There are roughly 54,000 hotels in the United States, yet less than 2% of them are Black-owned. Not that we had forgotten, but last year, our country quickly reminded us of our fundamental divisions. We needed to remind the world that our lives still mattered. Isn’t it unfortunate that in the twenty-first century, in a country that professes to be the leader of the free world, we have to remind people that their lives are important?! Generational riches and inheritances are unusual in our societies. We must recognise a Black American’s success in overcoming a legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic bigotry against hoteliers.
We propose to you ten black-owned hotels in the United States that you should visit at least once.
Black-Owned Hotels
Let’s be intentional with supporting Black-Owned Businesses. Below is the list below of 10 Black-Owned hotels that you should add to your upcoming travel plans!
The Ivy Hotel at Mount Vernon, Baltimore
Every American should visit the birthplace of our nation at least once in his life. The beauty of the untouched East Coast and its culture, the exceptional architecture, incomparable with today’s metal and glass giants, and the beautiful streets, frozen in time, are one of the pleasures of this life that everyone should enjoy.
At the heart of this magnetic place is a hotel that embodies the coziness of home, the spirit of industrial America, and the luxury that only the Fat Cats of the late 19th century were capable of. The Ivy Hotel offers exceptional hospitality, incomparable luxury, and an unmatched experience of culture and history.
This architectural masterpiece, converted into a hotel, offers 17 rooms and suites to its guests, as well as complete freedom of use of the common areas. The opportunity to take a book from the library, play the tune on the piano or drink your morning coffee in your bathrobe in the garden really makes you feel less like a guest and more like the house’s master.
The close proximity of Washington DC. and the charming streets, as if taken from a postcard, will fill your free time with cultural events and pleasant walks on the paths where the fathers of our nation used to roam. And when you get tired or just want to relax, The Ivy Hotel offers you an exclusive boutique spa where you can forget all your problems and stress. The hotel has an excellent restaurant that can satisfy even the most demanding stomachs. Within walking distance, there are dozens of cafes and charming restaurants that we invite you to try.
Ivy Hotel is ideal for those who love beautiful views, American history, and the East Coast’s unique spirit.
Roberts Riverwalk Urban Resort Hotel at Detroit, Michigan
On the Detroit River’s shore, overlooking Belle Isle Park and Canada lays a classy, elegant, and luxurious urban resort hotel that takes pride in its service and features. This boutique establishment fit for a king is owned by the famous African-American broadcasting tycoon Michael V. Roberts.
Roberts Riverwalk Urban Resort Hotel is a must-go for anyone who loves luxury galore. The hotel offers 108 stylish and spacious guestrooms, six extra special unique accommodations and, the crème de la crème – a three-level Penthouse suite. Almost all guest rooms overlook the magnificent Detroit river and can wave to Canadians on its other side.
Roberts Riverwalk Urban Resort Hotel’s location allows you to get to know this most beautiful part of Detroit on foot. The picturesque MacArthur Bridge, the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, the Belle Isle Park, and many other attractive spots are within walking distance.
Salamander Resort & Spa at Middleburg, Virginia
Just an hour away from the hustle and bustle of Washington DC. a true haven of relaxation, luxury, and refined taste lies. A vacation at Salamander Resort & Spa is what one might describe as a dream come true. There are no significant landmarks nor other resorts nearby, which allows the guests the tranquility that is impossible in any other resort of such class.
Salamander Resort & Spa is the crown jewel in Sheila Crump Johnson’s rich portfolio of hotels. This astonishing lady was the first African-American woman to attain a net worth of one billion dollars. She is also well-known as the president of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.
The resort offers luxurious rooms and suites to accommodate every need and desire. Every room has a patio or balcony and has been personally touched by Sheila’s extraordinary design eye.
When it comes to fine dining, Salamander Resort & Spa is unmatched not only in Virginia but throughout the whole East Coast of America. The two restaurants inside the resort offer finger-licking good food cooked by the finest chefs of the region. They use only local products, fresh from the market, to create genuinely spectacular dishes you will remember forever.
A top-class, ultra-luxurious SPA will relieve you from the stress from the moment you enter. And if that’s not your thing, prepare for an adventure. Salamander Resort & Spa organizes a ton of fun activities that will suit every need. From the harmless and family-friendly “keeping up with cupcake” to the action-packed Archery and ax throwing.
If you like the luxurious resorts of Mexico and the Caribbean sea, this is the closest you can get on American soil.
Innisbrook Golf Resort at Tampa, Florida
If you loved the Virginia-based Salamander resort, but yet you can’t imagine a vacation without generous sun, endless beaches, and breathtaking scenery with tropical vibes, well, don’t worry. Sheila Johnson is ready to answer your needs. Her second (and last of the ones we will feature in this article) vacation resort is strategically located in the Sunshine State of Florida.
Innisbrook Golf Resort is located near Palm Harbor, in a thin stretch of land between Lake Tarpon and Boogy Bayou. This enormous 900 acres complex is like a dreamland. Amidst the natural beauty and lush green fields, you can get whatever you wish for. It’s a kingdom of tranquility and fun. The newly renovated guest accommodations are outrageously spacious, modern, and ready to serve even the most demanding guests.
The food in the resort is simply out of this world. From the light organic salad to the heavy stakes and seafood, everything is prepared with a lot of care and a dash of love.
Like any other Salamander resort, Innisbrook Golf Resort is prepared to keep you busy with dozens of fun activities. However, the crème de la crème of this magnificent place is the Golf course. If you are into golf, this place is simply a must-go. The greens are like a velvet carpet, which is not why this field is home to the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship. The reason is the self-devotion of the maintenance team to make every game special.
If you are a person of refined taste and want to visit a US resort of the highest class, this one is for you.
The Gabriel Miami, Curio Collection by Hilton
On the other side of the Florida peninsula in the party capital of The Sunshine State – Miami, another ultra-luxurious hotel is ready to tend to your every need. The Gabriel Miami, Curio Collection by Hilton is situated on the seaside with a stunning view of the small islands that dot the Biscayne Bay. The world-famous Miami Beach is just a stone’s throw away, as are Downtown Miami and the famous Burlingame Island.
The Gabriel Miami Curio Collection by Hilton is owned by one of the world’s biggest hotel-owners – Robert Johnson. The African-American entrepreneur is the ex-husband of Sheila Johnson and has a stunning portfolio of 103 hotels. Needless to say, he is one of the wealthiest men in the US and around the globe.
The hotel offers nine ultra-luxurious rooms, stylishly designed and with an outstanding view of the sea or Miami skyline. Three suites are ready to accommodate the more demanding guests.
The pride of The Gabriel Miami Curio Collection by Hilton, however, is Bella’s Bar that captures the essence of Miami’s vibe. The bar has a balcony with a stunning view of both the sea and the city’s skyline. During dusk, the scenery is simply breathtaking.
The Gabriel Miami Curio Collection by Hilton is for everyone who still has the energy to match Miami’s vibe, but at the same time, prefers the finer things in life.
Hyatt Centric The Woodlands
Hyatt Centric The Woodlands is another of Robert Johnson’s hotels that will take your breath away. This luxurious hotel is located in the heart of The Woodlands’ vibrant shopping district, about half an hour’s drive from Downtown Huston.
The boutique hotel offers 72 neatly designed rooms and suites with a deluxe bathroom and comfortable furnishing. The proximity of the shopping district makes Hyatt Centric The woodlands the place for people who love shopping and find this relaxing. For their bored-out-of-their-mind partners, there are outstanding restaurants and pubs to fill your gluttonous needs.
If you are more of a nature lover, Lake Conroe, which is only 20 miles away, will make you fall in love with Texas. However, we urge you not to miss out on Huston. The Space City has a lot to offer, and being so close to it is an opportunity you shouldn’t miss. You must enjoy at least one of the dozens of attractions it offers.
As you have seen, there are a ton of black-owned hotels and resorts that not just help the community but offer one of the top accommodations in every state they are in. If you want to see it for yourself and want to reserve a place, do not hesitate to write to us. We are ready to answer all your questions and help you with the reservation.
La Maison Midtown at Houston, Texas
When you dream of an unforgettable vacation, most likely Houston, Texas, is not the first place that comes to mind. Let’s be honest. This otherwise beautiful city is hardly in the top 100 of your planned destinations. A small, pretty hotel that seems to have stolen a piece of Europe and taken it to the heart of Space City can completely change that and make you come back to the city again and again, just so you can spend another night in the coziness and luxury it offers.
La Maison Midtown is probably the best urban bed and breakfast you will find in the whole of Texas and maybe even the USA as a whole. Charming, relaxing, and fascinating, everything in this hotel is designed to pleasure to the point you wouldn’t want to leave.
La Maison Midtown offers seven spacious and luxurious guest rooms, each one more beautiful than the last. The complimentary breakfast with a dazzling Southern flare will make you want to stay forever. The freedom to use the living room, dining area, and sumptuous parlor will amplify this feeling until you finally give up and offer to buy the house. Unfortunately, this won’t happen, but you are always welcomed with a huge smile to return for a city tour. Who knows, this time you may even leave the house.
And Huston is definitely not as boring as you think it is. Take a stroll around the Theater District, located just a stones-throw away, or visit the NASA Space Center. Have a relaxing afternoon in the Discovery Garden and afterward look around the historic Freedmen’s Town. There are thousands of shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs and all sorts of amusements just open the Internet and take your pick.
Soon after your third or fourth time in La Maison Midtown, you will notice that Space City has not just entered your Top 100 destination but is among your best experiences yet.
Dunns-Josephine Hotel
Dunns-Josephine Hotel is another hotel owned by Kristen Kitchen. Like all her other establishments, this one is also tightly connected to black history and culture. Dunns-Josephine Hotel is situated in the heart of the historical Overtown district of Miami. Once an all-black neighborhood during the US’s segregation era, now this part of town offers a bittersweet throwback to a darker past, filled both with suffering and cultural significance. Here many of the greatest African-Americans like Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Josephine Baker, and others found a safe haven.
The hotel offers 15 individually decorated rooms, all named after significant historical black icons. The hospitality is beyond what you’d expect for an inner-city hotel – free wi-fi, free parking space, a complimentary bottle of excellent wine, and a mouthwatering continental breakfast that will fill you for the rest of the day.
Dunns-Josephine Hotel is the perfect base for exploring this treasure-chest of black culture. It’s also relatively close to Downtown Miami as well as the world-famous Miami Beach. This makes it the ideal place to stay if you want to mix the sophistication of a cultural vacation with the wildness of Miami’s nightlife.
Golden Green Hotel at Charlotte
East of downtown Charlotte, no more than a ten-minute drive away, right next to the Bojangles Coliseum and The Park Expo and Conference Center, you can see a half-century-old hotel building. At first glance, it is nothing special. Behind the dull facade, which you can see in thousands of other places across America, and under the big green letters that read “Golden Green Hotel,” you will find a quite unusual place to stay.
The owner of this 8-story hotel, which is also the tallest building in the area, is Fred Lawing, a real estate businessman for 40 years. When he bought this building in 2007, he set out to create something unique. Not as a look, but as a concept. The African-American businessman deliberately kept the old building and did not allow a lavish brand new hotel to be erected in its place. He follows the European standard, where the old is valued and preserved, renovated and modernized, but never destroyed.
So behind this boring facade appears a magnificent hotel with a unique gimmick – this is the only hotel in Charlotte that is black-owned and vegan-friendly. It is also one of the few eco-friendly hotels in the world, where energy efficiency is fundamental. The toilets have been renovated to use just 0.8 gallons of water per flush, and dispensers for soap, lotion, and shampoo have been installed in each room to avoid unnecessary plastic packaging. The hotel uses only green and eco-friendly products, and the menu in the restaurant is strictly from local producers and is entirely vegan. Lawing does not hide his dream to open a Vegan sober bar one day, where all drinks are entirely vegan and with 0% alcohol.
If you are a nature lover, vegan, and conservationist, this hotel is quite literally made for you.
The Clevedale Historic Inn and Gardens at Spartanburg, South Carolina
If you are looking for a friendly, quiet, romantic, and somewhat historic place to stay, The Clevedale Inn and Gardens is a must-go for you. The hotel is located on the outskirts of the humble city of Spartanburg. Once a thriving textile manufacturing center and one of the biggest railroad hubs since the mid-20th century, the city has become a quiet community of about 37 thousand people.
Without much to do in the local area, The Clevedale Inn and Gardens is the perfect place to separate yourself from the world and spend some alone time in the property’s vast lush garden. The hotel offers five unique suits with all kinds of luxuries without compromising the building’s historical aspects. The beautiful early 20th-century architecture is truly a sight for sore eyes.
The Clevedale Inn and Gardens is a special place where Southern hospitality is not just a cliché but a business motto. As they put it themselves, Clevedale is “rich with history and hospitality!”. This makes it the perfect place for small gatherings, weddings, corporate events, or just enjoying some peace and quiet.
