What's New at The Tremont House (Revised Oct. 29, 2009)

The Tremont House reopened on June 1 following a first floor renovation following Hurricane Ike which struck Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008. The hotel’s fully restored lobby and Toujouse Bar area continues to give the feel of a European-style hotel decorated in black, white, and grey while decorated with new JANUS et Cie furniture, new white Calacatta marble throughout the first level and an expanded front desk to serve guests. The hotel now offers complimentary Wi-Fi in the lobby and sleeping rooms. The hotel also took this opportunity to update the hallways on the upper floors and renovate the Belmont Suites.

 

The hotel’s popular historic Toujouse Bar, which dates back to the 1870s, was not damaged and continues to feature live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings. The hotel now operates The Rooftop Bar on weekends, specializing in frozen drinks and wine by the glass. The hotel has converted space on the first floor to a new 700 square foot meeting room with windows facing Mitchell Street (24^th Street) 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 Precor treadmills, elliptical cross trainers and cycles all fitted with 12-inch personal flat screen television screens and MP3 and iPod docking stations. 

 

The Tremont House unveiled a new look for its Belmont Suites in Fall of 2009. The Belmont Suites, located in the east side of the hotel is comprised of three floors. Each floor offers a series of three adjoining suites and parlors. Suites feature an elegant sitting area, guest bathroom, dining table and bar in each parlor. Suites are decorated in a classic neutral palette and furnished with either Baker or McGuire furniture, a custom rug created by Brintons and new classic white plantation shutters. Adjoining bedrooms are furnished with JANUS et Cie headboards and Anichini bedding manufactured in Italy. The Belmont suites continue to give a historic feel with its soaring ceiling and tall windows but now with a charming modern touch. 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 will be available in two suites. 

 

The Tremont House is located in the 1879 Leon & H. Blum Building in the heart of historic downtown Galveston. The east section of the hotel houses the newly renovated Belmont Suites. This adjoining building 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 owners Cynthia and George Mitchell as they made renovations to the hotel in the l980’s in preparation for a grant opening in 1985.  The hotel now offers three levels of suites on the second through fourth floors. 

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, 24-inch all-in-one PC/TV hybrids in its Internet booths, as well as complimentary Wi-Fi. The café will feature Starbucks coffee, pastries, a pizza oven, gourmet sandwiches, salads, soups and desserts. The Café will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as provide items for room service.

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 Cynthia and George Mitchell, owners 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.

 

The Tremont House now 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.