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Williamsburg Inn
Williamsburg, Virginia, United States · Independent · Core Luxury
John D. Rockefeller Jr. opened the Williamsburg Inn in 1937 as a 61-room Colonial Revival house for visitors to the restored capital, with central air-conditioning when almost no American hotel had it. Queen Elizabeth II stayed twice. Forbes rates the house Four-Star for 2026, Golden Horseshoe Golf Club is the house course, and the Williamsburg Lodge next door is a separate hotel.
- 62 rooms
- Opened 1937
- Neighborhood: Historic Area
- Rooms from 500 sq ft (46 m²)
About Williamsburg Inn
- Rockefeller called for a magnificent hostelry and opened the inn in 1937 with 61 rooms; it was among the first U.S. hotels with central air-conditioning in public rooms and most guestrooms.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip stayed in 1957 for Jamestown's 350th anniversary and returned in 2007 for the 400th.
- Golden Horseshoe Golf Club sits beside the inn; Williamsburg Lodge (Autograph Collection, 1939) is a separate Rockefeller-era sister hotel.
- Entry-level rooms start at 500 sq ft (46 m²).
History
Williamsburg Inn opened in 1937 as John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s hotel for the Colonial Williamsburg restoration, a Colonial Revival house meant to feel like a Virginia country estate just outside the Historic Area. The original 61 rooms had modern plumbing and, unusually for the date, central air-conditioning. Distinguished wartime and postwar guests included Allied planners and later Queen Elizabeth II (1957 and 2007). The inn remains an independent Colonial Williamsburg hotel and a Forbes Four-Star house.
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
Open Williamsburg Inn in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Williamsburg
- Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection — Autograph Collection · Accessible Luxury
- Kingsmill Resort — Independent · Near Luxury