Comments on: Unique hotels in small to medium cities?

Question: Unique hotels in small to medium cities?

eileen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:56:39 -0800

Does anyone know any hotels, in any city in the US, comparable to the Hotel Congress in Tucson, AZ? Basically, a hotel that "makes" the experience of visiting a city which you might not otherwise consider a vacation destination.

The hotel is downtown within walking distance to a lot of stuff, driving distance to national parks, has a unique history and decor, and it has its own restaurant and bar and even nightclub. It's not fancy at all, in fact it is pretty cheap and feels like one step up from a hostel, but it is clean and has a great vibe. For my bf and I, staying in this hotel totally made our recent trip to Tucson. I was thinking that the trip would have felt very different and not nearly as special if we had stayed at some sort of chain hotel.

I would love to visit other small to medium cities off the beaten path if I knew where I could find a similar place to stay. And by similar I don't mean that it has to be exactly like the Hotel Congress, just similar in the fact that the hotel is itself a reason you might select the destination. I know it's hard to pinpont what exactly makes a hotel special in this way, so recommendations don't necessarily have to have all or even any of the amenities listed above. Day-trip closeness to national parks or other cool hiking is definitely a plus, though. Oh, and I am not a fan of shared bathroom situations, so a lot of B+Bs are probably not going to be my thing.

Thanks!! :)

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:06:59 -0800

I felt that same way about the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina Saskatchewan when I was there. It's way off the beaten path but really gave you an idea of the place and the history and was a decently priced and nice place to stay besides.

By: Grither

Grither — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:12:18 -0800

It might be a bit on the pricey side, and there are plenty of other reasons for visiting the city, but the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City is a beautiful hotel in many ways.

On preview, I hope you like Canada!

By: Eringatang

Eringatang — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:16:59 -0800

Oh yes, these hotels by the McMenamins. I tried the olympic club: bunk beds, movie theater, restaurant, what fun! I want to try the Old St. Francis School next.

By: ryanshepard

ryanshepard — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:18:41 -0800

The Moore Hotel in Seattle is wonderful - a little threadbare, but clean and comfortable, and with a great staff and character to burn. The century-old Moore Theater is right next door (this week is a little rough, but they do host interesting acts), and I've had some good conversations and cheap beer at the Moore's in-house dive bar, and at Night Light next door.

By: ryanshepard

ryanshepard — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:27:20 -0800

Obviously, I'd have gone to Seattle anyhow - The Moore was just a great and unexpected bonus!

By: Medieval Maven

Medieval Maven — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:43:09 -0800

When I went on business to LA, we stayed at the Georgian in Santa Monica and it was really awesome. Food was never bad, service was great and the rooms were interesting. You could get to the beach by crossing the road, it was right around the corner from all kinds of stuff to do.

By: Zambrano

Zambrano — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:46:57 -0800

The Greenbrier - in WVA.

It's by far and away the definitive destination hotel in the U.S.

By: Green Eyed Monster

Green Eyed Monster — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:50:53 -0800

There's always The Mexican Hat Lodge

By: adamrice

adamrice — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:53:10 -0800

The Thunderbird Hotel in Marfa, TX. It is owned by the same woman who re-created the San Jose in Austin, which is also something of a destination hotel.

The Dabbs Railroad Hotel (no website, but lots of google hits) in Llano, TX is an almost mythical institution.

The Gage Hotel in Marathon, TX (right up the road from Big Bend Nat'l Park).

I've stayed in a lot of B&Bs, and the best of them reveal some aspect of the proprietors' personality. One that comes to mind is the Katy House in Smithville, TX: the house used to be the residence of a staff doctor for the MKT Line, and the house is filled with train memorabilia (the proprietor is a train nut, and IIRC used to work in that business). Also, almost every B&B I've stayed at has a private bath.

By: fuse theorem

fuse theorem — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:20:35 -0800

The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO.

By: cog_nate

cog_nate — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:28:32 -0800

The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, is a remarkable hotel/resort. Remarkably expensive, too, but if I had money to burn, there's no other place I'd stay while in southern Colorado.

By: yohko

yohko — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:31:39 -0800

La Posada de Santa Fe in Santa Fe, NM

By: cog_nate

cog_nate — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:32:47 -0800

Well, that'll teach me to preview before submitting.

Regardless, The Grand America, in Salt Lake City, probably also fits your criteria. It's pricey, too.

By: Seamus

Seamus — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:36:57 -0800

The Holland Hotel and Edelweis Brewery in Alpine Texas.
The Peery Hotel in SLC, maybe.
The Laughing Horse Inn in Taos, NM except that is a "tourist" destination, just not one in which I would spend time in a hotel.

By: dog food sugar

dog food sugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:42:39 -0800

I came in to 2nd the Thunderbird and the Gage in West Texas. An amazing part of the country. It takes some effort to get there, but it's worth it. I'll add The Paisano, especially if you're a James Dean fan.

There's also Ragged Point on the Pacific Coast Highway between LA and San Francisco.

By: halogen

halogen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:58:02 -0800

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO, about an hour's drive from Denver. This is the place that inspired the fictional Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's The Shining. In addition to its absolutely gorgeous location, the Stanley has been reported by many to be haunted. The stories are fascinating. That, and the fact that the hotel plays Stanley Kubrick's uncut R-rated version of The Shining on a continuous loop on Channel 60 in guest rooms, has put this place at the top of my current destination list.

By: halogen

halogen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:08:18 -0800

Oh, the interior of The Overlook Hotel in Kubrick's The Shining are modeled after the Ahwahnee Hotel, a destination hotel in Yosemite National Park, California. The Ahwahnee is out-of-this-world gorgeous (and outrageously expensive), but it's pretty much impossible to book a room during the winter holiday season.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:28:41 -0800

The Pomegranate Inn in Portland, ME made our trip there quite special, and it is a neat little city to boot.

By: spilon

spilon — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:29:33 -0800

Banff Springs Hotel in Canada is a good one.

By: ldenneau

ldenneau — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:43:59 -0800

The Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff, AZ. Flagstaff is a great town, a real getaway if you're normally in Tucson this time of year.

By: zpousman

zpousman — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:49:53 -0800

The victorian Adelphi Hotel in Saratoga Springs NY might fit your criteria. Saratoga is a great town, too, and staying here would put you smack dab in the middle of it (less than a mile from the horse track and the Saratoga Spa State Park (with SPAC inside)).

By: ebellicosa

ebellicosa — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:07:02 -0800

The Davenport in Spokane, WA.

By: gudrun

gudrun — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:59:02 -0800

The Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY, only about 90 minutes from Manhattan.

By: brain cloud

brain cloud — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:33:41 -0800

The Pier Hotel, St. Petersburg FL.

By: crinklebat

crinklebat — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:46:51 -0800

Kitschy as hell, but I can't believe nobody's said The Madonna Inn yet. It's the only hotel I NEED to stay in before I die.

By: azpenguin

azpenguin — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:14:44 -0800

A little pricy (but one of the better priced places in the area), but we stayed at a B&B in Santa Fe named Casa de la Cuma. Wonderful B&B, great hosts, no shared bathrooms, and you can walk to the Plaza area in 5 minutes. As awesome as Santa Fe is, the B&B really made the trip.

(Passed by Hotel Congress a half-hour ago. The place really is awesome, even for us locals.)

By: dog food sugar

dog food sugar — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:13:11 -0800

Tee Pee Hotel in Wharton Texas. Not fancy - but super kitchy cute.