5 Black-Owned Hotels to Visit

These properties provide access to landmarks and history in city and countryside locales

a hotel room with cream bedding, art on the walls and a white robe hanging on a door

La Maison in Midtown is a seven-room bed-and-breakfast in Houston. Consider these Black-owned hotels for your next trip.

Courtesy La Maison

Kristin Braswell,

AARP

Published February 10, 2025

February is Black History Month, and if you’re seeking a way to give back to the local economic community, consider patronizing these entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry by staying at a Black-owned hotel.

From cozy bed-and-breakfasts just steps away from historic city landmarks to countryside retreats with ample opportunity to relax and sip wine, check out these highly rated hotels to support Black businesses while traveling.

Eddie and Sylvia Brown opened The Ivy in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood in 2014.

Brown Portrait

The Ivy Hotel

Baltimore

The Ivy Hotel is located in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood on a quiet corner. In 2010, philanthropists Eddie and Sylvia Brown purchased and decided to preserve the 1889 mansion’s architectural history. “Transforming The Ivy into a haven of serenity and luxury felt like a way to honor the city’s past while contributing to its future,” say the Browns.

The Ivy opened in 2014 and became Maryland’s first Relais & Châteaux property the next year. The Browns liken a stay at their property to being in the “home of a generous friend,” with always flowing champagne, afternoon tea, a complimentary chauffeur service around the city, and unlimited access to the serve-yourself Mansion Bar. Seventeen light-filled rooms feature soaking tubs, canopied beds with cashmere throws, and separate seating areas. An on-site restaurant, Magdalena, serves a seasonally driven menu, including local specialties such as a memorable Maryland crab cake benedict for brunch. Every corner of the property is a thoughtful presentation that the Browns are proud to share, with the hope it can be an inspiration.

“For too long, Black ownership has been underrepresented in luxury hospitality,” says Sylvia Brown. “Our presence also brings diversity of thought, culture, and perspective to an industry that thrives on connection and inclusivity.”

Just outside the hotel, don’t miss a chance to explore Baltimore’s rich Black history. The city is home to the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum, which celebrates the legacy of activist and author Frederick Douglass. Revel in the experiences accessed through the BoP Pass: a free mobile passport that offers discounted admission to Baltimore museums and special offers from local Black businesses.

Business partners Genora Boykins, left, and Sharon Owens opened La Maison in Midtown in 2010.

Courtesy La Maison

La Maison in Midtown

Houston

Business partners Genora Boykins and Sharon Owens welcomed their first guests to La Maison in 2010. The seven-room bed-and-breakfast features rooms with a walk-in shower, private veranda, and complimentary full breakfast. The hotel features “an eclectic combination of furniture and furnishings designed to be used and enjoyed by our guests,” says co-owner Boykins, 64.

Boykins recommends taking advantage of the hotel’s proximity to the Museum District, with visits that include the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, Holocaust Museum Houston, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Boykins notes the hotel is ideal for those who want to be close to attractions without the burst of activity in the city.

Salamander Middleburg in Virginia is one of the properties in the portfolio of Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Hotels and Resorts.

Scott Suchman

Salamander Middleburg

Middleburg, Virginia

Situated on 340 acres in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and an hour from Washington, D.C., Salamander Middleburg is a bucolic retreat for travelers to unwind in nature. Owned by Sheila Johnson, CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts and co-founder of BET, the property first opened in 2013. The Forbes Five-Star destination resort and spa offers all the luxury amenities to ensure a memorable stay, including countryside bike tours, a 23,000-square-foot spa, and infinity pool. The hotel celebrates its location in Virginia’s horse and wine country with equestrian-themed décor and an expansive facility where guests can take horseback riding lessons for an additional fee. Spread across four floors, there are 168 rooms that feature balconies or terraces. At Gold Cup Wine Bar, you can enjoy varietals from local wine producers and light bites. There’s also an on-site restaurant, Harrimans Grill.

Nearby Loudoun County offers a number of breweries, distilleries, and wineries to experience. Consider Fifty Leven, a Black woman-owned wine company that opened in 2021, or Mt. Defiance Cider Barn, where you can try cider with blueberries in a barn house setting. When hunger strikes stop by Dolce & Ciabatta Bakery for cream cakes and croissants.

NOPSI Hotel

New Orleans

Also owned by businesswoman Sheila Johnson, New Orleans’ NOPSI Hotel opened in 2017. The nine-story building was built in 1927 and functioned as the headquarters for the city’s former utility company, New Orleans Public Service Inc. (NOPSI). Its latest reiteration maintains the property’s original fixtures, including a vaulted ceiling, cast iron rails, and stone terrazzo flooring. There are 216 rooms, including 60 suites with floor-to-ceiling windows. Around the hotel, guests can enjoy a rooftop pool bar, and restaurant that has partnered with Gulf Coast fishermen to celebrate the region’s bounty.

Outside the hotel, New Orleans brims with Black history. Home to the country’s first Black neighborhood, Tremé, visitors can learn more about its rich history at the New Orleans African American Museum or by booking a walking tour. When hunger strikes, there’s no city quite like New Orleans to satiate your tastebuds. Brunch lovers won’t want to miss the low country shrimp and grits or duck confit hash at Atchafalaya. Visit the James Beard award-winning Dakar NOLA for a taste of Senegal right in the heart of the American South, or head to city mainstay Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe, and be sure not to miss the well-loved fried chicken.

The living room of Akwaaba Mansion in Brooklyn, New York, showcases some of the property’s architectural details.

Courtesy Akwaaba Mansion

Akwaaba Mansion

Brooklyn, New York

Akwaaba Mansion is a bed-and-breakfast located in the heart of Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Owned by husband-and-wife team Glenn Pogue and Monique Greenwood, the idea for the property was inspired by Greenwood’s desire to create an inn in the heart of one of her favorite neighborhoods. The couple restored the then-dilapidated 1860s mansion and reopened it to the public in 1995. The four-bedroom property features 14-foot ceilings and ornamented fireplaces alongside private baths in each guest room. The Black Memorabilia room features a two-person jacuzzi and photographs from the Harlem Renaissance. During the warmer months, guests can rent a private tent in the outdoor garden for afternoon barbecuing and socializing. A wide, glass-encased porch welcomes guests to this home away from home, in a neighborhood filled with bars, restaurants and parks to explore.

Greenwood says guests would appreciate the “architectural details and furnishings that give a nod to the past,” as well as the inn’s modern-day amenities. Greenwood and Pogue own two other Akwaaba bed-and-breakfast inns: in the Poconos in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia.

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Kristin Braswell is a travel journalist and founder of CrushGlobal Travel. She has written for Vogue, CNN, USA Today, Essence, NPR, Architectural Digest, Ebony and the Los Angeles Times, among others.

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