The Excelsior House Hotel — Hotel in Jefferson

The Excelsior House hotel is the oldest hotel in Texas, & there is a nice display of artifacts and information in the lobby room. I stayed in one of their historic rooms, and it definitely maintained a lot of the historic charm.... including a clawfoot bathtub. Of course, as with any historic hotel that I've ever stayed in, there is kind of that musty smell of history that lingers 😄😄, and I wish there had been more sunlight in my room. That said, my room was facing the road, and I kept my blinds drawn down. I imagine that the rooms that face the courtyard get a lot more sunlight. There are rooms that open to the balcony that overlook the beautiful courtyard out back, & they would be facing the sunset. They offer a nice breakfast daily, but it is not included with the room. At the price point for the room, I personally believe breakfast should be included as it was almost $300 on a weekend with no specific events going on in Jefferson. While the young woman who took my reservation was very kind, it would be helpful for all reservation attendants to be informed about the area, and to offer suggestions and advice. Also, it would be nice if there was a book in the room that gave basic details about the hotel, and even details about check-in check-out, breakfast, etc. The courtyard is absolutely beautiful, and a relaxing place to unwind after a day of walking around all of the sites of town. The location itself is wonderful, and surrounded by historic sites, cute boutiques, and eateries. I would recommend the hotel to anyone who has a penchant for history, and likes to check things off their bucket list..... Like staying in the oldest...

While the history of this establishment is interesting and its main attraction, we were disappointed in several aspects of our stay. No mini fridge was our first surprise, and made bringing back leftovers from our dinner null and void. The whole room leaned to one side.

In fact, he balcony leaned toward the courtyard below so much that it felt hazardous. In fact a sign warns that no more than 20 people can be on it at once.

The most disappointing was breakfast. When we came downstairs for breakfast, the man at the desk (the same one from the evening before) asked if we had signed up for breakfast. We weren't told we had to when we checked in. We also weren't told it was an extra fee. The man said he could add us to the list, rung us up, and then reached out for my money without telling us how much it was.

$28 dollars is not bad for a meal, per se, but got what we were served wasn't worth $5. Grits served in a condiment dish (about 1/4 cup), 2 oz of ham, and eggs that seemed powdered. nothing was seasoned and the coffee was lukewarm and tasted off. The coffee in the lounge was much better. The orange muffins were the only redeeming factor. We were told later by a local that the breakfast at the cafe next door was much better.

Our stay at the Captain's Castle on our second night was infinitely better. We will be back in Jefferson soon, but won't...

If I could give 0 Stars, I would! We were staying in a room with a Very small TV 12-15 ft. from the bed, making it useless! HORRIBLE wifi, and a tub with no shower stance or curtains!!!! The bathroom was not clean and the bedroom was very dusty. of course no mini-fridge or any amenities that would make your life easier! Very rude staff and lack of management made our stay even worse! The city lost power the afternoon of the first night we were there. 4 hours later around 10, the city got its power back EXCEPT the excelsior! They didn't have power until afternoon of the next day. I asked the front desk MANY times during the night if he has an update. He kept saying they are working on it, only to learn the started the next morning. When we wanted to speak with their manager, they kept saying she's not here and we don't know when she will be in. Since there was a power outage she refused to come in and be responsible! So we were left with rude & clueless employees. The manager was very rude on the phone with my wife and told her she doesn't want us to ever come back. WORST experience of my life!! I had to go to their chamber of commerce and file a complaint. They helped us get another room last minute somewhere else. Sleep in your cars before getting a...