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Timeless Treasures10 Grand Dame Hotels: Blending Modern Luxury With Old World Charm
by Jan Gerner
 After a relaxing meal at Larks and a visit to the Pilot Rock conference room, be sure to tour the town of Ashland, which has repeatedly been named one of America's most desirable small towns. Many cultural offerings are available, including the internationally acclaimed Shakespeare Festival. Lithia Park should also be on your "to see" list and while there, taking a sip of the famous Lithia mineral water should be on your "to do" list.
Davenport Hotel, Spokane, Washington
At a cost of $3 million, Louis Davenport opened the doors of the Davenport Hotel in September 1914. This historic site was the first hotel to offer air conditioning, a central vacuum system, and housekeeping carts (designed by Davenport). In addition, each of the 405 rooms had hot and cold water supplied by 30 miles of pipe and, with 450 headsets, it had the largest private telephone branch exchange in the entire northwest.
Today you can visit the Davenport by flying into Felts Field Airport (KSFF). The hotel will pick you up for the five-mile ride back to this grand establishment with a reputation for friendly service, elegant rooms, and lots of history.
Davenport was a stickler for customer service. He even insisted that coins be washed and bills be pressed before being given back as change. Often called the house of comfort, Davenport wanted his guests "to be glad they came, sorry to leave, and eager to return." He also insisted that the lobby's fireplace always be burning as a symbol of hospitality.
In 1985, the hotel closed its doors and,  with the death of the only Davenport son in 1987, there was talk of demolition. Fortunately, the demolition would have been very costly and did not take place. In March 2000, entrepreneurs invested ึ million to restore this "Grand Dame" to its former opulence.
Today's guests can choose from a variety of restaurants, enjoy fresh seafood and sample the signature dish, Crab Louis, named for Louis Davenport. Or you can partake of the many services at the Spa Paradiso. Or stroll along the mezzanine to view the photos of royalty, presidents, stars of stage and screen, musicians, authors, and a few famous aviators (among them, Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindberg). All danced and dined here many years before you. Or you may just want to relax and marvel at the faithfully maintained architecture while sitting in front of the fire that continues to burn in the lobby.
Hotel Galvez,
Galveston, Texas
Hotel Galvez has been called the "Queen of the Gulf" since opening its doors in 1911. Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico on Galveston Island, this eight story Victorian resort has managed to survive different owners, bad economies, and devastating storms. Fly into Scholes International Airport (KGLS) and rent a car or hire a cab for the short five mile drive to this "Grand Dame."
A year after opening, it was lauded in Hotel Monthly as one of the "best arranged and most richly furnished seaside hotels in America." Through extensive research and renovations, this feeling has been recreated.
Contemporary meets old world charm at this national historic landmark.
Make your way through the formal gardens, parlors, loggia, ballroom, music hall, and veranda and imagine the prominent guests who also walked here. Frank Sinatra, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Howard Hughes, and Douglas MacArthur were among the many who visited this "Playground of the Southwest."
After a leisurely soak in one of the hot tubs, take a dip in the tropical pool and order your favorite thirst quencher at the swim-up bar. And be sure to dine in Bernardo's for expansive sea views and fresh gulf seafood.
If time allows, take the trolley along the seawall to the Strand. Galveston Island has a rich past that includes pirates and the 1900 hurricane, which claimed 6,000 lives in one day, and is still considered the country's worst natural disaster ever recorded.
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