Day Trips: Hotel Settles, Big Spring
Impeccably restored hotel returns the glory days of travel
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., Jan. 25, 2019
The Hotel Settles in Big Spring opened in 1930 as a proud beacon of the future. The hotel reopened in 2013 as a 15-story monument to the resilience of the West Texas spirit.
From the ornate lobby to the comfortable rooms, the grande dame mixes a sense of history with modern conveniences. For the price of the hotel chains in the Permian Basin, you can feel pampered and have a spectacular view of the lights of the oil fields surrounding town.
Will and Lillian Settles built the hotel when the oil boom came to their ranch. Unfortunately, the Depression forced the building's sale. The hotel operated until a bust forced its closure in 1982, its insides stripped bare at auction.
Brint Ryan, a native son of Big Spring and CEO of a tax consulting business in Dallas, came to the rescue of the tallest structure in town, which most locals hoped would disappear. After a $30-million restoration, the hotel returned.
Guests are greeted by a lobby reminiscent of an old movie. The grand staircase climbs to the conference rooms and ballrooms, with a portrait of the owner's late mother watching over the entrance. Off the lobby, the hotel's cafe, Settles Grill, offers a menu of classic West Texas cuisine. The hotel's former pharmacy was transformed into a wood-paneled pub with a fireplace, pool table, and live music. Out back are the pool and hot tub, the perfect end to a long day.
Hotel Settles is at 200 E. Third St. in the heart of downtown Big Spring. Whether for a stopover or as a base camp, you can't miss the hotel's big red sign a short distance from the interstate highway.
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