Women’s accomplishments are honored in art, literature, film, and museums, and now even hotels are celebrating the ladies who have had an impact on our history—and our lives. By booking a stay at one of these nine hotels across the U.S., you’re sure to learn something new about the incredible women who’ve shaped our country in a tangible way.
C. Baldwin
- Houston, Texas
- Book now: expedia.com
In fall 2019, Houston got a new boutique hotel with a story to tell when C. Baldwin, a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, opened. The hotel is named after Charlotte Baldwin Allen, one of Houston’s unsung leaders, who was overshadowed by her husband as a founder of the city even though she used her inheritance to finance the city’s beginnings.
The hotel features design by Houston-based Rottet Studio led by Lauren Rottet, and Kate Rohrer of Rohe Creative; crafted details like a 111-foot living plant wall shaped in an “X” remind visitors to make their mark in the world, inspired by a time when Baldwin was unable to sign her own name to legal documents when conducting business matters.
Original portraits of fierce Houston women with flashy cars shot by local photojournalist Elizabeth Conley adorn the 354 guest rooms. Meeting rooms provide background on the notable Texan women for whom they are named, like Barbara Jordan, the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, and Miriam Ferguson, the first female governor of Texas.
Woodlark brings even more style to the PDX hotel scene.
Courtesy of Woodlark/Provenance Hotels
Woodlark
- Portland, Oregon
- Book now: expedia.com
At Woodlark, which opened in late 2018, guests find art by Portland local Maja Dlugolecki, and original botanical photographs by the Portland-born photographer Imogen Cunningham, known for her portraiture and still lifes. But the hotel pays homage to one woman in particular in its gorgeous bar, Abigail Hall. The brainchild of Portland food and beverage maven Jennifer Quist, Abigail Hall is named after Oregon suffragette Abigail Scott Duniway, founder of a women’s rights newspaper and vocal advocate for women’s voting rights.
The intimate, 40-seat bar is in the space that formerly housed the Ladies Reception Hall of the Cornelius Hotel (the first iteration of the hotel, built in the early 1900s). The hall was a gathering place for the early 20th-century suffragettes of Duniway’s time. An emerald-tiled fireplace, custom-made chandelier, hand-painted wallpaper, a reproduction of the penny-tile floors and coffered ceiling from 1911, and cartoons by current New Yorker cartoonist Elisabeth McNair depicting suffragettes all add to the elegant atmosphere.
At Riggs Washington D.C., nab a craft cocktail at Silver Lyan and then lounge in one of the First Lady–inspired rooms.
Courtesy of Riggs Washington D.C./Jennifer Hughes
Riggs Washington D.C.
- Washington, D.C.
- Book now: expedia.com
The first U.S. outpost by the Lore Group—behind European hotels Pulitzer Amsterdam and Sea Containers London—the Riggs Washington D.C. brings a sophisticated boutique hotel to the nation’s capital. Once home to Riggs National Bank, the hotel debuted in February 2020 and has received plenty of buzz for its bar program; it’s home to Silver Lyan, the first U.S. bar helmed by global cocktail master Ryan Chetiyawardana (“Mr. Lyan”).
But the hotel smartly uses its D.C. location to pay homage to some of Washington’s larger-than-life first ladies with 4 of its 15 suites. For example, the Caroline Harrison Suite incorporates blue and white patterns as a nod to Harrison’s role in starting a collection of porcelain that later developed into a tradition for the White House. The suite’s decor includes an assortment of decorative Wedgwood Jasperware and other porcelain items. The Louisa Adams Suite features a baby grand piano and references to other musical instruments like a wall art display made from violins to highlight Adams’s love of music.
The five-room Belva Lockwood Inn in New York State honors its namesake’s feminist legacy.
Courtesy of Belva Lockwood Inn/Ian Barrett-Sargent of Tioga Media
Belva Lockwood Inn
- Owego, New York
- Book now: belvalockwoodinn.com
Belva Lockwood was the first woman admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court to argue a case, and the first woman to run for president of the United States—twice: in 1884 and 1888—even though women didn’t yet have the right to vote.
A tireless advocate for gender equality, Lockwood ran a boarding school for young women in Owego, in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, from 1863 to 1865. In 1878, the original building was removed and a new Victorian home was built on the site.
Fast-forward to 2019, when Julie and Ike Lovelass restored the property as the five-room Belva Lockwood Inn, which honors Lockwood’s legacy. Photos and other paraphernalia are displayed throughout the hotel, a book about Lockwood is placed in each room, and the hashtag #BeLikeBelva adorns T-shirts available for purchase online or at the inn. The Lovelasses also host lunch and dinner tours on a weekly basis, which teach guests about Lockwood’s remarkable life and her accomplishments.
Music lovers find their groove at the Herwood Inn.
Courtesy of the Herwood Inn/Yannis Malevitis
The Herwood Inn
- Woodstock, New York
- Book now: theherwoodinn.com
A dreamy hipster retreat that honors women to boot? Em Atkins and June Peterson made it happen with the Herwood Inn, a four-room hotel they opened in September 2019 in Woodstock, New York.
Each suite, which includes a kitchenette, plenty of leafy plants, and a distinct Brooklyn-y vibe, is named after an iconic female musician (we are near the home of the famous Woodstock festival, after all). Carole King, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, and Stevie Nicks get top honors here, with each room containing a zodiac crystal representing the astrological sign of the musician for whom the suite is named, along with curated records and a record player.
In keeping with Woodstock’s culture, Atkins and Peterson source only ecofriendly, cruelty-free, and fair-trade amenities, and they prioritize partnerships with women and minority-lead businesses supplying items like textiles (Anchal Project), vegan soap and body products (Just the Goods), and custom essential oils (Root and Resin).
NOLA’s Eliza Jane celebrates the country’s first female newspaper owner.
Courtesy of the Eliza Jane/Andrew Thomas Lee
The Eliza Jane
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Book now: expedia.com
The Eliza Jane, a Hyatt Unbound Collection hotel in New Orleans, tells the story of its namesake, Eliza Jane Nicholson, the first woman in the United States to own and publish a major newspaper. In 1870, Nicholson became the editor of New Orleans’s the Daily Picayune and was left ownership of the paper when Alva Holbrook, her husband, passed away. Under her management, the ailing paper became profitable.
The building that houses the hotel was once partially occupied by the Daily Picayune and details in the hotel’s design point to its history and Nicholson’s story. Florals, pinks, and female form sculptures and paintings bring refinement to the exposed brick and industrial accents. The Press Room, the hotel’s bar and lounge, features antiques, books, and typewriters and is painted a blue color similar to the hue of the original newspaper ink.
Hotel Figueroa offers places to relax or get social, with events like a monthly all-female comedy show.
Courtesy of Hotel Figueroa
Hotel Figueroa
- Los Angeles, California
- Book now: expedia.com
A historic hotel built by and for women nearly a century ago, Hotel Figueroa, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, was renovated and reopened in 2018 to honor its female-focused legacy. For years, the hotel was advertised as “an ideal stopping place for ladies unattended” and served as a meeting place for practically every women’s club in Los Angeles and a safe haven for solo female travelers who were prohibited from checking into most hotels without a male chaperone.
Today, the reimagined hotel has permanent and rotating art that showcases the work of L.A.’s female artists; on March 21, 2021, the year’s featured artist, Shyama Golden, will debut her new immersive exhibit, The Portal. A favorite permanent piece is a lobby painting of Maude Boldin, the hotel’s original managing director and first woman ever in her role in the U.S., depicted on her trademark motorcycle. Fun fact: Coinciding with the centennial of women’s suffrage, Hotel Figueroa was an official polling place for the 2020 presidential election.
Hotel Zena has more than 60 gallery-quality art installations “revolving around the courage of some of the world’s most notable figures and their fight for inclusivity and change.”
Photo by Mike Schwartz Photography
Hotel Zena
- Washington, D.C.
- Book now: expedia.com
Opened in October 2020 by the Viceroy Hotel Group, Hotel Zena celebrates female empowerment through art, design, and relevant programming. The 191-room hotel debuted in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood with mischievous art installations and cheeky design details that honor cultural and historical female icons, including an extraordinary mural of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The hotel’s lounge will host a rotating series of community programming, from salon-style gatherings to virtual events. All March long, they’ll “celebrate trailblazers and innovators who fought for gender equality,” with a virtual reading and Q&A by Roxane Gay; a day of giving to support N Street Village, which empowers homeless and low-income women in D.C.; and the opening of Hedy’s Rooftop, inspired by actor and inventor Hedy Lamarr. Read on for the full list of events.
The Anna Gardner suite at Jared Coffin House celebrates the American abolitionist and teacher.
Photo by Laura Dannen Redman
Jared Coffin House
- Nantucket, Massachusetts
- Book now: expedia.com
Historic three-story brick mansion Jared Coffin House sits on what’s been dubbed Nantucket’s “Petticoat Row” since the 18th century, “so called because the shop keepers were mostly ladies, usually the wives or widows of the men who were away for years at a time with the whale fishery,” according to the Nantucket Historical Association.
Though Jared himself was a dominant whaling ship owner of his time, four (gorgeous) new suites at the residence-turned-hotel honor the street’s female power. Guest rooms celebrate several history-making women—among them, abolitionists Anna Gardner and Lucretia Coffin Mott; Maria Mitchell, the first professional female astronomer; and Mary Coffin Starbuck, who brought Quakerism to Nantucket.
Not just an honor by name alone, each suite comes stacked with reading material—books on the personalities they represent, as well as some local fiction—and bikes to explore the rest of the history-rich island.
Additional reporting by Laura Dannen Redman. This article was originally published in March 2020. It was updated March 5, 2021 with new information.
