Less than one month after joining the Sheraton Hotels and Resorts family, invited guests celebrated the $12 million restoration of the historic Read House.
Hundreds of guests attended an event to mark "the return of the Read House." Officials said "the historic beauty of the original structure still remains and is now a perfect complement to the 21st century amenities that set it apart from other hotels."
“This is an historic time in Chattanooga,” said Dean Gerstein, General Manager for the Sheraton Read House. “We are a part of the greater Downtown Chattanooga story, and this project is near and dear to Chattanoogans. They are truly elated to see this hotel return to the splendor it had in the 1920s and 1930s.”
The all-new Sheraton Read House features 243 total rooms including full-sized suites, two Presidential Suites, three spacious Hospitality Suites, oversized guest rooms, and numerous Spa Suites complete with large private whirlpools. Each suite offers marble bathrooms, complimentary high-speed Internet access and the distinctive Sheraton guest room design that was created to meet the specific needs of business and leisure travelers alike.
“We are thrilled to have the Read House as the newest addition to the Sheraton brand,” said Norman MacLeod, Executive Vice President, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. “This property is one of Chattanooga’s landmark buildings and will attract travelers from all over the world given Chattanooga’s importance as both a cultural/recreational Mecca and center for business in the state.”
Other amenities include Internet access throughout the hotel, a business center, indoor zero-edge pool with cascading waterfalls, an oversized hot tub, and a beautiful fountain terrace area where guests can relax and unwind after a day of work or site seeing. And for those that want to keep up their exercise routine, the Sheraton Read House offers a state-of-the-art fitness and workout facility complete with the latest equipment and flat-screen televisions.
The Sheraton Read House is located on downtown Chattanooga’s Electric Shuttle route, giving guests access to downtown’s most prominent attractions, shopping and nightlife. In addition, the Sheraton Read House boasts the only Starbucks Coffeehouse in downtown Chattanooga and the hotel’s signature restaurant is Porter’s Steakhouse, Chicago-style dining with a contemporary flair.
“Everything about this hotel is new,” said David Falor, President and CEO of The Falor Companies, new managers and owners of the hotel. “With respect to the beautiful Georgian architecture, the hotel people see today is nothing like it was in January when we started renovation.”
Hosting numerous prominent people since the early 1900s, including Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill and Bob Hope, the Read House was once the only hotel in town that offered visitors an elegant place to meet and stay. Over the years—and over many eras—the hotel has also served several historic purposes. It has been a haven for stranded Chattanoogans during ice and snowstorms and an impromptu hospital for influenza and yellow fever. It has housed a disco, hosted aliens and served as a political pulpit. The Read House has seen war, flood and has suffered silently through the pollution of the 50s and 60s. The hotel’s prominence in Chattanooga landed it a permanent place in history as an official site on the National Register of Historic Places and Historic Hotels of America.
“This property is an important part of the downtown Chattanooga story,” said Jack Ward, partner in Hodges Ward Elliott banking firm and owner of the Sheraton Read House. “We have invested in a piece of history. We restored it, updated it and made it the hotel of choice once again.”
Visitors have always been attracted to the Read House’s rich history as a masterpiece of Georgian architecture and drawn by its prime location in the heart of Downtown Chattanooga.
About the Sheraton Brand
The Sheraton Read House will feature all of the Sheraton brand’s signature amenities and services including the Sheraton Service Promise, a service guarantee stating if you are not satisfied, we are not satisfied. The hotel’s transformation to the Sheraton brand begins with the installation of the highly acclaimed Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bedsm in all of its guestrooms and suites. The newly-introduced Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed is a luxurious nine-layer custom designed bed that features an 11.5 inch thick, high coil count Sealy Posturepedic® Plush Top mattress, down and allergy sensitive pillows and crisp cotton sheets. In a nod to Sheraton’s classic aesthetic, the beds feature a selection of duvet patterns inspired by timeless tattersall checks, hound’s-tooth and pinstripe patterns in rich color tones.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 740 properties in more than 80 countries and 105,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwood.com.
About Porters
Each Porter’s Steakhouse offers fine Chicago-style dining. Porter’s attention to detail is evident from their choice of the best steaks available and seafood is of uncompromising quality to the appetizers and side dishes carefully selected to complement our entrées. The Porter's philosophy is to serve delicious, simply prepared meals with the best available ingredients. The staff at each of our three locations is dedicated to serving guests a memorable meal every time they visit.
About the Falor Companies: Since 1983 the Falor Companies has been a hospitality industry management leader. Specializing in hotel management, asset management, financing hotels and consulting, David Falor and his staff also own and operate the Porter’s Steakhouse and Cigar Bar chain. Falor Companies manages several luxury and full-service hotels including Cheeca Lodge and Spa in south Florida, Courtyard by Marriott on the Gulf in Key West, and Holiday Inns in St. Louis, Mo., Ft. Myers Beach, Fla., and Schaumburg, Ill.