#116 The Admiral Hotel

A Nice Surprise in Mobile, Alabama!
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We figured Mobile was pretty much the halfway stop between Houston and Daytona. We didn't need anything fancy, but ran across this place while searching the internet for a non-chain hotel option.

A Newly Renovated 12-Story
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I would pay $99. for a somewhat weathered, historic hotel if it seemed safe and clean.  But for that price, we got the 1940 Admiral Hotel, with it's convenient downtown location and its 30-million dollar renovation!   

There's nothing glamorous about the outside, but once inside it was all modern glam...hard to detect anything old at all.   

​Sleek and Modern

Don and I looked a little underdressed as we checked in at the very modern desk. 40 proper looking Admirals peered down from their framed wall portraits.  I'm not sure they approved.  But our hostess was very welcoming. 

Glowing Lobby
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We seemed to have the whole place to ourselves.  The lobby needed more people to enjoy all the curious lighting and style.  I took a trip up the marble stairway, which was covered in gray and mustard carpet... that looks like cement in the photo.  From the mezzanine above, I had a better look at the central light display.   

​Globes and Chains
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I don't even attempt to know anything about design, but I'm pretty sure if I just spent an hour sitting on the couch in the lobby, I would absorb some of the classy-modern-hipness of this style!

The black globes sitting in their little nooks made me feel studious and smart.  The thin chains that hung around the fabric encircling the lights, just made me feel clever... for spotting them.

Looking Up!
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And then there was this quite amazing display hanging in the center of the lobby.  This just made me feel... artistic.  It was like Matisse and his paper art, met up with Calder and his  

mobiles.  It was like staring at a piece of modern art, when you say, "I can do that."  And then you say. "No.  I can't."

​New or Old? 

It was clear there wasn't a piece of furniture or a drape left from years gone by.  But what about the elevator?  That marble frame, surrounding the metal doors looked very retro.  "New!" Smiled our cheery hostess behind the desk.  But she admitted the mailbox was original. I wish I'd had some postcards

​Tenth Floor

I need all the help I can get, when it comes to remembering where I parked, or which floor my room is on.   (I am one of those) So I liked the framed ten of clubs and ten of hearts, 

 And when I turned around as the elevator doors closed, I was reminded again.  There was a huge "1" painted on the first set of doors and a "0" on the other.

Hall and Door
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I even liked our room number and the design on the hall carpet.  I guess I'm getting used to renovations that are more like facelifts.  This was a real overhaul.

Our Room
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The room even smelled new... in a fresh way, not a gagging, paint-smell-way. The windows looked down below to the old Basilica and some mature trees and the buildings of Old Historic Mobile.

There was a very cool light fixture and some shiny white and gold furiture. The desk held a Keurig coffee maker and the dresser had a curious frame around the flat screen.  Oh, how I once snickered at this style, back when my parents hooked me on rustic antiques.  But this was fun stuff.

Bathroom
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I had to laugh at the sliding "barn door" to the bathroom.  Frosted glass windows don't offer much bathroom privacy and this annoying trend is even bigger in Europe.  But no worries here, since the door opened to a little dressing area near the closet.

The Roof!
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We had heard something about honey bees on the rooftop.  Supposedly 3 honeybee apiaries provide nearly 200 pounds of honey each year.  Well we didn't find any of that.  In fact it pretty much looked like we weren't supposed to be up there on that roof.

View!
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But what a perfect view, just as the building began to light up at dusk.

Food?
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​I wouldn't have minded a nice meal in the newly opened Launch Restaurant.  I spoke with a manager and server, just as they opened at 5:00.

They talked about their fresh farm to table ingredients.  And I found out that the honeybees are actually housed on a third floor walkway between the hotel and parking garage.  

Corner 251 Lounge
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I peeked in the lounge before dark, when light poured into the spacious cafe and bar through big corner windows.  It looked almost stark and uncomfotable with no customers.

Later 
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But it seemed like the better choice later.  The hotel was finally beginning to come to life with a few customers.  We were able to have a casual meal, (Salmon Cake Rueben and decadent fried green tomatoes) studying some of our fellow guests.  

​Enjoying the Rest of the Evening

The hotel offered a few other options for entertainment.  It was a balmy night and we could have relaxed around the pool.  The Astroturf was sort of odd, but it was peaceful.

Or we could have worked off our dinner in the small fitness center... which I'm afraid I didn't even peek at.

Wandering
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But we wanted to make use of our location.  Just a block away we wandered Dauphin Street, which was pretty lively on Friday night.  It was sort of fun on January 8th, to see the Mardi Gras decorations coming out at the German Biergarten and a Christmas tree still decorating the center of Bienville Square.

Thanks Andrew!

Before heading up for the evening, we had to flag down Andrew to give him a tip and a thank you.  He had greeted us at the front doors when we first arrived.  Even though we had self parked and needed no valet services, he was eager to answer tons of questions and even gave me some ideas for shooting good pictures, since he'd seen my camera.  

It's got to be tough staying cheery and helpful when there are so few guests.

What's Notable?
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This hotel exceeded expectations.  That's always nice.  The website is attractive, but the hotel is even nicer!  It will only get busier and probably pricier with time.

What did I miss?  I wish there had been more photos of the past hotel, when Bob Hope, Elvis or even Jimmy Buffet stayed.  I love before and after photos.  There were very  signs of the past!