If you haven’t yet been to Aiken,SC and the historic Willcox Hotel,— voted the #1 Best Hotel of the South by Southern Living Magazine in 2019 it’s a must add to your list. Since the last years of the 19th century, this grand edifice has graced the oak-lined streets of Aiken, providing a cozy fire and welcoming rest for weary travelers. Today, its towering white columns and warm hospitality embrace guests from around the world, many who come to enjoy the equestrian events for which Aiken is famous. A full-service hotel, restaurant, salon & spa, The Willcox Hotel is a beacon of southern charm and grace, and it pulses with the rich history of South Carolina’s genteel past.
Sleep Where the Legends Once Reclined
Guests can still stay in the room where Winston Churchill slept when they visit The Willcox. Although the smell of cigar smoke is long gone his aura may still be felt.They can admire the view Franklin D. Roosevelt often enjoyed and stroll the grounds that Elizabeth Arden once explored. There’s history here, and the stories behind it are as enchanting as the locale. John Jacob Astor, IV stayed at The Willcox, so did Joseph Pulitzer. It’s rumored that FDR’s train broke down so often near this very spot that a secret entrance was added just for him, with an elevator to bring him up from the tracks and into the hotel for a clandestine rendezvous with his mistress, Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, who lived in town. If you want to feel the pulse of the past in historic Aiken, SC, a stay at The Willcox Hotel is a necessity.
Enjoy Award-Winning Accommodations
Since 1900, The Willcox has welcomed guests into its sweeping, spacious rooms and embraced them with open arms. Long an icon of southern hospitality, The Willcox made #7 on Travel and Leisure’s list of Best Hotels in the World in 2016. The original gathering place for the winter colonists of the dawning 20th century, the hotel today still attracts throngs of visitors every year. They come for the nearby equestrian events and for the unfiltered charm of the southern experience. With a hotel, restaurant, and full-service salon & spa onsite, every day at the Willcox makes guests feel like royalty.
Amenities Are Endless at The Willcox Hotel. This historic hotel offers modern guests amenities for miles, including:
Free Breakfast ,Free Hi-Speed WiFi, Business Center and Internet Access, Babysitting Services, Fitness Center, Salon & Spa, Restaurant, Grocery Service, Lounge Area with Bar, Saltwater Pool, Dog and Horse Concierge Services, and of course pets are welcome.
And, though the list of hotel amenities is long and enviable, it’s really the hotel itself that’s the draw. Magnificent architecture, grand fireplaces, and museum-quality furniture make a stay at The Willcox Hotel worth repeating. Your pet gets a cozy bed here, as well as a home-baked treat. There’s a turndown service for you and one for your furry friend. Access to dry cleaning and laundry services makes your stay that much more comfortable. Guests will feel the difference from the moment they step into the grand lobby, which the locals have lovingly nicknamed The Living Room of Aiken.
Exploring the Charm and Gentility of Aiken, SC
