Ant Street Inn — Hotel in Brenham

We visited during weekend of 06/18. The St. Augustine was a 2 bedroom unit. It was very ample and had separate kitchenette and sitting room. The check-in was easy and efficient. Jessica was pleasant and very accommodating for an earlier check-in. The whole building had lots of character and charm. Understanding that we are in the peak of summer, it was warmer in the upstairs lounge and bedrooms, as we entered to tour the facility while waiting for our room to be ready. The a/c unit needed to catch up with cooling the rooms, as it was not running continuously, between guests. We were not too worried, as we were going to be out of the room for a good duration of the time. When we finally settled in after 10p, the king bedroom was still quite uncomfortably warm. The staff remained impressively attentive to this and by end of day, offered a very generous and thoughtful solution to ensure that we could have a comfortable night's sleep. I have never had such personal attention given for a hotel stay in my life. I was pleasantly surprised and deeply appreciative. Suzy kept me updated via text messaging and made me feel very welcome to stay. I can't think of any other place that I'd rather stay for future trips to Brenham. Everything that there was to see was a short walking distance. Cute shops and boutiques were a pleasure to peruse. The playhouse was just steps away. The rockers on the back porch were a nice touch to enjoy a summer night's breeze, sipping wine and chatting. There are many personal extra touches to make one's stay at this inn be so much better, such as a stocked refrigerator with a few different complimentary sodas, blue bell ice cream, a coffee bar that makes instant coffee keurig style, and ceramic mugs & plats, glass wine goblets, wine bottle openers, DVD's, board games, a dining table at the end of the guest lobby, generous soap bars,& essential kitchen utensils. The rooms all have rich fabrics, insulated black-out curtains, ceiling fans and interesting art work to enjoy, It is exceptionally clean in each room that we occupied. House keeping is doing a very thorough job. There is little left to be desired with so much thought put into this historical place. There are only 2 things that I can think of that would have made it all fully perfect: Ceiling fans in the guest lobby & back porch, to move the air in warmer seasons, and (this cannot really be helped, but,) no bar located next to the building where back porches can hear and see the nightlife. It wasn't too bad, though, it quieted down after 11p and we were able to enjoy our late night chat, better, once...

Well restored and maintained property. Staff was very generous by giving guests a whole room with free coffee, drinks, and snacks. Free movies and games to use.

HOWEVER, I found something at Ant Street Inn that I find really misogynistic and homophobic. I’ll explain.

Upon checking in, the staff told my friend and I that we were the only guests staying that night. After the front desk closed, when the front door was locked, staff was gone, and no other guests were in the hotel, we went down to the first floor just to look around. On the first floor, we found two restrooms for guests, one for men and one for women.

On the men’s restroom door, there was a sign explaining that nude artwork was on display in the restroom. I was curious and, since no one was in the building but us, I walked in to take a look.

Upon entering, I saw artwork covering all four walls and EVERY piece is a nude portrait of a woman. On the contrary, in the women’s restroom, there is no nude artwork.

Since there was no other artwork besides nude women and no nude artwork in the women’s restroom, in my opinion, I think it’s pretty clear that the intention here is to objectify women’s bodies. I would have no issue if nude artwork was scattered between other non-nude works, but every single one? I think the intention to objectify women is pretty clear here.

Additionally, I find this homophobic as there are no nude portraits of men in the men’s restroom. Ant Street Inn, you know gay men exist, right?

Additionally, I find the sign on the men’s restroom, that I mentioned earlier, to be disrespectful to women as well. After the sign states nude artwork is on display, it proceeds to say that if you’re uncomfortable with your son seeing the nude artwork that you can just send him to the women’s restroom (I’ll include a photo). I think this is really disrespectful for two reasons: This is very much riding on the belief that men can just hand their problems off to women. This is disregarding to my humanity as it ignores the fact that I have my own problems to deal with, you can’t just push yours onto me. This is disregarding the fact that the women might be uncomfortable with your son using this space that’s been dedicated to women.

It’s really disheartening to see this happen to a place like Ant Street Inn. The hospitable and peaceful atmosphere makes it feel like a safe space when in reality it’s harboring something that encourages an objectifying view of women; a view that assists in the perpetuation of violence towards women.

Needless to say, I won’t choose to spend my...

We simply adored our stay at the Ant Street Inn in Brenham, TX. It's in the heart of historic downtown, so in easy walking distance to eateries, antique and boutique shopping, and the Unity Theater, which has professional productions for a reasonably priced ticket.

If you like antique beauty and charm, you will love your stay at the Inn. We were in the Charleston room and it was just lovely. Not all rooms are the same in size, or have the exact same amenities, so you'll want to be clear on your selection when booking, but the Charleston was spacious, including many windows, a comfortable sitting area, bathroom with large tub and separate shower, and maybe the most comfortable hotel robes we've ever had use of compared to other establishments.

There is a large, beautifully-appointed, public sitting area for relaxing and socializing which we used for just that as they'd set out wine for guests to enjoy in the evening. They also made available, complimentary cookies, an assortment of hot and cold beverages, and Blue Bell ice creams for the enjoyment of guests. As well, they have a lending library of books, games, and videos. As its February and the month of love, they set aside a number of romantic films guests could choose to enjoy in their rooms. All of these were such nice touches and added to the whole experience.

The hotel attendant was so personable and helpful, providing just the right suggestions for places to eat, and things to do. It was a pleasure talking to him.

Breakfast is provided at the Brenham Grill restaurant, attached to the Inn, with your selection of what to eat from the menu. Service and food was excellent, and the restaurant seems to be frequented by locals which is also a sign of good service, not just to tourists.

We couldn't have been happier with our stay. We'd definitely recommend it, and would...