For many of us, hitting the road means traveling down memory lane, visiting places significant in America's history. This summer, 48% of U.S. adults said they expected to visit a historic site, 6% more than last year, according to an annual survey by the Travel Industry Assn. of America.
Interest in historic and cultural trips has been increasing for several years, the TIA found. One index of that interest is the exponential growth in National Trust Historic Hotels of America, a program of the private, nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation that markets lodgings with a past.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday July 30, 2002 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 10 inches; 360 words Type of Material: Correction
Hotel location--The location of the Argyle hotel was incorrect in a Sunday's Travel Insider column ("Historic Hotels Give Guests a Place in History"). The hotel is in West Hollywood.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday August 04, 2002 Home Edition Travel Part L Page 5 Features Desk 0 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
Hotel location--The location of the Argyle hotel was incorrect in a Travel Insider column ("Historic Hotels Give Guests a Place in History," July 28). The hotel is in West Hollywood.
The hotel group, founded in 1989 with 32 members, grew to more than 100 hotels in just four years. This spring it added 12 members, the largest addition ever, boosting the total to 184 in 44 U.S. states plus one in Canada.
Members include such nationally known names as the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and the Williamsburg Inn in Williamsburg, Va., plus many that are obscure. California, with 20, has the most, including two at Yosemite National Park that were added in April.
"We're on the receiving end of a trend," says Thierry Roch, executive director of National Trust Historic Hotels. Travelers, especially baby boomers, are looking for lodgings with "character and personality," he says, often with links to personal and family histories.
Last summer, in partnership with Traveling America, Historic Hotels began offering "Driving Journeys" packages with themes such as architecture, African American heritage and the founding fathers. They combine stays at historic lodgings with admission to museums and other attractions.
Many are three or four days and cost less than $400 per person. Others are longer. The "Blue Ridge Parkway From Top to Bottom" lasts 12 days, includes six hotels and is "priced upon request," the group's Web site says. From 60 itineraries, the "Driving Journeys" list has grown to about 400 in the last year.
To belong to the National Trust Historic Hotels of America, lodgings must meet several criteria, Roch says: They must be full-service, with food and beverages; be at least 50 years old; be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, be eligible to be on that register or have received a local accolade for historic preservation; and "faithfully maintain their architectural integrity, both inside and out."
