The Tremont House Story Ideas - Revised

 

Located amid the museums, galleries and shops in the heart of The Historic Downtown Strand District is The Tremont House, a Wyndham Grand Hotel and National Trust Historic Hotel of America. The original Tremont House ― a square, two-story brick building ― was built in 1839 and later destroyed by fire. A second Tremont House was demolished in 1928.  In 1985, through the efforts of George and Cynthia Mitchell, the hotel was  opened again in a new location ―the 1879 Leon H. Blum building, where it maintains a 19^th century ambiance.  A four-story atrium lobby features 11-foot tall windows from the rooms above, lush plants and two birdcage elevators. The hotel’s one hundred and two spacious guestrooms are accented by black and white décor, marble bathrooms and pillow-top mattresses. The Tremont House offers a total of 17 suites including eight in the Belmont section of the hotel.

The closest commercial airport to Galveston is Houston’s William P Hobby which is 45 minutes away.   Hobby offers daily service via AirTran, American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest. Airport shuttle service begins at $35 per person. 

v  The Tremont House Reopens

The Tremont House was temporarily closed following damage caused when Hurricane Ike struck Galveston Island on September 13, 2008.  The re-opening of the hotel on June 1, 2009, revealed a  fully restored lobby and Toujouse Bar area decorated in tones of black, white and grey and featuring  new JANUS et Cie furniture, new white Calacatta marble and an expanded front desk to serve guests. Also updated during this renovation period were the hallways on the upper floors and the hotel’s spacious Belmont Suites.  The hotel now offers complimentary Wi-Fi in the lobby and sleeping rooms.

 

The hotel has converted space on the first floor to a new 700 square foot meeting room, with bringing the hotel’s total meeting space to 14,700 square feet. The hotel’s remodeled fitness center is equipped with Paramount weight equipment, as well as Precor treadmills, elliptical cross trainers and cycles all fitted with 12-inch personal flat screen television screens and MP3 and iPod docking stations. 

 

v  The Tremont House Launches new Rooftop Parties

The Tremont House is the only hotel to offer a Rooftop Bar. This summer, guests can enjoy live acoustic music on the rooftop every Thursday from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. as part of a weekly Party on The Rooftop. The Rooftop Bar is now open Monday through Friday from 4:30 – 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. On Thursday through Friday, the rooftop happy hour menu offers a coastal theme featuring fresh Gulf shrimp, ceviche shooters, grilled oysters Bienville and Rockefeller and more. The Rooftop Bar features organic spirits and wine as well as regular top shelf favorites. During the summer, the bar will have special promotion nights featuring small batch whiskey and scotch flights. Note: The Rooftop Bar is occasionally closed for private events.

v  The Tremont House Unveils New Belmont Suites

The Tremont House unveiled a new look for its Belmont Suites in October 2009. The Belmont Suites, located in the east side of the hotel in an adjoining building occupy three floors. Each floor offers a series of three adjoining suites and parlors. Suites feature an elegant sitting area, dining area and bar in to luxurious sleeping and bath accommodations.

Upon arrival, guests will discover the Belmont suites are stocked with fresh flowers, gourmet snacks and coffee, robes and slippers. Guests also receive complimentary Wi-Fi and turndown service. Additionally, table service is available in two suites. This portion of the hotel dates back to 1873 and was converted into a hotel in 1909 when it opened as the Royal Hotel.  At this time, the fifth and sixth floors were added. This hotel was later operated as the Palmetto House Hotel and the Belmont Hotel.  It was known as the Belmont Hotel from 1968 until 1979 when a fire damaged the building. The fifth and sixth floors were then removed by the current owner, George Mitchell as renovations to the hotel were made in the l980’s in preparation for a grand opening in 1985.  The hotel now offers three levels of suites on the second through fourth floors. 

v  The Tremont House Introduces New Tremont Cafe and Launches New Bistro Style Menu

Tremont Café is following the current trend of offering a cyber café to appeal to travelers’ mobile computing needs. The gourmet cyber café features a 40-inch LCD television at the counter bar, two 24-inch all-in-one PC/TV hybrids in its Internet booths, as well as complimentary Wi-Fi. The café features Starbucks coffee, pastries, a pizza oven, gourmet sandwiches, salads, soups and desserts. The Café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner  and also  provides selections for room service. Tremont Café recently launched a new bistro style menu. As part of the new menu, the café has added new “After 5” entrée selections..

 

v  Davidson Ballroom Renovated

The hotel’s adjacent Davidson Ballroom located in the Davidson Building has been completely renovated under the direction of Sheridan Lorenz and Lori Mitchell, daughter and granddaughter of George Mitchell, owner of the hotel.  A lighting fixture dating back to the late 1800’s and formerly located in the original Mardi Gras Museum has been added to the ceiling above the staircase. The ballroom is decorated with window treatments using Brunchwig & Fils fabric, Maharam wall covering, Baldinger sconces and custom made carpeting from England. The 7,946 square foot Davidson Ballroom can hold up to 700 people for a standing reception and 500 for a seated dinner. The newly renovated Davidson Annex, located on the first floor, can host up to 100 people.

 

v  Allergen and germ free guestrooms

The Tremont House offers Wyndham ClearAir Rooms with the PURE system.  The PURE system provides allergen- and germ-free guestrooms through a seven-step air purification process where 98-100 percent of all viruses and bacteria are eliminated.  All room surfaces are treated to remove and hinder contaminants.  As part of this process, a tea tree oil cartridge is installed that acts as a natural disinfectant.  The PURE system, which is recognized by the FDA as a class II medical device, is the most comprehensive allergy-friendly system in the hospitality industry. ClearAir sleeping rooms are an optional upgrade.  In sleeping rooms, the air is filtered every 15 minutes.