The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa is not only a premier hotel located at Hot Springs, Arkansas but also a part of the city’s history. Its Spanish-Colonial Revival style architecture, along with its enormous stature and placement at the city’s nucleus has made it a key historical landmark at Hot Springs. The Arlington Hotel you see today marks the third era of the hotel’s colorful history.
First and Second Arlington Hotel
The first Arlington Hotel was the first luxury hotel in the Hot Springs area. Its construction was financed by three entrepreneurs. It was made of wood, which had 120 guest rooms ready for accommodation, making it the largest in the state. It opened its doors in 1875. An additional 100 rooms and a new dining room were added in the late 1880s. It operated for 18 years until it was razed to make room for a new 300-room Spanish renaissance structure in 1893.
Referred to as “the most elegant and complete hotel in America” by Charles Cutter, the newly rebuilt Arlington Hotel boasted a red brick make with 300 rooms across its 4 floors. It featured a spacious veranda with arcades across the full length of the hotel and was designed in three sections. The new Arlington Hotel boasted a grand ornamental oak stairway which circled a beautiful glass dome, a wide lobby, a spacious ballroom, and a pink parlor. Unfortunately, the building was consumed by fire on April 5, 1923.
Arlington Hotel Renaissance
The third Arlington Hotel is what you see standing today. Its Spanish-Colonial Revival style facade was designed by Mann and Stern in 1924. It was relocated to its present location at the corner of Central Avenue and Fountain Street and its previous location at the end of Bathhouse Row is now known as Arlington Park.
The modern Arlington Hotel has 560 rooms. It now houses several key facilities including the Writing Room, Magnolia Room (formerly the Card Room), a Board Room for meetings, and several parts of the 1924 structure such as the Crystal Ballroom, Venetian Room, and lobby. It now includes an in-house bath house with separate accommodations for men and women and 50 rooms with thermal mineral waters flowing through their pipes.
Several famous persons have been accommodated by The Arlington Hotel throughout its years of operation. Such figures as U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, George H.W. Bush, and Hot Springs native Bill Clinton have all been attracted to the hotel’s elegance and luxuriousness in America’s First Resort. Other famous guests include Babe Ruth, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, and Yoko Ono. Even the infamous gangster Al Capone frequently visited The Arlington Hotel on numerous occasions. He would rent the entire floor for his bodyguards and staff members and keep his favorite Room 442 to himself.
Amenities
Guests at the Arlington Resort Hotel not only get to enjoy its soothing environment and historical location, but also its first-class amenities that will surely make you want to stay.
It is conveniently located in Hot Springs National Park and Bathhouse Row so you’ll get to enjoy the best things Hot Springs has to offer. Its lobby bar was ranked as one of the best bars by Esquire magazine. Several rooms are available for meetings and conventions including their convention center, several meeting rooms, and even the historic Crystal Ballroom.
