Hotel 1914
A century-old boutique hotel in one of the most beautiful downtown buildings in San Antonio.
Hotel 1914 is a historic boutique in the original 1914 Travelers Hotel building at 220 Broadway, just steps from the Alamo and one block from the River Walk. I did not sleep here. I stayed at Hotel Contessa while Mary Ryan and Andrew were at 1914, and I walked over to see the property so I could shoot the video and tell you what it is. So here is what it is. It is a 110-year-old building with real architectural bones, a downtown location that nothing in the city beats, and a price point that lets you spend your money on San Antonio instead of the room. It is not a full-service hotel. It is not a resort. If that is what you are looking for, this is not your pick and they will be the first to tell you so. But if you want a historic San Antonio address and a door that opens onto the Alamo, this building has been doing that for over a century.
Over a Century of Stories
The building has been watching downtown San Antonio for more than 110 years. Opened its doors in 1914 as the Travelers Hotel and has hosted generations of visitors ever since. The exterior, the lobby bones, the hallway proportions, the staircase — it all carries the fingerprint of the era it was built in. The property has since been folded into the Ascend Hotel Collection by Choice Hotels, which means the historic building now has modern standards layered underneath: fresh bedding, solid climate control, consistent service. History and hospitality in the same address.
Why this one sticks
Hotel 1914 is not for everyone. It is a budget-friendly historic boutique, not a luxury stay. But if you are here to see San Antonio and you want a room that costs less than a good dinner, in a building that has been watching downtown since before the Alamo became a museum, this is the right call. Spend the saved money on the city.
Onsite Dining
There is an onsite restaurant and lounge bar on the ground floor serving a daily buffet breakfast and a small dinner menu. Menu and hours can change, so ask at check-in. Convenient for a night in after a long travel day.
What Is Within a 5-Minute Walk
The Alamo and Everything Else
90 seconds away on foot. Go early.
The busiest, most photographed stretch of the River Walk is right there.
Mi Tierra, shops, mariachi. The city at its most festive.
A Perfect 24 Hours From Hotel 1914
Hotel 1914 does not have full room service, but the location is the whole story. You walk out the front door and you are in the most walkable part of downtown San Antonio. Here is the day we would build.
Morning
The hotel runs a daily buffet breakfast on the ground floor. Grab-and-go coffee is out 24/7 so you can start the day without waiting. Eat in the dining room or pack a croissant and a cup and head out into the morning.
This is the move. Walk to the Alamo before anyone else is there. Free. Quiet. You get the grounds to yourself for 20 minutes. Mary Ryan said this was the best moment of their whole San Antonio visit.
Open 24 hours since 1941. Strolling mariachi in the morning, year-round Christmas lights, one of the best panaderías in Texas in the front. Order the breakfast tacos and bring home a bag of pan dulce.
Midday
The busiest, most photographed stretch of the River Walk is one block from the hotel. Walk it, take a barge tour once in your life, and then head north from the downtown loop for the quieter, prettier stretch toward the Pearl.
The first restaurant ever built on the River Walk, opened in 1946 and still serving Tex-Mex on the water with the umbrella-striped tables you have seen in every photo of the city. Cheesy enchiladas, Casa Rio rice, and a margarita by the river.
Thirty-eight acres of Texas native plants, rose gardens, a formal orangerie, and a Japanese pavilion. Especially beautiful in spring. A reset for the middle of the day.
Evening
San Antonio’s signature downtown rooftop cocktail bar. Skyline views, creative cocktails, classic happy-hour energy. Go around golden hour. Order the Paramour Punch.
Southtown Tex-Mex institution. Queso is non-negotiable. Order the enchiladas verdes if you want to be serious about it. Live music most weekends. Busy, loud, exactly the kind of San Antonio you came for.
Free 25-minute projection-mapping show on the facade of the oldest cathedral in Texas. Tuesday through Sunday at 9pm and 9:30pm. Unexpectedly moving. Walk the River Walk back to Hotel 1914 afterward with the bridges lit up.
Book a Stay
Hotel 1914 is at 220 Broadway Street, part of the Ascend Hotel Collection by Choice Hotels.