West Baden Springs Hotel – September 2020
We decided to take a quick ‘Coronavirus Escape’ family trip to the magnificent West Baden Springs Hotel in September 2020. You can visit the hotel’s website here. I wanted to share our experience – (spoiler alert… it was quite nice!)
Opened in 1902 and called “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” the West Baden Springs Hotel is something that needs to be experienced in person to appreciate genuinely. But I’ll try to do it some justice with words and pictures!
The Atrium – First impression of West Baden Springs Hotel
First impressions are the most important. That certainly holds when walking into the West Baden Springs Hotel for the first time. You’ll walk into ‘the atrium’ after passing the hotel entrance. The Atrium is a breathtakingly beautiful space 200 feet across and 100 feet tall. It is an area that remained the world’s largest free-span dome until the Houston Astrodome was built in the 1960s. We all stood there trying to absorb the stunning view we were seeing. An almost involuntary “Wow!” escaped from all of us simultaneously.
“If you didn’t come in here and have some kind of gut reaction, then you didn’t have a pulse” – Bill Cook quote, in speaking of the Atrium
History of the West Baden Springs Hotel
Cassini Mosaic Tile Company of Cincinnati
The West Baden Springs Hotel is not only an aesthetic and engineering marvel, but it also ‘oozes’ history. You’ll find items reminding you of the rich history you’re immersed in every place you go in the hotel. There are early photographs, a 23-stop historic walking tour, and numerous artifacts from the hotel’s peak years. Also, a plethora of hand-painted details on the atrium walls and 12-million intricate floor tiles placed in elaborate patterns by The Cassini Mosaic Tile Company of Cincinnati during the 1916-17 renovation.
Prosperous early years and Pluto Water
The hotel is also an incredible ‘comeback story’ worth telling. Here’s a little history. Started in 1855 as the Mile Lick Inn, the name was later changed to West Baden Springs Hotel. The name came from Baden-Baden, the great mineral spa of Europe. The hotel prospered on guests coming to ‘take the water’ from the many mineral springs on the property. Pluto Water, as it was called, apparently had a wonderful laxative effect. People traveled from near and far to take advantage of Pluto Water. The stuff was pretty nasty smelling and tasting but worked well to ‘clean you out.’ Their motto was ‘when nature won’t, Pluto will’! You can’t make this stuff up!
Stock market crash of 1929 – West Baden Springs Hotel closes
The hotel had some ups and downs over the years but generally prospered through its first 70+ years. That all changed with the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression. Guests disappeared almost overnight. The West Baden Springs Hotel was closed in 1932 and later sold to the Jesuits in 1934. They operated the hotel as a seminary until 1964, when it was sold to Northwood Institute, a private college. Northwood utilized the hotel until 1985 when it was sold to a property development group that later declared bankruptcy.
Deterioration and then a second chance
The hotel was practically abandoned and severely declined over the next ten years. It was closed to the public in 1989 for safety reasons. In 1991 a large section of the exterior wall collapsed. Indiana Landmarks, a historic preservation group, raised money to stabilize the hotel. They also led efforts to attract a new owner capable of restoring the property.
Fortunately, in the mid-1990s, the Cook Group, led by Bill Cook, stepped in to preserve and restore the West Baden Springs Hotel to its original grandeur. The renovation cost $100 million and took over ten years. The West Baden Springs Hotel restoration was finally completed in 2007. Whew – quite the comeback story indeed! Let’s get back to our visit with that background.
West Baden Springs Hotel today
East Entrance Gate
You’ll pass under a beautiful modern archway as you approach the city of West Baden Springs on highway Indiana 150. The archway has the effect of letting you know you’re entering a special place. The historic archway entrance is a bit further down the road. This was the original entrance to the vast grounds of the West Baden Springs Hotel. We pulled in only to find that this entrance is now ‘decorative’ and no longer used. Access to the property and hotel is now gained via Sinclair Avenue in the rear. Note the train track to the left of the archway in the first picture. Those tracks carried twelve full trains daily to drop off and pick up guests during the hotel’s peak years.
Coronavirus protocol
We made the trip as an escape from coronavirus ‘fatigue.’ But it quickly became clear there would be no escaping the ‘rona on this trip. Signs posted on the entrance drive indicated only overnight guests were allowed (no tourists or sightseeing permitted). A security checkpoint was set up to screen everyone approaching the hotel to enforce that.
Our names were checked against the ‘approved’ guest list, and all temperatures were taken. We were given the ‘wristband of the day,’ which made it clear we had passed the security and covid screening.
Socially-distanced lunch on the veranda
We checked in after donning our required face masks (thanks again, Covid!). Luggage was dropped off in the room – more on the room later. We went down to the Atrium to find some lunch after freshening up. But there was no escaping the Coronavirus. Indoor seating for eating food in the Atrium was not allowed. The process for getting lunch was to call the restaurant on the phone and place your order. Then grab a ‘socially distanced’ seat on the veranda (overlooking the Sunken Garden… nice!). The food was then delivered to you at your table on the veranda. It was a little inconvenient but understandable. Mitigating the hassle was both the day and view were spectacular.
The gardens of the West Baden Springs Hotel
The food was ‘meh’-quality bar food, and it took forever to arrive. Cheese pizza, chicken tenders, and burgers. But it was convenient and filling. After lunch, we decided to explore, starting with the Sunken Garden. The garden sits directly across from the historical entrance drive. When we checked in, the Concierge gave us a map of the 23-stop historical walking tour. Conveniently, the tour started at the Garden. The Sunken Garden is spectacular!
Golf at the Donald Ross Course
After a relaxing and informative historic trail hike, the schedule turned to leisure activities. Golf for the guys and massages at the hotel’s spa for the girls. The massages seemed quite effective if the girl’s relaxed state after the massage is any indication; the massages seemed quite adequate. Christian and I played a round at the Donald Ross Course a few miles from the hotel. The resort has two other courses. The relatively wide-open Valley Course intended for new, less-experienced, and less-serious golfers. And the gorgeous (and expensive – $350 per round!) Pete Dye course closer to the hotel.
The Donald Ross Course is a reasonably open links-style course. It features the classic Ross ‘snowcone’ greens, which demand a well-hit ball to hold the green. Long, fescue-like grass is everywhere that the short grass isn’t. Bring plenty of extra balls if you’re not hitting it straight! Finding a ball in the ‘long stuff’ is next to impossible. Please don’t ask me how I know that! We played a ‘successful’ round, meaning we survived it, and no humans or wildlife were injured in the process!
Description of the rooms at West Baden Springs Hotel
We all reunited back in our room for a little R&R, cheese-and-crackers, and ‘adult beverage.’ I would describe the room as an immaculately clean, high-end hotel room, with significant historic ‘ambiance.’ The main living area was not overly large but adequate for two queen beds with room to spare.
The gigantic bathroom
The bathroom was probably the ‘wow’ feature of the room. It was HUGE – almost as big as the main living area. The bathroom had a large double sink area, a bathtub/shower combo, and a separate large walk-in shower. There was also a separate toilet room and an annex area with a dresser and mirror. Yep… big! The kids even used it as a separate ‘party room’ after Mom and Dad went to bed early. I imagine the original designers of West Baden Springs Hotel made the bathroom so ‘special’ because the early guests drinking Pluto Water spent so much time in there! 🙂
Cost of the rooms at West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel has rooms with outside views (~$215 per night) and interior rooms with views of the Atrium. We chose an Atrium-view room. The starting cost for Atrium-view rooms is a bit more – ~$280 for a room without a balcony. Some Atrium view rooms also have a small balcony, adequate for two chairs but not much more. We paid the extra fee for an Atrium-side balcony room (~$325+ per night) and have zero regrets. This may have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience – we weren’t going to ‘pinch pennies’! The balcony view never got old and the ‘people watching’ was excellent. After the sun set, the Atrium treats you to a subtle, colored light show as the illumination around the dome ring and center chandelier change colors constantly. Very, very cool.
Conclusion – West Baden Springs Hotel
I’ve been lucky enough to spend time at many unique places worldwide. The West Baden Springs Hotel deserves a spot near the top of that list. The hotel is a fantastic ‘comeback’ story with an excellent history worth exploring. The nearby Donald Ross and Pete Dye golf courses are top-rated. The West Baden Springs Hotel is opulent and gives visitors an almost decadent luxury experience. And you can gamble too!
If you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting West Baden Springs Hotel and French Lick Resorts, I heartily recommend doing so. It is a ‘bucket list’-worthy place that everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime. The West Baden Springs Hotel receives a hearty ‘two thumbs up’ from this camper!
