This post is sponsored by the General Francis Marion Hotel. All opinions are 100% my own. Please see my disclosure policy.
If you have ever traveled through the state of Virginia, you are well aware there’s a lot of highway to travel. In fact, there are 300+ miles of road going up I-81 in Virginia alone!
After our visit with family and an overnight stay in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the Bird-in-Hand Family Inn, we continued our road trip, but instead of going north, we began traveling south for home.
We were so fortunate to find the charming General Francis Marion Hotel in Marion, Virginia, for our last overnight stay of this fall road trip!
The General Francis Marion Hotel is a boutique, historic hotel with five floors.
Guest rooms are on floors three, four, and five with twelve luxurious rooms on each floor.
The General Francis Marion is a perfect stay for couples, but it was also more than accommodating for a family of four with two small children!
It has been recognized as one of National Geographic's Top 150 Hotels in North America and as the winner of six Virginia Living magazine’s “Best of Virginia 2019” awards.
The hotel is located near the historic Lincoln Theatre, where audiences are entertained with shows and musical performances still today. The town of Marion, Virginia, is known as “America’s Coolest Hometown.”
The General Francis Marion Hotel is truly unique because it has all the comforts of a modern hotel with the character of a 1920’s hotel.
General Francis Marion Hotel | Marion Virginia | History
The General Francis Marion Hotel, as well as the town of Marion, Virginia, are named after General Francis Marion who was a military officer in the American Revolutionary War. He is known as the father of the United States Army Rangers.
The General Francis Marion Hotel was constructed in early twentieth-century Colonial Revival Style and was opened for business in May of 1927.
The hotel was built across the street from the closed Hotel Marion; however less than a year after the General Francis Marion Hotel opened, Hotel Marion was renovated and reopened. The similar hotel names confused travelers making reservations, so Mr. Lincoln, one of General Francis Marion Hotel’s co-owners, hesitantly agreed to change the name to Hotel Lincoln in 1928.
Until the 1960s the hotel was the most important venue for social and political events in the town of Marion, Virginia.
Over the years, the hotel was owned by different families and was even used for permanent lodging and a restaurant. The building declined in the 90s, and the hotel actually closed in October of 1999. After new owners renovated the hotel, it was reopened in February 2006. At that time, the owners decided to officially use the hotel’s initial, historic name, the General Francis Marion Hotel.
General Francis Marion Hotel | Marion, Virginia | Reservations
When I contacted the general manager about a potential hotel reservation, she was prompt and professional in her interactions. I appreciated the way she returned my phone call and sent me a detailed email confirmation about my upcoming hotel stay. The email included all the information for my reservation as well as complete directions to the hotel.
General Francis Marion Hotel | Marion, Virginia | Check-in
We arrived at the hotel close to 11:00 p.m. due to terrible traffic. We were scheduled to arrive around 8:30 p.m., but you just can’t plan for traffic delays! The front desk staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so we had no trouble checking in at a later hour. Hotel check-in begins at 3 p.m. for earlier arriving guests.
The check-in attendant welcomed us and gave information about the complimentary breakfast and how to locate our room. She also presented our room key and made sure we understood that losing it would incur a fee of $100. The hotel uses real keys, and they are attractively attached to a key ring with an antique key. Losing a key would cost the hotel a great amount of additional expense, so I appreciated the check-in attendant reinforcing the key policy!
General Francis Marion Hotel | Marion, Virginia | Guest Room Accommodations
My family was blessed to stay in a two-room executive suite with a king bed.
I felt like I stepped back in time (in a grand way!!!) when I walked into our delightfully furnished hotel room. From the furniture to the curtains, the décor was lovely and elegant!
I could almost pretend I was staying in a ritzy home in the 1920s!
The king bed was absolutely huge! It may have been a California king bed, which is larger than a traditional king bed! The bed was a four-poster bed made of gorgeous mahogany wood. The mattress was much more comfortable than even our mattress at home, so my husband wanted to load it up in our vehicle, but it wouldn’t fit! The sheets were impeccably clean, and made of crisp, white cotton. We slept very well!
The room also included a chaise lounge, which is a cross between a chair and a couch… yet another item my husband wanted to take home! He’s tall, so it was a comfy piece of furniture for him to relax.
A TV with plenty of channel options was available, but we were too tired to watch anything! I did use the Wi-Fi service, even though that wasn’t heard of in the 1920s!
I took advantage of the modern conveniences of the 21st century while I imagined going back in time in the 1920s, boutique-style hotel!
A nice-sized closet was accessible for hanging clothes, and an ironing board and iron were included.
Even though the rooms have been renovated and are updated, they still have a historical feel and flare. An interesting fact about the doors at the General Francis Marion Hotel is that the guest room, closet, and bathroom doors are all the 1920s originals. The ventilation system in the 1920s was different than it is today, so the wood panels on the backs of the doors have been sealed.
Our room had a simple but stylish desk with a marble top that was initially used to cover radiators in the public areas. The woodwork in the room is also original.
The bathroom was current and inviting, and the cleanliness was impressive. The water pressure in the showerhead was just perfect, and the soaps smelled so fresh. I don’t usually use hotel soaps, but I used them at the General Francis Marion! Our bathroom had plenty of plush towels and even a special cloth for makeup removal. I loved the style of the window covering in the bathroom, and I’m sure it is a custom-made product.
A double-door entryway led to a sitting room with a sleeper sofa, desk, chairs, and ottoman. My children used the sleeper sofa and felt like they had their own little room. The sitting room included an additional TV enclosed in a beautiful entertainment cabinet. Magazines were also provided on the ottoman.
General Francis Marion Hotel | Marion, Virginia | Complimentary Breakfast
We decided to sleep in a little after our long trip, but we still made it to breakfast just before it closed at 9:30 a.m. Breakfast was simple but included plenty of options for all ages. Cereal bars, oatmeal, yogurt, oranges, bagels, and toast were all available, as well as milk, juices, and coffee.
The breakfast hostess offered to make the children waffles, but they wanted a cereal bar instead! Eggs are also a possible breakfast choice upon request. The breakfast dining area is decorated with various pieces of artwork, and the atmosphere of the entire hotel was peaceful and quiet at breakfast and for our overnight stay.
General Francis Marion Hotel | Marion, Virginia | Lobby and Mezzanine
The breakfast area is on the first floor and is located off the main lobby. The Speakeasy Dining is the hotel’s gourmet restaurant that is also located off the main lobby. It is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday and serves brunch on Sunday.
A French-style stone staircase with ornamental iron railings leads to the registration area where the registration desk of the 1920s is still in use.
After breakfast, we explored the upstairs areas a little more and discovered a classy ballroom with authentic walnut paneling and oak flooring, a card room, and a balcony that overlooks Marion’s Main Street.
The hotel has four Gothic columns and three pointed arches, and the terrazzo tile is original on the three lobby floors.
General Francis Marion Hotel | Marion, Virginia | Check-out
We relaxed in our room until check-out at 11:00 a.m. We wanted to savor the full experience before leaving, so we let the children watch some cartoons while we took our time packing up our things in the room.
I thoroughly appreciated the entire adventure at the historic General Francis Marion Hotel. It was like a step back in time that included the 1920s grandeur plus all of today’s modern conveniences!
*Book your room for southern hospitality at its finest at the General Francis Marion Hotel!
*Find the General Francis Marion Hotel on social media!
*At the time of this post, the General Francis Marion Hotel rates 4.5 (Excellent) on TripAdvisor®.
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