The Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center has been a landmark in downtown Walla Walla for almost 100 years, attracting visitors near and far, and in that time, it has undergone two renovations.

The second currently is winding down as hotel staff prepare for tourist season.

Ted Hawksford, general manager of the hotel since October, said he’s excited for guests to see the changes.

“We wanted to bring back the majesty of the Marcus Whitman, to renew the grandeur of this hotel,” he said. “The lobby is really gorgeous. The plaster and woodwork have been restored to their original colors.”

While the exterior looks the same, the multimillion-dollar renovation has taken place in the guest rooms of the historic tower and the west wing, the lobby and the food and beverage spaces, including the Marc Café.

Renovations in the 133 guest rooms and suites included new furnishings, paint, wallpaper, lighting, hardware and carpet.

Famous guests

The Marcus Whitman Hotel opened in 1928, earning the moniker the “Grand Dame of the Palouse.”

Soon after, the city of Walla Walla passed an ordinance that no other structure could be built taller than the hotel, which has 13 stories.

The hotel has had several former U.S. presidents spend the night, including Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson. Other celebrity guests included actress Shirley Temple and jazz great Louis Armstrong.

In 1999, the hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Years of neglect hampered the hotel in the 1970s, ’80s and ’ 90s before local investor Kyle Mussman bought it in 1999. His idea was to return the hotel to its glory days and his vision included a renovation and addition.

Construction on a new west wing began in 2000 and was completed in 2001. 

Twenty years later, Mussman was ready for someone else to lead the way.

In December 2022, Mussman sold the property to Marcus Whitman Holdings LLC, a group of 19 investors from throughout the Northwest, a number of them from the Walla Walla area, including owners and officers of wineries.

Mussman remains involved as one of the owners.

The hotel’s management team is Seattle-based Columbia Hospitality Inc., which is leading the way on the renovation.

Seventy-five of the hotel’s 133 rooms which are being renovated are in the west wing, “and they come in all shapes and sizes,” Hawksford said.

A few floors in the hotel house private apartments. 

Gas leak delays project 

The new ownership group had plans for another renovation soon after the purchase, and things began to move.

But on Sept. 14, 2023, the hotel was evacuated because of a gasoline spill from the service station next door.

Staff had a difficult time pinpointing the gasoline odor in the hotel and restaurant but eventually the leak was found in the hotel’s basement sump pump.

The gas leak stopped the renovations.

“It changed our timeline,” Hawksford said.

It was almost a month before the hotel reopened and renovations resumed.

“They’ve done a great job of mitigating the contaminants in the groundwater, and they stopped the leak,” Hawksford said.

The Marc Bar and The Marc Restaurant reopened March 21.

The Marc Café opened in the renovated lobby last November.

On the comeback 

Because of the delayed timeline, Hawksford said all but 34 rooms will be renovated by the end of May.

Work then will pause for the busy tourist season before resuming this winter.

The gas leak shutdown meant The Marcus Whitman missed out on major business conferences, and the coffee shop and three wine tasting rooms inside the hotel also closed.

“The situation really had a dramatic effect on our financials,” Hawksford said. “It affected a lot of business. Associations had to move their conferences.”

His team’s goal is to get more business back in the hotel.

It can do that with 13,000 square feet of event space, with a capacity of up to 450 people for events.

“We’re very much a transient destination. The weekends are the busiest times. But we’d love to get more conference business meetings here,” Hawksford said. “Mid-week, we want to get the hotel to fill up with associations.”

With the nearby wineries, Blue Mountains, golf and numerous outdoor activities, Hawksford believes his team can welcome people back for corporate events, weddings and social gatherings with the renovations and the restaurant complete.

The hotel’s culinary program is led by Executive Chef Chris Capps, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America.

“We need to build the reputation of this hotel. The Marc Restaurant has helped that,” Hawksford said. “We’re getting great reviews on Yelp and Google.”

That’s bringing guests to Walla Walla’s Grand Dame of the Palouse again, which should come as no surprise.

“The hotel,” Hawksford said, “has always been a community gathering place.”

The Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center: 6 Rose St., Walla Walla; 866-826-9422; marcuswhitmanhotel.com.