Is It Worth Booking The Read House Chattanooga?

By Mari · Stayed at the Read House May 24–29, 2026, during the Women in Travel Summit

I stayed five nights at the Read House Chattanooga, booked through American Express Travel, in a spacious King room, and the short version is this: it is a genuinely beautiful historic hotel with a walkable downtown location and one very famous ghost, and it is worth booking if you want character over cookie-cutter hotels.

The room was large and comfortable. The location put me within walking distance of almost everything I needed. The trade-offs were small and specific: a mini-fridge that was a little warmer than I wanted, water pressure and temperature that fluctuated, and a block that feels a little lonely late at night, though never unsafe.

There is no traditional included hotel breakfast, so plan your mornings around the on-site Starbucks, Bridgeman’s Chophouse, Bar and Billiards Room or the coffee shops nearby. If you are the kind of traveler who likes a hotel with a story, this is an easy yes.

The Read House is a restored 1920s-era hotel located at 107 West Martin Luther King Blvd in downtown Chattanooga, part of Avocet Hospitality Group portfolio but run as an independent hotel and bookable through Amex Travel’s Hotel Collection. Rooms are spacious and full of period character. It is best for travelers who want a walkable downtown base with history and are fine without an included breakfast.

Book Room 311 if you want the famous haunted room (only available for weekends in October); book anything else if you would rather sleep without wondering.

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Is the Read House worth staying at?

Yes, with clear eyes about what it is and is not. The Read House is a historic hotel, restored to its early-1900s bones: dark wood, a grand lobby, a speakeasy-style bar, and hallways that have stories. If that atmosphere is what you are after, it definitely delivers in a way a standard chain property cannot.

What it is not is a modern resort with a big free breakfast spread and flawless plumbing. I stayed five nights, from a Sunday to a Friday, and the only things that bugged me were the every day minor things of an older building, but none were dealbreakers and I would stay here again.

If you go in wanting an independent hotel with character, you will love it. If what you want is a chain hotel, this is definitely not it.

How old is the Read House? A little history

The Read House has been open since 1872, which makes it the longest continuously operating hotel in the South. The site’s hotel history runs even deeper: the Crutchfield House was built here in 1847 and burned down in 1867, and the Read House replaced it five years later. The building you actually sleep in today is the ten-story version rebuilt in 1926, fashioned after Chicago’s famous Palmer House hotel, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The hotel celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022.

If you like a hotel with receipts, this one has them. Winston Churchill stayed here in 1932, Elvis Presley slipped in incognito in 1977, and Coca-Cola was first served in Chattanooga at the hotel’s drugstore back in 1904. And even Al Capone spent a night here.
You feel all that history the moment you walk into the lobby.

What the room was actually like

I booked an Accessible King and was upgraded to a Premier King (thanks AMEX!), and it was large and spacious, which I did not expect from a historic hotel where rooms can sometimes feel smaller. The bathroom was a real highlight: roomy, well laid out, and very easy to move around in. The toiletries during my stay were Beekman 1802.

Now the honest part about what minor thing bugged me, because every review worth reading has one. I know these are all “first world problems” so please don’t come at me. The in-room fridge was smaller than I would have wanted, and the freezer never really got cold enough to do its job. I still put it to work during my stay. I was sick for most of this trip, and being able to keep water and fruit cool in the room mattered more than usual. I lived out of that little fridge. I just wish it had been a touch bigger and colder.

It heavily poured multiple times during my stay and the hotel’s TV and cable are serviced through DirectTV and there were many nights that we lost signal rendering the TV useless.

The last thing was the water in the shower. The temperature fluctuated greatly during the showers at the slightest touch. I spent half the time scrubbing and the other half adjusting the temperature to make sure I wouldn’t burn myself. Every small touch of the faucet made the temperature too hot or too cold. This is the kind of thing you notice most in an older building where the plumbing has lived a long life. It was still not enough to ruin a shower, but real enough to be noticed several times during the week. The water pressure was really good though.

None of this changed my overall feelings about my room. The room was comfortable, the space was generous, the WIFI was great and after long days filled with activities, I was happy to come back to it. More importantly, I would not hesitate to book this room again. .

La Read House Room 311 ghost story, and what the tour is actually like

The Read House’s most famous feature is not a room type or an amenity.
It is a ghost.

Room 311 is tied to the legend of Annalisa Netherly, a guest said to have died almost 100 years ago and the story has made the room a destination in and of itself. The hotel leans into it, and there are ghost tours that walk you through the history of the hotel and the hauntings.

I did the tour, and I loved it, mostly because of the guide. It was genuinely entertaining, well told, the right mix of history and spookiness. If you are even a little curious about the legend, do the tour. It is one of the more memorable things I did in downtown Chattanooga, and it costs you almost nothing but an hour. Make sure to tip the guide though.

Did it get to me?
A little. I mean, we are talking about a beheaded woman in her room, at the hands of a man. Afterwards every small noise in my room gave me goosebumps for a little while.

And then, like most things, I got over it and slept like a baby. So if you are on the fence because you scare easily, I am proof you will survive.

Full disclosure: I LOVE SPOOKY THINGS. So I suggest that if you don’t like spooky stuff, maybe do not book Room 311 itself unless you actively want the experience. I share more info on the whole legend in my dedicated Room 311 guide.

Where is the Read House, and is downtown Chattanooga walkable from it?

La Read House is located at 107 West Martin Luther King Blvd, right in the heart of downtown Chattanooga. This is one of the hotel’s biggest strengths. Chattanooga’s downtown area is one of the most walkable small-city cores in the South, and the Read House puts you right in it.

I covered most of what I needed on foot, which mattered because I did this whole trip without a rental car. (If you want the full car-free breakdown, I get into it in my weekend in Chattanooga guide.)

A note for solo travelers, especially women. I did not stay out late on this trip, partly because I was sick the whole time. But on the walks I did take back to the hotel after dark, the streets were lit and I never felt unsafe.
What I will say honestly is that the block gets a little lonely as the night gets later, fewer people around than you might expect for a downtown. I would not let that stop you, but I would take the same normal precautions any woman takes walking alone at night: stay aware, stick to lit streets, trust your gut.

How I booked the Read House with American Express (the points math)

I booked this stay through American Express Travel, using the Hotel Collection, which is the tier that requires a two-night minimum and gives you extra perks. To be clear about the fine print: this was the Hotel Collection, not Fine Hotels + Resorts, so the FHR benefits did not apply. What I did get was the Hotel Collection package: a $100 property credit toward eligible on-site charges, plus room upgrade, early check-in (I was able to check in at noon), and late check-out when available. It was available during my stay, which means that I could check out at 4:00 PM. I checked out at 2:00 PM and moved to The Chattanoogan, which was the host hotel for cumbre viajera WITS.

Here is the actual math from my confirmation:
My room cost was $875, taxes and fees added $150.91, for a total of $1,025.91.
BUT THE TOTAL I PAID OUT OF POCKET WAS $550.91
Here’s how:
Again, the room was $875, taxes and fees added $150.91, for a total of $1,025.91. I applied 25,000 Membership Rewards points, which came back as a $175 statement credit, and I used a $300 semi-annual credit from my Amex.

That brought my actual out-of-pocket cost for five nights down to $550.91. I also skipped the $30-per-night parking charge entirely, because I did not bring a car, which saved another $150 over the stay.

I am not a financial advisor, so do the math for your own situation, but I will point out what those numbers mean. 25,000 points for $175 works out to 0.7 cents per point, which is the standard rate when you use Membership Rewards as cash toward an Amex Travel booking.

That is a convenient redemption, not a maximized one. Points transferred to airline partners usually stretch further per point. So the honest takeaway here: booking through Amex Travel got me the $100 Hotel Collection credit and the perks, which I valued, but paying with points this way might be a low-value redemption if you are deep in the points and miles world.

Whether that trade is worth it depends entirely on how you like to travel and how you value convenience versus squeezing every cent out of a point. For me, on a work trip where I wanted the perks and simplicity, it was fine.

Who should stay at the Read House, and who should skip it

Stay here if you want a walkable downtown base with real historic character, if a hotel with a story appeals to you, if you are attending something downtown or at a nearby venue, and if you are comfortable sorting out your own breakfast. It is a strong pick for solo travelers who want atmosphere and location over chain loyalty.

Skip it, or at least look elsewhere, if you need a big included breakfast, or if you specifically want a pool-and-resort vibe.

They do have an indoor pool but, I was there during Memorial Day Weekend and it was full of families, and there were no spaces available to put down a towel or enjoy the pool so I chose to head to my room instead. Not really a hotel issue. It was really neat that they had an indoor pool, I just didn’t have a chance to enjoy it.

And if ghost stories genuinely keep you up, just do not book Room 311. The rest of the hotel will treat you just fine.

What about breakfast at the Read House?

Set your expectations here, because this surprised me. There is no traditional included or non included hotel breakfast during the week. The Read House’s dining is built around Bridgeman’s Chophouse, which is a steakhouse and more of a dinner destination, a speakeasy-style Bar & Billiards Room, and an on-site Starbucks for quick coffee and pastries. On the weekends they offer room service breakfast but I did not stay during any of the qualifying days.

For me, that meant piecing breakfast together, and honestly it was fine. I kept fruit and yogurt in the room. I stopped by Petal & Pour, a lovely spot nearby. And because my conference was held at the Chattanoogan, I often just grabbed breakfast at the Starbucks there before sessions.

If you want to eat well near the Read House, you are spoiled for options: Bridgeman’s Chophouse is right downstairs for dinner, the on-site Starbucks handles quick mornings, and the walkable downtown area puts cafes and restaurants within a few blocks in every direction. You will not go hungry staying here, you just will not get a free waffle bar.

I did have dinner at Bridgeman’s one night, and I put my $100 Amex Hotel Collection credit toward it, which made an amazing steakhouse dinner essentially free (with girl math). The brussels sprouts with bacon and the loaded mac and cheese were exactly the kind of comfort food that hit the spot after very active conference days. I get into the full meal, and how the credit covered it, in my dedicated Bridgeman’s Chophouse review (coming soon).

Would I have changed my dates if I had known more about the breakfast situation? No. It genuinely did not matter for how I traveled. But if a big included breakfast is part of what makes a hotel worth it for you, know going in that this is not that kind of hotel during the week, and budget a few dollars a day for coffee and a pastry down the block.

Frequently asked questions About The Read House Hotel

Planning the rest of your Chattanooga trip

If the Read House is your home base, the next thing to sort out is everything around it.
Comienza con mi weekend in Chattanooga guide for the full car-free itinerary, and if you are coming for a conference or a women’s travel event the way I was, you will find the downtown location is very centrally located for many points of interest.

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👑 Incline Railway tickets and hours: ridetheincline.com 
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