Historic Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas

My daughter and I spent a couple nights in historic San Antonio, Texas this summer. We both love staying at unique properties rather than cookie-cutter hotels. Especially places with an interesting history. Wanting to be close to the Alamo and pedestrian River Walk, our choice was easy—the elegant Menger Hotel!

 

Location, location, location

Built in 1859, just 23 years after the battle of the Alamo, this beautiful grand dame is surprisingly affordable. And perfectly located.

Facing Alamo plaza, the Menger Hotel sits right beside the famed Alamo. The arched entrance is a few steps from the hotel’s Mengerita Taco Bar.

On the other side of the hotel is the Riverside Mall with an IMAX theater. Double decker tour buses and carriage rides await in the Alamo plaza.

Across the street are shops galore, cafes and attractions such as Ripley’s Believe it or Not, giant mazes and more.

Two blocks out the front door you’ll find steps descending to the River Walk. This walkway actually stretches for 15 miles and can be confusing to the first-time visitor staring at an online map trying to decide what part of the River Walk to stay near. This section, near the Alamo Plaza, is the main touristy loop of the pedestrian walkway where you can walk or boat past the many waterfront restaurants, bars and art museums.

The hotel itself has clothing, Texan souvenir and Haagen-Dazs ice cream shops on the ground floor.

Around the corner (facing the mall) is the exterior entrance to Sisters Grimm, a dark and creepy shop off Menger Hotel’s Victorian lobby. They lead nightly top-rated ghost tours by foot or bus.

Simply put, staying in the Alamo plaza allows you to park and walk nearly everywhere from here.

 

Victorian Lobby

Built in 1859, this three-tiered Victorian lobby has seen plenty of famous people over the years. Presidents, celebrities, and cattle barons all gathered here to network, socialize, make business deals. Or give political speeches. Menger purchased many of the antiques and 19th century paintings still on display.

To see this lobby, turn right when you enter Menger Hotel. Wander ahead until you see the three-tiered rotunda. And don’t forget to look up.

Guestrooms

The Menger Hotel offers 316 guestrooms and suites that vary greatly. Some have balconies overlooking the Alamo Plaza, outdoor pool, Spanish garden or the walled Alamo complex.

Each suite is unique from size, layout, decor to view. Named and decorated for previous guests, suites have antique looking beds, living rooms and kitchenettes. All are located in the original Victorian part of the hotel. Rooms may have four-poster beds, sofas covered in crushed velvet or floral patterned upholstery. Paintings, photographs and antiques nod to a different era.

Some of more unusual suites include the Roy Rogers suite decked out in leather and Western decor, or the corner King Ranch signature suite with a canopy bed and balcony overlooking the Alamo plaza. Two luxury suites, Babe Ruth and Teddy Roosevelt, have plantation shutters overlooking courtyard garden views. And the ultimate luxury suite has two bathrooms, a jacuzzi tub, wet bar, dining room, entertainment area and spacious living room with multiple balconies.

Standard guestrooms have King, Queen or double beds, writing desk, chairs, mini fridge and microwave. But they too differ again in size, decor and views. Rates begin around $140 and are discounted to $125 if you stay 2 nights, have AAA or AARP. Book direct through the Menger Hotel website to snag 2 free drinks and priority early check in/late check out plus free cancellation up to 24 hours.

Spanish Garden

A tranquil space, this garden is tucked into a courtyard off the Victorian lobby.

History

The Menger Hotel was built by William Menger and his wife Mary, who immigrated from Germany.

Mary arrived in San Antonio at the age of 28, in 1846. She operated a boarding house a block east of the Alamo next to the San Antonio River. When William arrived San Antonio in 1847, he became one of her boarders. He was a barrel maker by trade, and opened Texas’ first brewery near the battleground where the Alamo fell just 19 years prior. Here he served strong German beer by the barrel or stein. His beer was so potent that his customers often collapsed asleep on the brewery benches.

William and Mary who wed in 1851, moved the boarding house closer to the popular brewery on the Alamo Plaza in 1855. And 4 years later, built a proper hotel for their frequent guests.

Menger Hotel is Built

The two-story stone Menger Hotel with its elaborate Victorian lobby and 50 guestrooms became an overnight sensation, thanks in part from favorable press in major newspapers from New York to New Orleans. Providing services and amenities that were non-existent in Texas, Menger Hotel remained so popular that a three-story addition was built the following year, creating 40 more rooms to house all their guests. And kept expanding through the years…

The Menger Hotel was THE place to stay in all of Texas for cattle barons, military commanders, politicians, US Presidents, writers and celebrities. Many an empire was created with business dealings in the lavish lobby since it was a stopping point on the Chisholm Trail where cattlemen sold and bought livestock.

Just imagine those who walked through these same doors?

Food and Drink

Guests praised the cuisine at the Colonial dining room which featured freshly caught turtle soup, wild game and mango ice cream. Mary, as head chef, provided outstanding quality and variety unmatched in her farm to table dining. She bought grains, fruits and vegetables from German millers and farmers who provided diversified foods like wild honey, pecans, sweet potatoes, rye, peppers, garlic and butter not yet available elsewhere. William also butchered his own hogs. They gained fame for shipping ice from Boston (much appreciated in this heat), and importing stufffed olives, English currents, wine and champagne.

The most popular drinks at the Menger Bar were frosty mint juleps and hot toddies. But they also stored premium wines in underground cellars, in part of the tunnel network that led to the brewery and storage vaults to chill meat.

Landmark Status

The Menger Hotel became a landmark for visiting dignitaries. Parades began in front of the hotel, and important leaders of the time gave speeches from a stand in the hotel. Political groups gathered there before and after the Civil War, and officers enjoyed lavish parties before their departures.

During the Civil War, Mengers used the hotel to house Confederate soldiers and fed military personnel in the dining room. Menger even built a military facility across from his hotel in 1867, which the federal government leased from him until Fort Houston was ready a decade later.

William Menger

William Menger became one of the most successful business owners in frontier Texas with his hotel and brewery (largest and best in Texas), and was well loved in the city.

An active citizen and civil leader, he gave to the poor and served as an alderman in the city govenment. He founded and led a volunteer fire company in 1859, and purchased the first steam fire engine for San Antonio (naming the pump the Alamo).

When William suddenly fell ill at the hotel and died the same night on March 18, 1871, at the age of 45, the town acutely felt his loss. His funeral procession was over a mile long.

Mary Menger

For ten years, widowed Mary and their firstborn son, Louis, managed the hotel and it continued to flourish. Famous guests who came during this time included writer William Sydney Porter, musician Sidney Lanier, and President Ulysses Grant.

Mary’s menu for President Grant’s reception included oyster appetizers, trout, filet of beef, fried chicken with mushrooms, roast turkey, potatoe croquettes, asparagus, salad, strawberry meringues, Charlotte Russe, cream filled oranges, fruit cake, apricot tarts and lady fingers.

She loved devising menus and throwing parties. And even arranged horse and buggy transport for local businessmen to her dining room. Her recipes are still used today in the hotel’s Colonial dining room.

Mary and Louis operated the brewery until the railroad came to San Antonio in 1877, bringing an increase in tourists but also competition from national beer companies who were moving in. They closed and dismantled the brewery, creating space for yet another 3 story addition to their hotel with another 100 rooms.

This was the same year San Antonio’s first federal post office was opened on the Alamo Plaza. So Mary had mail chutes installed on each floor for guests, and staff mailed letters for them. A couple years later, Mary added gas lighting to the Menger Hotel.

In 1881, Mary sold the hotel and the furnishings for $118,500 to the German builder JH Kampmann, who had constructed the Menger Hotel and still had a lien on the property.

Kaufmanns

The new owner JH Kaufmann immediately expanded the hotel yet again, creating an entire east wing. He created a new lobby (which remains the reception area today), piped water to individual rooms to modernize the bathrooms, and enlarged the dining room.

Six years later he handed the reins over to his son, Hermann, who hired an architect to transform the bar into an exact replica of the House of Lords pub in England. He added a 4th floor to the hotel, elevators and electric lights. When he died from a horse and buggy accident in 1843, ownership fell to the Kaufmann family who hired architect Giles to add a French facade to the exterior, a new marble floor and Corinthian columns to the Victorian lobby.

After WW II

Through the early 20th century the hotel continued to prosper and withstood the Great Depression. After the war the Kaufmanns, who were no longer interested in running a hotel, began to neglect it. Social events were no longer held there, and the once grand elegant hotel began a swift descent into decline.

To save the hotel from being torn down, Louis Moody Jr. bought it in 1943. He spent a fortune on new plumbing,  air conditioning, upholstery, antiques, and art. And added San Antonio’s largest outdoor swimming pool. Moody completely renovated the hotel, including Kaufmann’s lobby, the guestrooms, gardens and public areas. But was careful to retain Menger’s original Victorian lobby and 50 guestrooms.

When Louis Moody died at age 89, ownership transferred to his daughter Mary Moody Northern. She sunk $1.5 million on another 5 story expansion to house guests expected to visit San Antonio’s World Fair in 1968.

Twenty years later, the Menger Hotel ownership briefly passed to Mary’s nephew Robert L Moody Jr. before selling to the Gal-Tex Corportation who spent another $9 million on renovations in the late 80’s.

National Registry of Historic Places

The Menger Hotel was added to the National registry of Historic Places in 1976. And achieved status among the Preferred Hotels Group in 2011.

William and Mary Menger set hospitality and service standards that remain to this day. Many of the furnishings, including the furniture, artwork and paintings throughout the hotel and lobby were purchased in the 1860’s on Menger’s buying trips to New York and Europe.

Architecture

Leading architects left their mark on the Menger Hotel.

Architect John Fries, who was responsible for repairing the shattered Alamo in 1850 and creating the curved parapet exterior on the famous chapel, also designed the original 50 room Menger Hotel and Victorian lobby.

Fries’ wrought iron scrollwork decorating the balustrade still stands, but Giles transformed the original cast iron columns into Corinthian columns 60 years later.

Architect Alfred Giles changed the exterior facade of the Menger Hotel in 1909. He added Renaissance Revival details to the stucco and added cast iron balconies, and replaced window shutters with awnings. Inside, he renovated the Victorian lobby into a Neoclassical style by encasing the Corinthian columns in decorative plaster and adding more columns to create symmetry. He also added a leaded glass ceiling and new tile floor where socialites gathered.

Famous Guests

Presidents, outlaws, ranchers, writers, Hollywood celebrities, miliary leaders and political activists have all stayed at this hotel.

Menger Hotel’s guest register includes Robert E Lee, Sam Houston, William Tecumseh Sherman, John Wayne, Butch Cassidy, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, Babe Ruth, Mae West and Sean Connery. Presidential guests included Ulysses Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, McKinley, Eisenhower, Woodrow Wilson, Taft, Benjamin Harrison, Truman, Nixon, Reagan, Johnson, George W. Bush, and Clinton.

Outside the hotel is a bronze statue of Teddy Roosevelt on horseback facing the tavern, where he recruited cowboys drinking at the Menger bar in 1898 to join his team of Rough Riders for the Spanish American War. He stayed at the Menger Hotel 4 times between 1892 and 1901. First, when he was 29 years old, during a javelina hunting trip. The next was with Colonel Ward to organize the 1st US Volunteer Calgary of Rough Riders. And subsequent visits to recruit. His last visit was for a reunion banquet in 1905.

Menger Hotel Bar

In 1887, the Menger Hotel bar was rebuilt as an exact replica of London’s House of Lords Pub. Patrons could sit at tables or at the bar surrounded by a dark cherry-paneled ceiling and paneled walls. There were large beveled French mirrors, brass fans and gold-plated spittoons.

The drink of choice was a mint julep served in a frosty silver tumbler (with ice shipped from Boston) or a hot rum toddy. Today the bar sports pictures and memorabilia from Teddy Roosevelt to honor this former guest.

 

Ghosts that Linger in the Menger Hotel

There are reportedly 32 different resident spirits that linger here.

Teddy Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt is the most famous ghost who haunts the Menger bar. Patrons and employees alike claim to have seen him drinking at the dimly lit bar where he sat years ago, offering free drinks to unsuspecting cowboys fresh off the Chisholm Trail in his attempt to coerce them into signing a contract to join his military group of Rough Riders.

Sallie White

The most frequently spotted spirit is a former employee, Sallie White, who worked as a maid. One night, after an argument with her husband, she stayed overnight at the hotel. The next day, March 28, 1876, her husband stabbed her inside the hotel where she laid for two days before dying. Many guests see her working in the Victorian wing. Wearing a black and white uniform, she’s usually cleaning bathrooms. But don’t be surprised if she knocks on your door in the middle of the night and asks if you need towels.

Richard King

Another ghost is cattle baron Richard King, who stayed so often that he had his own corner suite overlooking Alamo Plaza in the Menger Hotel. When doctors gave him grave news about of his impending death, King chose to spend the last months of his life at the hotel, finalizing plans for distributing his wealth and saying goodbye to his friends. His funeral was held in Menger’s parlor. His ghost is often seen entering his old room, going right through the wall where the door used to be.

Guests have reported seeing soldiers (no suprise, so close to the Alamo battlefield). Former guests, like an old lady knitting. And sometimes gruesome scary faces, like the three sisters in Victorian dress who were all murdered in 1859 by a jealous husband who learned of his wife’s affair. Others have felt something tug at their clothes or blankets—when there’s nothing there.

Other strange sights have been witnessed by employees in the kitchen. Like flickering lights. And various utensils that float through the air.

 

Our Stay in San Antonio

We booked a standard room with two queen beds. Bright, clean, comfortable. Had a mini fridge, microwave and a coffee maker.

Since I’d requested a view of the Alamo, we were in a modern wing. Our room on the 2nd floor, above the Mengerita Taco Bar, overlooked the eastern wall of the Alamo. (You can’t see the actual Alamo church from any room.)

Looking out our window, we could see people going in and out of the arched Alamo entrance. Couples, families, and a few uniformed Air Force cadets proudly leading their parents around. (Just like my younger brother Chris did years ago!) And a few tourists stopping to take selfies with a bronzed Teddy, facing the Menger Hotel bar below.

We’d arrived San Antonio hungry and hot, having just walked around the San Antonio Missions that morning, enroute from Austin. The summer sun here is intense!!

Checking into our room early (a nice perk at the Menger Hotel), we headed downstairs to grab a quick bite at Mengeritas. So glad we did. They had awesome, inventive $6 tacos with fresh avocados & perfect margaritas. I really could’ve lingered there awhile…but we had places to see.

First up, the Alamo. Literally steps away.

We had tickets to enter the Alamo church at 11am the next morning (need to reserve online). But still wanted to roam the property and see the exterior. So we wandered around statues in the gardens, taking our time reading plaques and information about important people and events regarding the Alamo. Then headed to the River Walk a couple blocks away.

River Walk

The main touristy loop of the pedestrian River Walk, near the Alamo Plaza, has many restaurants, bars and expensive hotels. Go Rio boats cruise this part of the canal. But the narrow walkway on either side of the canal continues for 15 miles if you want to keep going. Just beware of your surroundings. Because the further you walk, the dicier it feels… businesses and tourists disappear. We turned around when the only people around were either passed out on benches or lurking in shadows near bridges.

Photography was a bust on the River Walk. The light was strong and harsh even late in the day, making photography pointless for overview shots. I took very few pictures as the conditons were just too contrasty both days we visited. (I know, I coulda gone at dawn…)

Restaurants along the canal have outdoor/indoor dining options. All expensive. (Even a single cone at Ben & Jerry’s is $7.) We finally decided on a popular BBQ restaurant along the canal. Unfortunately the Colonial Room at the Menger Hotel is not open for dinner, otherwise we would’ve preferred the chance to dine there instead.

Ghost Tour

We hurried back toward our hotel to check into the Sisters Grimm shop for our 8:30pm Haunted walking tour. Certainly a creepy place to start…

Turned out that everyone in our group of 10 were all staying at the Menger Hotel. So of course the guide had fun with that, as the first 15 minutes of the tour talk about Menger’s history and its ghosts!

He led us around downtown sharing stories, tragedies and strange sightings in the area. And encouraged us to take photos to see if anything appeared.

We heard how the Morgan Hotel used to be a hospital (Carol Burnette was born there), then a pysch hospital. Many can attest that it has a haunted elevator that sometimes won’t let people off.

And how the Holiday Inn Express used to be a jail with a chute to the lower level morgue. The barred windows still don’t open.

We also watched part of the light show illuminating the Cathedral.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tour ended at the Alamo.

And with all the stories we’d heard, we were kinda relieved that we didn’t have a long walk home in the dark. Our hotel was right next door.

 

Victorian Wing

The next morning we met Jordan’s boyfriend and his family who were visiting for the day. We ate brunch at a bakery/restaurant a couple blocks away, toured the Alamo and other sights around the Alamo Plaza including a boot shop inside the Mall. Then meandered along the River Walk and took a cruise down the canal before eating at a TexMex restaurant on the Riverwalk. Tired after a busy day, we returned to our room.

Part of our window was covered with cardboard.

I immediately called reception. A man informed us that a freak accident had occured in our room. One of the weighted umbrellas at the Mengerita taco bar somehow got loose, lifted up and tried to sail through our window.

WHAT?! It hadn’t even been windy!

He calmly asked us to retrieve our belongings and come to the front desk for another room.

The employee gave us a set of keys and pointed us in the opposite direction. Toward the Victorian lobby.

OH! My daughter shot me a look. Our new room was in the original part of the Menger Hotel…where the ghosts are…

Passing antiques and Corinthian columns in the Victorian lobby, we took the elevator up and searched for our room number. We saw the hall leading to the King Ranch suite. (But not his ghost passing through the wall.)

Glad we’re not staying there! my daughter whispered. Clearly a little rattled after last night’s ghost tour.

Nearby we found our door. The Oscar Wilde Suite? They never mentioned they’d given us an upgrade! Sweet!!

Oscar Wilde

Entering we found a spacious living room, dining table, kitchenette and separate bedroom with an antique bed. And a wall of windows overlooking the pool. What an unexpected surprise!

We slept soundly and never had any ghostly encounters.

The next morning we took some pictures of our room. Was cool to think that Oscar Wilde once stayed here when he was on lecture tour in the USA. Several of his old books were under glass in a display case.

Apparently he liked to strut about the Menger Hotel in flamboyant attire. Wearing a black velvet coat with high-collared lace and half trousers to show off his scarlet red stockings, he  liked to mingle, moved through social circles sipping spiked lemonade and smoking long foreign cigarettes. Must’ve been quite a character. Wonder what he liked to talk about?

Which made me wonder—out of all the former guests that once stayed in this hotel, who would I have enjoyed talking to most?

Writer, President, celebrity…? So many choices, I really don’t know.

 

But I do know I would stay here again. In a heartbeat.

 

Parking

Downtown parking is expensive here, so compare rates. Hotels charge $39-60 a day for valet parking. The public garage closest to our hotel at the Riverside Mall had the most reasonable rates — 24 hrs cost $25. Rates are even less in open public parking lots scattered around town.

If arriving by car, visit other parts of town before settling downtown to save $$ parking fees. Prime example: San Antonio Missions south of the city have free parking.

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