City: Birmingham, AL

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (205) 322-2100

Address: 2021 Park Place North

Insider Pick:

Description: Opened in 1914 by Robert Jemison, The Tutwiler was a Birmingham landmark, a grand dame with a lavish lobby and a ballroom that could hold 1,200 people. But the 1960s and 1970s were tough years and the hotel was eventually demolished in 1974. Just over a decade later and a block away, The Ridgely Apartment building, owned by the Tutwiler family and built the same year as the hotel, was renovated and became the new Tutwiler Hotel. A $9-million transformation of the building in 2007 returned this historic hotel to the forefront of Birmingham lodgings. The “new” hotel essentially preserved the building’s historic shell while outfitting an almost all-new interior hotel. The 149 rooms are completely restored, as are the original windows. Amenities such as Wi-Fi, a fitness room, and cafe with city views have been added. The Tutwiler is full service with valet parking, doormen, bell service, a concierge, 24-hour room service, and all one would expect from one of downtown’s premier hotels. Historic photos of Birmingham are displayed throughout the marbled lobby, rooms, and public spaces, reminding guests that if the Tutwiler didn’t exist, the city would surely have to invent it.