The British travel website Nights In The Past has revealed what it believes to be the 20 most historic places to stay in the USA. Featured hotels and inns range from those built during the early 1700s to others from the beginning of the 20th century. While some can boast hundreds of guest rooms, many are small family-run bed and breakfasts. However, all have connections to great figures and events from American history.
 
Although Nights In The Past focuses primarily on accommodation within the UK and Europe, the site’s creator, Christian Boulton, believes that the USA has plenty to offer those who enjoy ‘time traveling’: “American history may only stretch back four centuries or so, but it really has crammed a great deal into that comparatively short space of time. After all, it possesses some of the world’s most recognizable historic icons. And this is our little way of celebrating some of the places associated with many of them.”
 
“Many people in Europe also have this preconception that the USA possesses much less heritage than their own. I only hope that this goes some way to proving them wrong.”
 
Among a few of the historic jewels on the list are:

  - The Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, California
  - The Holbrooke Hotel, Grass Valley, California
  - Hotel Colorado, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
  - Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island, Georgia
  - The Monteleone Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana

The final list was drawn up after many hours of deliberation with factors such as the prominence of the person or event, and the building’s state of preservation being taken into account. However, anyone who knows of somewhere they believe should be included is welcome to get in touch with the guide. “There may be a hidden gem somewhere that we’ve yet to come across. Although the whole website has taken over five thousand hours to research and put together, I’m still coming across some remarkable places to stay.”

Other historic places to stay that take us back to days gone by are:
 
  - The St. James Hotel, Cimarron, New Mexico
  - The Pollard, Red Lodge, Montana
  - Olde Talbot Tavern, Bardstown, Kentucky
  - Concord’s Colonial Inn, Concord, Massachusetts
  - Omni-Parker House Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts
  - Thayer’s Inn, Littleton, New Hampshire
  - The Beekman Arms, Rhinebeck, New York
  - Soho Hotel, New York, New York
  - The Algonquin Hotel, New York, New York
  - The Golden Lamb, Lebanon, Ohio
  - Buxton Inn, Granville, Ohio
  - John Rutledge House Inn, Charleston, South Carolina
  - The Equinox, Manchester Village, Vermont
  - The Inn at Narrow Passage, Woodstock, Virginia
  - Mayhurst Inn, Orange, Virginia

Christian, a broadcast journalist, began Nights In The Past after staying in a number of hotels where kings such as England’s Henry VIII and celebrated figures such as Winston Churchill had previously visited. It also features a large number of other period buildings, some almost a thousand years old, which offer accommodation in Britain, France, Italy and other Western European countries. “Modern hotels are obsessed with Wi-Fi access and corporate hospitality. But how many of them can offer a room slept in by a President or suchlike? That’s what makes these places so very special and deserving of celebration.”