Historical hotels are using the 250th as an opportunity to get creative, using everything from commemorative keepsakes to curated roadtrips to capitalize on the occasion. 

“There’s no one way to celebrate the 250th anniversary,” said Katherine Orr, director of marketing strategy and communications for Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to promote historic lodging. “Our hotels are looking at their own connection to the Revolutionary War, whether they have a milestone anniversary of their own this year, and how they can do something special for their communities.”

At the Historic Inns of Annapolis’ Maryland Inn, where Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and John Adams reportedly celebrated after the Treaty of Paris was signed, the property is offering a package with a self-guided scavenger hunt and a commemorative mug. The John Rutledge House Inn in Charleston, South Carolina, once home to Constitutional Convention delegate John Rutledge, is offering a package that includes tickets to a Charleston and American Revolution walking tour, admission to the Charleston Museum and a commemorative keepsake.

And because 1926 was a boom year for hotel construction at the height of the Roaring Twenties, a significant number of Historic Hotels members are celebrating centennials, “a very natural pairing” marketingwise, Orr said. 

One destination that’s benefiting from both angles is Colonial Williamsburg, also marking 100 years as a destination in 2026. Historic Hotels members there include the Williamsburg Inn and the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection. “They’re anticipating a blowout year,” Orr said.

While marketing and offers around the 250th might increase occupancy, Orr said the main goal is to give people selecting a historic property, “something a little extra and a little special to help boost the relationship between the hotel and the guest.”

Historic Hotels’ own 250th-inspired campaign will showcase the evolution of American lodging, from Colonial-era taverns to the mid-20th century, across social media and newsletters. The campaign will highlight the first electric lighting, the first individual bathrooms in hotel guestrooms, “things we take for granted now,” Orr said.

Omni Hotels & Resorts plans to showcase its 50 U.S. properties via its “Celebrate America” campaign and microsite, launched in April.

“It is a booking driver, creating a reason to travel, but we also see it as a powerful storytelling opportunity that adds deeper meaning to trips guests are already planning,” said Michael Innocentin, Omni chief marketing officer. Omni’s most historic properties are drawing particular interest, he said, including the Omni Homestead Resort & Spa in Virginia, open since 1766 and host to 24 U.S. presidents; the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa in Pennsylvania, home to one of the country’s first golf courses and first indoor swimming pool; and Boston’s Omni Parker House, the longest continuously operating hotel in the nation. The campaign includes curated roadtrips linking Omni properties, a Summer Festival and Music Series as well as an “America Is Calling” offer with up to 20% off stays of three nights or more. 

“With America’s 250th anniversary, there’s a renewed sense of interest in exploring closer to home,” said Innocentin.