Whether these historic political figures are on the campaign road or simply taking a family vacation, they often frequent the same U.S. hotels. With the presidential election upcoming and the campaign blazing trails through America, take a look at these hotels that have hosted U.S. Presidents.
The Historic Brown Palace Hotel in Denver proudly displaying banners
Up for Presidential Debate
President Barack Obama unpacked his bags at the luxurious Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia, choosing digs in one of the resort’s three freestanding homes.
Check prices online at the Preferred Hotel Group website or Hotels.com.
Suite in Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg, VA
Just 4 years ago, in 2008, then Presidential hopeful Obama prepared for his final debate with Senator John McCain with three nights at northwestern Ohio’s Maumee Bay State Park Lodge.
Hometown Connections
President Obama frequently returns to Chicago with his family, which is why it’s no surprise Obama has been spotted at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park. From the 37th floor, the Presidential Suite offers sweeping views of Lake Michigan and Grant and Millennium Parks, and the luxurious suite is the ideal setting for presidents to wind down before or after a debate. Many other distinguished political figures, including former President Bill Clinton and Secretary Clinton, have also stayed at the Fairmont Chicago.
Book online with Hotels.com.
Dining room of the Penthouse Suite at the Fairmont San Francisco
Presidential Retreats
World leaders and U.S. Presidents choose the Penthouse Suite at the Fairmont San Francisco as a home-away-from-home, so often that this California hotel is also known as “The White House of the West,” hosting every U.S. president since the 27th President, William Howard Taft (1909-1913).
Legend has it that John F. Kennedy, while staying at The Penthouse Suite, welcomed a “special” famous starlet via the library’s secret doorway.
Designed in the 1920s, the Penthouse Suite boasts 6,000 square feet, including a living room with a grand piano, a formal dining room seating up to 60, a kitchen, a 2-story circular library, a billiard room covered in Persian tile, and a spacious terrace with a view of San Francisco.
Check prices online with Hotels.com
Presidential Designations
Grand lobby of Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza
Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza has also been visited by every U.S. President since Taft, but perhaps its most well-known ties are to the Kennedy Clan.
The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum Suite celebrates the hotel’s bond with the Kennedys, including a photograph of JFK with his grandfather, John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald. As the former mayor of Boston, Honey Fitz cut the ribbon celebrating its opening in 1912. Again, check prices with Hotels.com.
In the heart of downtown Denver, the Brown Palace Hotel celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, welcoming its first president, Teddy Roosevelt, in 1905 and every president but two since then. Suites at the Brown honor past presidents with their names: Roosevelt, Reagan, and Eisenhower Suites, the latter complete with a dented mantel from Ike’s errant golf practice. Book directly through Marriott Int’l or check Hotels.com.
In 1934, at Austin’s landmark property, the Driskill Hotel, the future 36th President, Lyndon B. Johnson, hosted his first date with the future First Lady, Lady Bird, at their fine-dining restaurant.
The Driskill continued as one of their most cherished hotels, including when LBJ awaited the results of his successful Vice Presidential bid with JFK in 1960. LBJ returned to the Driskill again in 1964 to receive news of his Presidential re-election. The Driskill honors this president with the one-bedroom LBJ Suite on the second floor. Book direct or check Expedia.
Austin’s landmark Driskill Hotel welcomes many political figures to its Governor’s Suite
The Nation’s Capitol
Washington, D.C., is home to Le Méridien (formerly the Madison Hotel), looking fresh after a $22 million redesign. President JFK attended the hotel’s 1963 opening, and Le Méridien continues to be the hotel of choice for presidents, diplomats, world leaders, and international delegates.
Through the 2012 Presidential Inauguration in January, the PostScript, Le Méridien’s lobby bar, invites guests to raise their glasses by ordering two politically-themed cocktails: Massachusetts Mule or The Great Debate.
Photos courtesy of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Destination Hotels & Resorts, and the Brown Palace Hotel.
