Following an extensive $20 million renovation, the 120-room Redmont Hotel reopened last month in downtown Birmingham. It’s a gem of a place and is Alabama’s oldest operating hotel.
The 14-story boutique hotel includes 12 suites, along with two ballrooms and two board rooms. It has retained many of its charming historical features, art deco design and original 10-foot chandelier in the lobby. The Redmont, a member of Curio Collection by Hilton, includes a fine dining restaurant with an Italian flair and a café serving breakfast and lunch.
The Redmont opened in 1925 with a private bath for every room along with chilled water and ceiling fans, unusual luxuries for the time. The hotel was named for nearby Red Mountain. In the 1940s, the entire top floor was converted into a lavish penthouse for the owner and his family. In the 1980s, an investment group that included NBA players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ralph Sampson owned the hotel for a while.
Find out more about the musician and the Hank Williams Trail through Alabama.