The already historic Windsor Hotel added another chapter to its legend when former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Best Western Plus Windsor Hotel in Americus, GA earlier this week.

President Carter and his wife, both local residents, first stayed at the hotel in 2002, in the aptly named Carter Presidential Suite, and his wife later attended a ceremony when the Rosalynn Carter Tea Parlor was renamed in 2008. The hotel was originally named after a prominent local businessman, John T. Winsor, when it opened in 1892. The hotel eventually closed in 1972 and was reopened with the same name in 1991. Current owner Shared Patel took over in 1998 and this year joined Best Western.

Patel said he chose Best Western because he was able to keep the Windsor name, along with the Victorian ambience of the hotel throughout the guestrooms. “Being part of the Best Western family has allowed us to make those types of updates without restrictions,” Patel said. “This was extremely important to us, generations of people know the Windsor Hotel; it is essentially a landmark. The history of the hotel is amazing and we want to honor history and continue to do so by having the same name it has had since 1892.”

The hotel has won numerous state and regional awards, along with a 1993 National Trust for Historic Preservation Award. It features 52 guestrooms, including six suites and two tower suites, and an on-site full-service restaurant and lounge, fitness center and meeting space able to accommodate 350. The hotel still has many of its original features, including the original hand-carved, hand-turned golden oak wood and the Italian marble floor in the grand lobby. The hotel underwent a $6.5-million renovation in 1991 and this year got another major update with all new bedding, flat-screen TVs, granite countertops, micro/fridges and more.

Left to right: President Jimmy Carter; Mrs. Rosalynn Carter; Ila Patel, Sharad Patel, owner of the Best Western Plus Windsor Hotel; Mark Williams, vice president of North American development for Best Western International

“The Best Western Plus Windsor Hotel has served as a historic landmark in South Georgia for more than a century, and my commitment to the Americus community is to maintain and preserve the integrity of the hotel for future generations,” said Patel. “Our guests have an opportunity to enjoy a destination that offers the best of Southern charm that President and Mrs. Carter have come to love.”

The hotel joins Best Western with its new ‘Plus’ descriptor, meaning it fits as a mid-level midscale property with features equal to those with a three-diamond rating from AAA.

“The Best Western Plus Windsor Hotel is a great addition to the brand,” said Mark Williams, vice president, North American development for Best Western International. “The relationship with the Carter family and the history of this landmark makes this property unique. Mr. Sharad Patel has done a marvelous job on the renovations and we are excited to have this fine hotel affiliated with our brand.”