Americans who think they need to fly abroad to immerse themselves in true antiquity can save themselves a long-haul air fare by looking closer to home — because the U.S. is actually peppered with places to stay with histories that run deep.
In fact, it’s possible to book a night in the USA in buildings dating back three centuries and more.
Here, we reveal seven of the oldest and most fascinating examples, starting with a New Mexico Hilton that can trace its history back over 400 years.
Our round-up also includes a former convent in Puerto Rico with mid-17th-century origins and a Massachusetts inn that played a pivotal role in the American Revolution.
The hotels below — all listed by Historic Hotels of America — have welcomed bygone-age presidents from George Washington to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and yesteryear literary greats such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Cullen Bryant. They’ve also provided refuge for early settlers, graced famous paintings, and played a part in the formation of the Constitution.
As to the question of the oldest hotel that has always been one — that honor goes to a property in New York state.
Read on to discover how to make your next vacation a time-traveling adventure.
1. Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza — 1625, New Mexico
Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza can trace its history back to 1625, making it one of the oldest hotel settings in the U.S., though it didn’t welcome paying guests until the mid-20th century.
It was originally the hacienda of New Mexico's Ortiz Family, one of Santa Fe’s most influential families. And 400 years later, elements of the original Pueblo-style architecture that cosseted them remain, including adobe walls and planked ceilings.
There are 158 rooms and suites in the since expanded estate, many of which are located within the preserved 17th-century coach house.
On the hotel’s doorstep, meanwhile, is the Santa Fe Plaza, which has been a gathering place since 1610.
2. Hotel El Convento — 1651, San Juan, Puerto Rico
This remarkable property was established as a Carmelite convent in 1651 when King Philip IV of Spain ruled Puerto Rico. And it stood as a place of quiet contemplation for more than 250 years before closing in 1903.
For decades, it stood abandoned before its fortunes changed and it was rescued from demolition by American businessman Robert Woolworth. He reopened it as a hotel in 1962 with two additional floors and 100 rooms bedecked with Spanish-style furnishings.
A group of San Juan business leaders took the reins in the mid-1990s and commissioned further renovations.
Today, following these successive transformations, Hotel El Convento, in the heart of Old San Juan, is one of the island's most elegant addresses, and one that has a beguiling, historic sense of place, with mahogany beams and Andalusian tile floors.
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3. Concord’s Colonial Inn — 1716, Concord, Massachusetts
Concord’s Colonial Inn has a storied history dating to 1716, the year when its oldest building was erected by Captain James Minot as a private residence.
In 1775, it entered the history books when one of the wings was used by local militia, known colloquially today as “Minutemen,” as a military storehouse, and British forces targeted it for destruction. The Minutemen fought them off in the first battle of the American Revolution at North Bridge, just outside the town center, on April 19. This resistance is known as the "shot heard round the world.”
In the early 19th century, in keeping with the theme, naturalist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau, who would later write Civil Disobedience, took up residence in one of the wings with family while attending Harvard.
The site transitioned to a boarding house around 1835-1837 and began operating as a hotel in 1889. Located on Monument Square — where the militia rallied in 1775 — Concord’s Colonial Inn, known as such since 1900, is an intriguing amalgamation of historical buildings, defined by Federal-style architecture, that house 56 well-appointed rooms.
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4. Historic Inns of Annapolis — 1727, Annapolis, Maryland
At the Historic Inns of Annapolis, guests check in at one central reception, but stay in rooms spread across three separate historic buildings — the Governor Calvert House, the Robert Johnson House and the Maryland Inn.
These three buildings are clustered around the Maryland State House, the oldest U.S. state capitol in continuous legislative use (since 1779), and each one has its own architectural character.
The Governor Calvert House, where the main front desk is, began life in the early 18th century as the modest home of Charles Calvert, Governor of Maryland from 1720 to 1727. The Robert Johnson House was constructed by Annapolis barber Robert Johnson in the 1770s, and The Maryland Inn, where the main restaurant is today, was built in 1772 by merchant Thomas Hyde. The latter attracted visiting dignitaries including Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington when Annapolis briefly served as the U.S. capital between 1783 and 1784 following the Revolutionary War.
All three properties were merged in the 1970s as the Historic Inns of Annapolis.
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5. John Rutledge House Inn — 1763, Charleston, South Carolina
Constructed in 1763 by John Rutledge for his new bride, Elizabeth Grimké, the John Rutledge House Inn is one of only 15 homes of signers of the U.S. Constitution still standing.
Rutledge is said to have worked on drafts of the document from the building’s second-floor study, and the house later hosted two sitting presidents — George Washington and William Taft.
The house remained a private residence until 1889, when it was converted into a boarding house. It became a full-time hotel in 1989, and today, guests step into a bygone era amid four-poster canopy beds, sash windows, marble fireplaces, and antique chairs.
The lost-in-time atmosphere continues beyond the sweeping front steps, with the 19-room property set in the heart of Charleston’s historic district.
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6. The Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn — 1766, Rhinebeck, New York
The Beekman Arms has a robust claim to being America’s oldest continuously running inn, having provided overnight rooms for paying guests since 1704.
In that “launch year,” it was the Traphagen Tavern, strategically positioned by the founder, settler William Traphagen, at a key crossroads linking the Hudson River with inland routes.
In 1766, it was rebuilt, and during the Revolutionary War, militia drilled on its lawn and townspeople took refuge within its walls during the fighting.
Following these turbulent years, it went on to host revolutionaries including George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and Alexander Hamilton. Subsequently, it was renamed for the influential Beekman family, probably to lend it more prestige, and in the early 20th century, Franklin Delano Roosevelt concluded every one of his political campaigns with a speech made on the front porch.
The hospitality footprint expanded in 1979 with the incorporation of the nearby 19th-century Delamater Inn, with the two buildings thereafter operating as one.
Today, guests checking in can expect charmingly creaky floors, fireplaces and quaint bedrooms.
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7. The Red Lion Inn — 1773, Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Art fans may recognize The Red Lion Inn from Norman Rockwell’s painting Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas, the 1967 work capturing not only the artist’s own studio, but the quintessential New England charm of the inn, which has been enchanting travelers, and past presidents, for over 200 years.
The inn was established in 1773 as a simple crossroads tavern, drawing much of its trade from stagecoach travelers making their way between Boston and Albany.
As the years progressed its size, and importance, ballooned.
In the run-up to the American Revolution, it hosted anti-British gatherings, and after a 19th-century expansion, it attracted leading literary figures including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Cullen Bryant.
The guestbook has also been embellished by a succession of U.S. presidents, including both Roosevelts (Theodore and Franklin) and Calvin Coolidge.
Today, the property features a quaint rocking-chair-adorned porch, and 125 rooms gracefully decorated with floral fabrics and four-poster beds.
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