2009 Williamsburg Inn - Colonial Williamsburg

WILLIAMSBURG INN – PAGE 4
Given the strong connection that many guests feel to the Williamsburg Inn, gifts are
not unusual, including an exquisite 19th-century tall clock located near the lobby, a gift from
a frequent guest. Some of the Inn’s most cherished gifts are those from Mr. and Mrs. John D.
Rockefeller Jr., including Chinese porcelain vases and urns from his distinguished collection
and American folk art paintings from her celebrated collection.
Noteworthy Visitors
The Inn’s guest rooms offer insight into its “who’s who” guest register, which is
sprinkled with the names of royalty, heads of state, military leaders and celebrities from all
over the world. A number of guest rooms feature a framed photo and background
information about a famous guest who has stayed at the Williamsburg Inn, including Queen
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – in 1957 and again in 2007 – Sir Winston Churchill, General
Dwight Eisenhower, President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush, Emperor Hirohito of Japan,
Shirley Temple (both as a child star and as an adult), Christopher Plummer, Bill Cosby, Tom
Selleck, Jane Pauley and Garry Trudeau, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Al Roker, Willard Scott and
Matt Lauer to name a few. In 1983, the Inn was the site of the historic International Summit
of Industrialized Nations. Hosted by President Ronald Reagan, the summit brought together
eight world leaders: Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada; Chancellor Helmut Kohl of
Germany; President Francois Mitterrand of France; Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone of
Japan; Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain; Prime Minister Amintore Fanfani of
Italy; and President Gaston Thorn of the European Community.
Culinary Excellence Second to None
The Williamsburg Inn’s culinary team serves the elegant Regency Room, as well as
the Restoration Bar and Terrace Room, catering and room service. The Inn’s history reveals
a prominent succession of masterful chefs that has delighted heads of state, celebrities and
VIP guests.
One of the Inn’s most serene spaces, the Regency Room incorporates period design
elements from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, England. Located in the Inn’s West Wing, the
Regency Room’s design details include palm-leafed columns, crystal chandeliers, rich silk
draperies and leather-upholstered furniture. Reminiscent of the rooms in the Brighton
Pavilion, the walls feature hand-painted oriental panels with a tree of life design of peonies
and birds. Appropriately, the room’s striking garden and lawn views are evocative of the
English countryside. The dinnerware includes Bernardaud china and hand-stitched Garnier
Thiebaut table linens.