visitors. At the Landmark 18 Museum and Gallery, photographs, artefacts, and one-of-a-kind memorabilia left or donated by honoured guests are on display. Within the museum, there is a dedicated exhibit for the presidents who have visited and resided at the Palace Hotel since its opening. In February 2022, in honour of Presidents’ Day, the Palace Hotel's Pied Piper Bar debuted a Presidential Cocktail Menu. This menu shares historical anecdotes of each of the 20 presidents and dignitaries who have visited the Palace Hotel and showcases their beverage of choice. The Palace Hotel was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2010.
