Are you looking for some vacation destinations? You probably want to know about hotels at your destinations. Specifically, this post is all about Galveston Hotels. When you visit Galveston, you’ll need a place to stay. You can look at our posts on Galveston Fun Facts and Galveston Attractions to complete your Internet journey to Galveston.
There is a presence of nearly all major hotel chains on the island these days. In years past, Madeline took the children to Galveston to experience the terrific beach. It was about a 4-hour drive from the Dallas and Fort Worth area, but it was a little vacation. All kids want to have fun at the beach and going to the beach was free. She stayed at the La Quinta because her Dad stayed at the chain quite a lot and recommended it as a terrific hotel chain. At that time, there were no high-rise hotels, no condos and no Internet to find them.
Today, Galveston is booming with tourism. Over 7 million people visit annually. The island has than 6,000 hotel rooms, and two convention centers with over 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space.
The major hotel chains represented here do not include Hyatt. Marriott, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Best Western, Hilton, Country Inn and Suites, Wyndham and, of course, La Quinta are all on the island.
Marriott Courtyard Galveston Texas
These are all excellent hotels and Madeline and I have stayed in all of the hotel chains over time. I traveled extensively for work and now Madeline and I travel together. We tend to stay in Sheraton (Marriott), Marriott and Hyatt the most. These hotels will have a great spot for you to stay during your time in Galveston.
I would like to nominate a hotel for your consideration called the Galvez. They named it after the famous Spanish colonial governor and general who surveyed the island and the Texas coastline all the way to New Orleans. They named the island and city for him. The Galvez is a beautiful hotel and quite iconic on the island. Hotel Galvez is owned by Houston billionaire and Galveston native, George Mitchell but it is operated by Wyndham.
The plans for the hotel began in 1898 when another large hotel was destroyed by fire. Then, the great storm came and wiped over one third of the standing structures on the island. The island was determined to recover, and they needed a new marquee hotel. It was designed in a combination of Mission and Spanish style and opened in 1911.
The hotel was purchased in 1995 by George Mitchell and it was restored to its historic 1911 look. Since the hotel opened in 1911, three United States Presidents stayed at the hotel. Celebrities also loved the remote location and “class” of the hotel. Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart and the reclusive Howard Hughes all stayed at the hotel.
Historic Stanley Hotel in the Rocky Mountains of Estes Park
There are even ghost stories about the hotel. I suppose any hotel this old might have a ghost story or two. The Ghost Lab on Discovery Channel did a segment on the rumors without anything definitive. We went to The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado and took the ghost tour because we had both read Stephen King’s The Shining and saw the movie with Jack Nicholson.
The hotel is known as the “Queen of the Gulf” and has had a Four-Diamond AAA rating. The hotel has 224 rooms and suites. It has a unique blend of modern appliances and nods to the historic past.
The hotel is simply grand and if it was in downtown Houston, the prices would be much higher. As it is, the room prices generally run between $170 and $200 per night. It is not priced like a Holiday Inn Express, obviously, but the grandeur and history of the hotel make it special. Maybe you should go without the kids or the grandkids and splurge?
No matter which hotel you choose, you’ll have a great time in Galveston. There are plenty of attractions and the beach life isn’t bad either. Enjoy Galveston!