If you happen to have a free night or two in Spokane, Washington, head on over to The Davenport Hotel, where you’ll find plenty of history within its walls.

Disclaimer: This hotel stay was necessary as part of volunteering work I do related to the health care industry. While I did not pay for the room charges, the opinions contained in this post remain my own.

Booking The Davenport Hotel

Official link for the hotel: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/gegak-davenport-hotel-autograph-collection/overview/

Thanks to the group rate for my stay, the nightly rate at The Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington was only $209 per night. I was here for a total of five nights, which gave me ample time to explore the city on top of my volunteer duties. Note that the Davenport name can be found on multiple buildings here at the city, but the one I went to was specifically The Davenport Hotel, an Autograph Collection hotel.

That $209 nightly rate isn’t actually all that hard to find at this hotel, as nightly rates bounce around the upper-$100 and lower-$200 range quite a bit. If you’re instead looking for a stay on points, you’re looking at about 30,000-40,000 Marriott points per night. That’s actually not bad at all, especially if you’re looking for a stay using a 35k free night certificate. The Davenport Hotel isn’t all that expensive, especially for its central location within the city.

As an aside, some people wonder how to pronounce “Spokane”, as I’ve heard it both as a word that rhymes with “man” and also “cane”. Well, the easy way to remember the official way to pronounce Spokane is to remember “the man from Spokane”, which could be an allusion to Mr. Davenport himself.

Earning Marriott Bonvoy points

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points quickly, you could look into picking up a Marriott credit card. Both Chase and American Express offer Marriott credit cards.

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card that gives a sign up bonus of three 50k free night certificates for spending $3,000 in the first three months for a $95 annual fee.

Or you can turn your eyes to American Express:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (not an affiliate link) offers 85,000 Marriott points for $5,000 spend in the first six months for a $250 annual fee.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (not an affiliate link) offers 100,000 Marriott points for $6,000 spend in the first six months. It also comes with instant Platinum status but with a higher annual fee ($650).

Since Amex credit cards are generally one-in-a-lifetime, it might be worth waiting for a better deal to come by.

First Impressions of The Davenport Hotel

I arrived at The Davenport Hotel in the evening to find a rather empty hotel. However, my Lyft driver walked right up to the valet attendant and asked if they still have “those special beds” here. The valet attendant remarked they do, and it’s possible to take one home. One of the selling points of this particular hotel seemed to be the mattresses, so I was interested in giving it a try.

Right by the entrance is a bench with a statue of Mr. Davenport, the founder of the historic hotel. You could take a rest next to him, especially if the check in line is long.

Right next to the bench is the front desk, which has a rather large pillar in one corner. Since no one else was here in the evening, the agent quickly checked me in to my room and thanked me for my Titanium Elite status. I had the option to choose either breakfast or points, but ended up choosing the points since breakfast was already included with my group.

The room

My room for this stay was up on the eighth floor in Room 815.

Let’s say the hotel is so historic that the lights flicker rapidly for about a second as you turn them on. Should you stumble into your room late at night, it might remind you of a horror movie.

Bedroom

Anyways, the queen beds–just look at those headboards. You can tell that they have personality before you lay on them and help offset the rather empty walls behind them. But how about the comfort of the beds, after hearing others talk about them? They’re so pillowy soft that it honestly feels like no support. Now, I didn’t get bedsores or anything, but my own personal preference is to err on the side of too firm than too soft. This bed didn’t do it for me. It felt almost too flimsy.

Want to buy one of their beds to take home, like the valet attendant mentioned? You can buy a bed while you’re here but it’s just to apply a discount code on their site. Oddly enough, they’re advertising for a website that no longer exists, so you’ll want to go to the right website to buy it. The cheapest option is $1,499, so getting up to a $249 discount amounts to saving just north of 16%. Better than nothing if you like the bed.

Aside from the advertisement, in the corner opposite the beds is a cozy chair and a desk with coffee maker and bottled water.

Just across from the beds is a TV and a dresser. I didn’t use the TV at all during my stay, so I can’t comment much on it.

Bathroom

Just to the right of the entrance was a large ornate mirror with a single sink. There is enough space here to put two but I don’t think they’ve updated the design much from the original 100 years ago. As you can see in the mirror, the closet is just on the other side of the hallway and there is an in-room safe inside if you need it.

Next to the vanity is the bathroom. I have to admit that the bathroom itself is much larger than I anticipated. It has both a standing shower and a tub, along with a toilet (not pictured).

I didn’t use the tub, but it looked good enough to soak if needed. Perhaps if the kids came with me on this trip, they would have used it as they normally do. Maybe next time we’re in the area?

The standing shower is large, but it has no door to keep the area warm. Thankfully, the water temperature is enough to overcome the opening. Pressure and coverage are fine, making this a functional shower.

Toiletries are l’Occitane. Our household is a big fan and we buy it for our own shower needs. Glad to see it here!

The Emporium at The Davenport Hotel

While I didn’t get a chance to dine at the full service restaurant at The Davenport Hotel, I did get a chance to stop by The Emporium. This is a quick-service restaurant by the gift shop. It has both sandwiches throughout the day and some convenience store items in case you need them.

Prices were inflated from what you might find down the street at a convenience store, but that’s not unexpected.

I ordered a Cuban sandwich, which was fine. It’s not a sandwich that I particularly yearn for, but it hits the spot when you need something warm and cheesy. The bread was a little tough for what I prefer. I was actually hoping to get their Italian sandwich, but they were out of ingredients for it. Oh well.

The Davenport Hotel indoor pool

Open between the hours of 5AM to 10PM, the pool is located just one floor below the front desk. You’ll easily see the entrance clearly labeled once on that floor.

The pool itself is on the smaller side, but there’s both a regular pool and a hot tub. Given it’s an indoor pool, the air temperature is keep rather warm making it a good spot to swim even during the dead of winter. And, yes, it certainly does snow in Spokane in the winter.

The showers are in the corner and unfortunately you won’t get much privacy here. It’s nice to have showers available but don’t expect to replace what you have in your room.

Fitness center

Across from the indoor pool is the fitness center. The problem with this being one level below the main level is that it’s underground and has no natural lighting.

There is a small assortment of machines and free weights awaiting you here.

I didn’t get too much of a chance to use the facilities here, but it’s not bad as long as it’s not too crowded.

Odds and ends

I like making my way up one level above the lobby to get a nice view of the hotel. You can get a nice sense of how grand the hotel is, with both the bar and the hotel restaurant in sight.

Also, in case you need it, computers are available up on this floor in a corner.

The hotel advertises how historic it is, but you’ll really get a sense of it on this floor, since it shows off some memorabilia that showcases the history of the hotel.

You could also see how grand some of the rooms are. You never know if you want to host a wedding here.

Also, if you happen to be here on Wednesdays, there is a guided tour available of the hotel. Sadly, I wasn’t here to take the tour but it’s neat they have a tour. Wish they made it available more days of the week.

Recommendation: Maybe, if you like soft mattresses

The most important part of a hotel stay is the sleep you get. I have to admit that I wasn’t a fan of the beds here, but beds can be a very personal decision. Some like firm mattresses and some like soft mattresses. If you’re a fan of a softer mattress, I think you’ll do well here. On the other hand, I like firm mattresses, and so I have to say that the sleep wasn’t as great as a result.

The hotel might be historic, but I didn’t find it outdated. I think it’s neat that the hotels really leans into its historic status within the Spokane area. It’s also awesome that it’s located in a convenient area in town. While I didn’t care too much for the bed, I’d strangely still consider it the next time I’m in town just because of its location.

Have you had a chance yet to visit The Davenport Hotel in Spokane?

Suggested reading:

• Destination Spotlight: Spokane, Washington
• Exploring Seattle with Kids
• Review: Hyatt Regency Seattle