San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio Historic Hotels & Inns
Ten historic hotels and B&Bs in buildings from 1852 to 1929: on Alamo Plaza, along the River Walk and in the King William district.
The short answer
Stay downtown, on Alamo Plaza or along the River Walk, where the Alamo, river cruises and the convention center are a walk away. For the classic, book The Menger, opened beside the Alamo in 1859, which calls itself the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi. For ghost stories, The Emily Morgan, a 1924 medical tower on Historic Hotels of America’s 2026 most-haunted list; for a grand hotel, The St. Anthony on Travis Park. For a quieter house with off-street parking, the King William B&Bs: The Oge House or Brackenridge House. Downtown, budget $43 to $59 a night for valet.
Our top picks
Best overall
The Menger Hotel
Built 1859
William and Mary Menger's 1859 hotel beside the Alamo, which the hotel says is the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the…
Best small inn
The Oge House
Built 1857
A stone house begun as early as 1857 and enlarged by Alfred Giles for rancher and former Texas Ranger Louis Oge, on…
Most haunted
The Emily Morgan Hotel
Built 1924
A 1924 Gothic Revival medical tower on Alamo Plaza with gargoyles depicting ailments, now on Historic Hotels of America's 2026 most-haunted list.
Grand hotel
The St. Anthony
Built 1909
J. Flood Walker's 1909 hotel facing Travis Park, whose two eight-story towers were joined behind a single facade in 1935.
Compare them side by side
| Inn | Area | Built | Rooms | Type | Price | Haunted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omni La Mansión del Rio | River Walk | 1852 | 338 | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| The Oge House | King William | 1857 | 10 | B&B | $$ | Yes | Rates |
| The Menger Hotel | Alamo Plaza | 1859 | 316 | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| Mokara Hotel & Spa | River Walk | c. 1900 | 99 | Boutique hotel | – | Rates | |
| Brackenridge House | King William | c. 1901 | 5 | B&B | $ | Rates | |
| The Crockett Hotel | Alamo Plaza | 1909 | 138 | Boutique hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| The Gunter Hotel | Downtown | 1909 | – | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| The St. Anthony | Downtown | 1909 | – | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| The Emily Morgan Hotel | Alamo Plaza | 1924 | – | Boutique hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk | River Walk | 1929 | 368 | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
Price is a typical nightly rate: $ under $200, $$ $200–349, $$$ $350–549, $$$$ $550+. Rates vary by season; check the inn for exact prices.
Where they are
The neighborhoods
Where to stay, by area
Alamo Plaza
The plaza in front of the Alamo is the city’s historic core, and the Alamo Plaza Historic District has been on the National Register since 1977. Three historic hotels stand inside it, a few minutes’ walk from the River Walk and the convention center: The Menger (1859); The Crockett (1909), built by the Odd Fellows as a lodge and hotel; and The Emily Morgan (1924), a former medical building. All three are valet-only, and the Menger and the Crockett require the person checking in to be 21.
The River Walk and downtown
The River Walk is a free public park running 15 miles, about five of them through downtown. The downtown and Museum Reach sections are open 24 hours, and Mission Reach is open in daylight. Robert Hugman’s 1929 plan was completed in 1941, and the walk was extended for HemisFair ’68, to the Pearl in 2009 and to the Spanish missions in 2013. The downtown walk and its historic hotels sit in the San Antonio Downtown and River Walk Historic District, on the National Register since 2018.
Inns here: Omni La Mansión del Rio, in an 1852 school that became a hotel for HemisFair ’68, and Mokara Hotel & Spa, both on the River Walk; the Drury Plaza, in the 1929 Alamo National Bank tower near Main Plaza; and, elsewhere in the same district, The Gunter on Houston Street and The St. Anthony facing Travis Park.
King William
Laid out between 1853 and 1859 on former Alamo mission farmland just south of downtown along the river, King William became the heart of the city’s German community, with Victorian and earlier stone houses. The city made it a historic district in 1968 (Noble Inns calls it the first in Texas), and it joined the National Register in 1972. Its two verified B&Bs, The Oge House and Brackenridge House, are a short walk from the River Walk and downtown, and both have off-street parking.
Southtown
The shopping, dining and arts area next to King William along South Alamo Street. Visit San Antonio pitches King William stays as walking distance to Southtown’s shops and food, and the Blue Star industrial area here is its own National Register district (1994). None of the verified historic inns is in Southtown itself; the King William B&Bs are next door.
The inns
Built 1852 · Spanish Colonial Revival · River Walk · Grand hotel
Omni La Mansión del Rio
Why stay An 1852 limestone school, later a law school, turned into a hotel only in 1968 with a six-story addition over the river for HemisFair '68.
The ghost story Hotel management told KSAT that staff blame "Little Jimmy," said to be a young student from the building's St. Mary's College days, for haunting the old school gymnasium, now an event space, and for repeatedly cracking one of its windows.
Good to know Parking: on-site paid · Elevator
Built 1857 · Neo-Classical (Greek Revival origins) · King William · B&B
The Oge House
Why stay A stone house begun as early as 1857 and enlarged by Alfred Giles for rancher and former Texas Ranger Louis Oge, on 1.5 acres overlooking the river.
The ghost story Ghost-tour lore holds that the owner who turned the house into an inn in 1991 saw shadowy figures and had herbs blow off kitchen shelves, and that the spirit of a young girl and an unnamed man, said to favor the Mathis Room, still visit.
Good to know Breakfast: available · Parking: on-site paid
Built 1859 · Alamo Plaza · Grand hotel
The Menger Hotel
Why stay William and Mary Menger's 1859 hotel beside the Alamo, which the hotel says is the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi.
The ghost story Guests and staff report sightings of Sallie White, a chambermaid killed by her husband whose funeral the hotel paid for, in the halls of the historic section. Lore also attaches spirits to Theodore Roosevelt and to King Ranch founder Capt. Richard King, who died in his suite in 1885.
Good to know Parking: on-site paid · No pets
Built c. 1900 · Commercial Style / Renaissance Revival (NRHP inventory) · River Walk · Boutique hotel
Mokara Hotel & Spa
Why stay A c. 1900 seven-story building on the River Walk that Omni identifies as the old L. Frank Saddlery, with a 17,000-square-foot spa.
Good to know Parking: on-site paid · Elevator
Built c. 1901 · Greek Revival · King William · B&B
Brackenridge House
Why stay A c. 1901 four-apartment flat built by John T. Brackenridge, rolled to Madison Street in 1985 and opened in 1986 as King William's first B&B.
Good to know Breakfast: included · Parking: on-site free
Built 1909 · Classical Revival · Alamo Plaza · Boutique hotel
The Crockett Hotel
Why stay A 1909 Odd Fellows lodge and hotel just east of the Alamo; Historic Hotels of America says its pool sits where Crockett's men held the palisade.
The ghost story The hotel's assistant general manager told KSAT that strange things sometimes happen on the fourth floor, including an elevator that traveled between floors with no one pressing a button, and that staff accounts have drawn ghost hunters to the hotel.
Good to know Breakfast: available · Parking: on-site paid · Pets welcome
Built 1909 · Renaissance Revival (skyscraper) · Downtown · Grand hotel
The Gunter Hotel
Why stay A 1909 Houston Street hotel named for cattleman Jot Gunter, where bluesman Robert Johnson recorded 'Cross Road Blues' in Room 414 in 1936.
The ghost story Guests and staff have reported cold spots, flickering lights, whispers and a shadowy figure in Room 636 since the 1960s. Others describe a woman in white in the halls, phantom piano music and dark figures in the ballroom and basement after hours.
Good to know Pets welcome
Built 1909 · Spanish Colonial Revival details (per NRHP district description) · Downtown · Grand hotel
The St. Anthony
Why stay J. Flood Walker's 1909 hotel facing Travis Park, whose two eight-story towers were joined behind a single facade in 1935.
The ghost story Visit San Antonio relays the tale behind the hotel's Haunt bar: in the 1940s Isabella, in a red gown, waited in vain for her lover at the Anacacho Ballroom, and guests reportedly still see the "Lady in Red" wandering the halls.
Built 1924 · Gothic Revival · Alamo Plaza · Boutique hotel
The Emily Morgan Hotel
Why stay A 1924 Gothic Revival medical tower on Alamo Plaza with gargoyles depicting ailments, now on Historic Hotels of America's 2026 most-haunted list.
The ghost story Per reports HHA attributes to the hotel's management, the seventh, ninth and fourteenth floors, once the psychiatric ward, surgery level and waiting area/morgue, are the most haunted. Guests report a hospital smell, doors opening on their own and apparitions of nurses pushing gurneys.
Good to know Breakfast: available · Parking: on-site paid · Pets welcome
Built 1929 · Art Deco / eclectic skyscraper · River Walk · Grand hotel
Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk
Why stay The 24-story 1929 Alamo National Bank tower by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, with free hot breakfast; some rooms are in a newer addition.
The ghost story Ghost-tour lore holds that a security guard's ghost still patrols the old Alamo National Bank vault, now a restaurant, that a phantom elevator operator rides the lifts, and that the 13th floor is the building's most active.
Good to know Breakfast: included · Parking: on-site paid · Pets welcome
No inns match that filter.
Before you book
Planning your stay
Getting around
Downtown and the River Walk are walkable, and the River Walk’s downtown and Museum Reach sections are open 24 hours. GO RIO River Cruises runs boat tours and river taxis daily, weather permitting. VIA Metropolitan Transit runs the city’s buses, VIA Link on-demand rides and VIAtrans paratransit, and bike and scooter rentals operate in designated areas.
Parking
Downtown historic hotels are almost all valet-only: about $54 to $59 a night at the three Alamo Plaza hotels, $55 at the two Omni hotels (La Mansión del Rio and Mokara) and $43 at the Drury Plaza. In King William, Brackenridge House has free off-street parking (not guaranteed) and The Oge House charges $15 a day. City meters cost $1.80 an hour and are generally enforced Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. City garages charge $2 to $10 a day (St. Mary’s Garage is $5, or $15 on event days) and are free on Thursday evenings through the end of 2026. City parking is credit card only.
When to go
Fiesta San Antonio, held every April since 1891, runs 11 days (April 15 to 25 in 2027, April 20 to 30 in 2028) with more than 100 official events, and a 2017 UTSA study counted more than 2.5 million attendees, so book downtown rooms early for those dates. The River Walk’s own guide calls October a good time to visit for its cooler weather, and the Ford Holiday River Parade opens the holiday season on the river.
Accessibility
The River Walk sits below street level. Its official maps mark ramps and elevator access, and the City’s Disability Access Office (210-207-7957) can advise. Omni La Mansión del Rio and Mokara list accessible elevators; the King William B&Bs are older homes, so check each property’s accessibility before booking.
Before you book
Budget for valet plus the 16.75% hotel occupancy tax and 1.25% Tourism PID fee the Menger lists on its rates. The Menger and the Crockett require the person checking in to be 21. The King William B&Bs set minimum ages (13 at The Oge House, 8 at Brackenridge House) and two-night weekend minimums. The Crockett, The Emily Morgan, The Gunter and the Drury Plaza take pets for a fee.
Things to do
Tours of historic San Antonio
Tours are sold by GetYourGuide and run by local operators. If you book one through these links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Ratings and prices are GetYourGuide’s.
Questions travelers ask
What is the oldest hotel in San Antonio?
The Menger, opened by William and Mary Menger beside the Alamo in 1859, has the earliest start as a hotel of any we list, and it bills itself as the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi. Omni La Mansión del Rio occupies an older building, St. Mary’s Institute, begun in 1852, but it became a hotel only in 1968.
What is the most haunted hotel in San Antonio?
There is no official ranking. Historic Hotels of America’s most-haunted lists have repeatedly featured The Menger, where guests report seeing Sallie White, a chambermaid, and The Emily Morgan, a former medical building where guests describe hospital smells and nurses pushing gurneys. HHA’s 2025 and 2026 lists also include The Gunter and its Room 636. These are stories guests and staff tell, not documented fact.
Is it better to stay downtown or in King William?
Downtown, on Alamo Plaza or the River Walk, puts you steps from the Alamo, river cruises and the convention center, but expect valet-only parking at $43 to $59 a night and a 21+ check-in age at some hotels. King William’s B&Bs are quieter restored homes a short walk south of downtown, with off-street parking (free or $15 a day) and breakfast options.
Where do you park at a historic hotel in San Antonio?
Most downtown historic hotels are valet-only, at $43 to $59 a night. To park yourself, use city garages ($2 to $10 a day; St. Mary’s Garage is $5) or meters ($1.80 an hour, free after 6 p.m. and on Sundays). The King William B&Bs have their own off-street parking.
Are there historic bed and breakfasts in San Antonio?
Yes, in the King William Historic District: The Oge House, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark begun as early as 1857, and Brackenridge House, a c. 1901 house that opened in 1986 as the district’s first B&B. Some older King William names aren’t bookable online: the Beckmann Inn’s website is gone, and A Yellow Rose has no booking engine.
Keep exploring
How we chose these inns
Every place on this page is at least 50 years old, holds a credential we can check (National Register listing, a listed historic district, landmark status, or Historic Hotels of America membership), and takes bookings today. We verify each one against primary sources before it goes on the list, and last checked this list in October 2026. Read our criteria.
Planning details on this page (parking, transport, seasons and events) come from: atlas.thc.texas.gov, fiestasanantonio.org, npgallery.nps.gov, sapark.sanantonio.gov, brackenridgehouse.com, crocketthotel.com, goriocruises.com, historichotels.org, mengerhotel.com, nobleinns.com, thesanantonioriverwalk.com, tshaonline.org, viainfo.net, visitsanantonio.com.
Sources (33)
- Omni La Mansión del Rio: atlas.thc.texas.gov
- The Crockett Hotel: www.ksat.com
- Omni La Mansión del Rio: www.historichotels.org
- Omni La Mansión del Rio: www.tshaonline.org
- The Oge House: atlas.thc.texas.gov
- The Oge House: ghostcitytours.com
- The Oge House: www.nobleinns.com
- The Oge House: www.tshaonline.org
- The Menger Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- The Menger Hotel: atlas.thc.texas.gov
- The Menger Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- The Menger Hotel: www.mengerhotel.com
- The St. Anthony: atlas.thc.texas.gov
- Mokara Hotel & Spa: pre-www.omnihotels.com
- Brackenridge House: www.brackenridgehouse.com
- Brackenridge House: services.arcgis.com
- The Crockett Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- The Crockett Hotel: npgallery.nps.gov
- The Crockett Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- The Crockett Hotel: www.crocketthotel.com
- The Gunter Hotel: npgallery.nps.gov
- The Emily Morgan Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- The Gunter Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- The Gunter Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- The St. Anthony: atlas.thc.texas.gov
- The St. Anthony: npgallery.nps.gov
- The St. Anthony: www.visitsanantonio.com
- The Emily Morgan Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- The Emily Morgan Hotel: www.emilymorganhotel.com
- The Emily Morgan Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk: atlas.thc.texas.gov
- Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk: npgallery.nps.gov
- Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk: ghostcitytours.com
Some links on this site may earn us a commission at no cost to you. It never decides which inns we include. Disclosure.