On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Travel with Terri" Podcast, travel journalist Terri Guthrie continues her Mardi Gras Train series with a stop in downtown Mobile, Alabama. Sitting in the grand lobby of the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa, Terri talks with General Manager Margo Gilbert, who has led the hotel since 2004, about its history, its famous guests and the secrets hiding in plain sight.

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This episode follows last week's stop in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi: Bay St. Louis by Train: Where to Eat, Shop & Stay on the Gulf Coast. The series kicked off with Knox Ross, Chairman of the Southern Rail Commission: All Aboard! Exploring the Gulf Coast on Amtrak's Mardi Gras Train.

Arriving in Downtown Mobile
Terri grew up not far from Mobile and has visited many times, but this was her first time at the Battle House. She calls it a Renaissance Four Diamond luxury hotel with 238 rooms, a 10,000-square-foot European spa and a grand, historic setting. It is a member of Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and for a lover of historic hotels, she says, this one is "one for the record books."

A Hotel That Rose Again
Margo shares the hotel's story. The original Battle House was built in 1852, burned down in 1905 and was rebuilt in 1908, and that is the structure guests see today. After several owners, the hotel closed in 1974 as people were leaving downtown Mobile. The Retirement Systems of Alabama later purchased it and committed to bringing Mobile back. Connected to the hotel is an office tower, which Margo says makes it "the twentieth century meets the twenty-first century."

Awards and the Team Behind Them
The Battle House is a AAA Four Diamond hotel and has been featured in Condé Nast and USA Today. Marriott has named it Hotel of the Year a number of times, and Alabama publications have praised it too. Margo credits the team she works with every day, and Terri agrees: every employee she met was warm, welcoming and accommodating, and she felt at home from the moment she walked in.

Dining, Spa and the Mardi Gras Route
The hotel's restaurants and bars include the Trellis Room, the main restaurant, serving breakfast and an Italian-themed dinner. There is also the Joe Cain Café, a nod to the Mobile character who helped get Mardi Gras started again after the war, and the Royal Street Tavern, which Margo calls "the grown-up bar." A rooftop bar and restaurant tops it off. Add the spa, a fitness center, and a pool deck with pickleball and tennis courts, and Terri calls it an urban oasis where you could stay put. The hotel sits right on the Mardi Gras route, so every parade goes by.

Why Downtown Mobile Deserves the Stop
Terri gives a shout-out to downtown Mobile, which had its slump in the seventies like so many downtowns but is now revived and beautiful to walk. Many times she has driven past on the outskirts of Mobile, and her advice is simple: don't. Come downtown and stay at the Battle House.

The Grand Lobby and Its Painted Portraits
Margo says staff can always tell when someone is walking in for the first time: about ten steps in, they stop, their mouths open and their heads tilt up to the two-story ceiling. The plaster is original to 1908. Portraits of kings who ruled over Mobile hang in the corners, along with one of George Washington, all hand-painted in the trompe l'oeil technique, which means "trick the eye" in French.

The Whispering Arch
Terri compares it to the one in Grand Central Station, and she tried it herself: it is for real. Of the four arches on the lobby's second floor, only one whispers, and Margo won't say which, so visitors will have to find it themselves. Her motto: there are no secrets in the lobby, so don't talk about other people there.

The Crystal Ballroom
Terri calls it opulent, elegant and glamorous, "something out of a dream." Margo says any important announcement in Mobile is made there, and it has hosted countless weddings and rehearsal dinners. Her team meets at least a dozen people a week who stop in for a peek because they had their prom there in the fifties or sixties, a special moment for locals who grew up while the hotel was closed.

Famous Faces
Movies have been filmed at the Battle House, and Nicolas Cage and Bruce Willis have both worked here. Ann-Margret has visited, and Mark Zuckerberg has stayed. Margo says the stars have all been kind to the staff. A few years ago a film crew on Royal Street even blew up a car in front of the hotel.

Terri's Room and a New Favorite
Terri loves that the rooms are new and modern with all the amenities, while the hotel itself holds the old. Her floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the river and the working port, which she found fun to watch. A friend from Fort Lauderdale first urged her to feature the Battle House, and it did not disappoint: she now counts it among her favorite hotels and calls it a destination all its own.

Next Stop: What to See and Do in Mobile
The next episode closes out the Mardi Gras Train series with what to see and do in Mobile, Alabama.

Plan your trip: Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa | Amtrak Mardi Gras Service | Southern Rail Commission

The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa is at 26 N. Royal Street, Mobile, Alabama 36602. Mobile is the last stop on Amtrak's Mardi Gras Train, which runs twice a day between New Orleans and Mobile.

The journey began in New Orleans. Here are the stops so far, in order:

🎧 New episodes of Big Blend Radio's Travel with Terri Podcast air every other Tuesday at 9am CST.