The Davenport Hotel

The Davenport Hotel is a historic hotel located in downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. Originally a successful high-end restaurant, it is one of the possible places where the first Crab Louis (reportedly named after Louis Davenport) was created and served. The hotel was designed by architect Kirtland Cutter, and built in 1914 for $2 million (approximately $200 million in today’s dollars). It was built with an opulent lobby, and new amenities for the time such as air conditioning, a central vacuum system, pipe organ, and dividing doors in the ballrooms. Commissioned by a group of Spokane businessmen to have a place to host and entertain their guests, the hotel is named after Louis Davenport, an influential businessman, the first proprietor and overseer of the project. The hotel underwent expansions in 1917 and 1929 and in 1925, it became the broadcast studio for the newly relocated KHQ radio station. Davenport bought out all other interests in the hotel and became sole owner of the property in 1928 and owned the hotel until 1945, when he sold the hotel. After changing hands many times, the hotel was remodeled and re-positioned as a motel in the early 1960s. After another change in ownership in 1967 and their subsequent bankruptcy, the hotel was foreclosed on and the property slowly fell into disrepair. After several attempts at renovation by various groups, the property was facing demolition by the mid 1980s. In 2002, the hotel was bought for $6.5 million and completely restored in a $38 million ($68 million in 2025 dollars) renovation by developers Walt and Karen Worthy, reopening on July 15, 2002. The Davenport Hotel has 284 guest rooms and is rated as a Four-Diamond hotel by the American Automobile Association and as a 5-star hotel by the Northstar Travel Group. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and today it operates under the name The Historic Davenport Hotel within The Davenport Hotel Collection brand along with its three sister hotels and is affiliated with Marriott as part of their Autograph Collection Hotels chain.