Historic Hotels of America named the Battle House Hotel and Spa as the Best Historic Hotel (201 – 400 rooms).
This is the second year in a row that a hotel or resort along Mobile Bay in Alabama has been honored with a national award from Historic Hotels of America. The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in Point Clear was named Historic Hotel of the Year (over 400 guest rooms) in 2019.
Known as “Mobile’s Living Room,” the property in downtown Mobile has welcomed international guests since opening in 1852.
The Battle House Hotel stands on the site of an old military headquarters set up by Andrew Jackson during the war of 1812. Fresh from his victory at Horseshoe Bend, Jackson had arrived in Mobile to ward off invasion, and when British forces made it clear they were headed toward New Orleans, Old Hickory marched to meet them from this hallowed spot.
Over its history, the Battle House was visited by such notables as Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt, Jefferson Davis, Admiral Raphael Semmes, and Generals Bragg, Beauregard and Taylor.
Singer Jimmy Buffet grew up watching Mardi Gras parades on his father’s shoulders in front of the Battle House. Revelers continue this tradition each year since Mobile is home to America’s original Mardi Gras. The Battle House has been named the most famous hotel in Alabama by Insider.com for several years.
History is embraced and celebrated by the Battle House. Mr. George Moore, the hotel’s historian leads daily tours for hotel guests and other history enthusiasts. Moore, a former Historic Hotels Ambassador of the Year who worked at the hotel before it closed in the 1970s, was the first employee hired back when the hotel reopened in 2007. The Battle House’s gift shop is named Mr. George’s after him.
The Battle House celebrates Mobile’s culture and native sons and daughters. For casual dining, Joe Cain Café honors one of Mardi Gras’s most colorful characters. Royal Street Tavern offers nightly piano entertainment, crafted cocktails, and plays a nod to Mobile’ five MLB Hall of Famers: Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey, Satchel Paige, Ozzie Smith and Billy Williams. Sportsmen and women from the area are featured in the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame, located adjacent to the hotel in the RSA Battle House Tower Lobby. For couples in love, Historic Hotels of America named the Battle House one of the top locations to get engaged for the past two years.
video courtesy of RTJ & Resort Collection
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