A former mid-century motor lodge on Pensacola’s Palafox Street has reopened as Hotel Margot, with 45 individually styled rooms, a courtyard pool and a European-inspired bakery-café. The address puts restaurants, shops and nightlife within walking distance, while the building’s retained mid-century character gives the new hotel a distinctive starting point.
Local entrepreneurs and longtime friends Graham Guirl and Rafael “Raf” Simpson opened the independently owned property in October. At 200 N. Palafox Street, it brings together vintage-inspired accommodation, poolside food and drinks, and Café Colette, which welcomes residents as well as overnight guests.
Hotel Margot is a downtown base for a Pensacola stay, with the beach a drive away. Its pleasures are closer at hand: a pastry before exploring Palafox Street, individually designed rooms to return to, and an afternoon beside the courtyard pool.
A motor lodge, carefully reworked
The building previously operated as Solé Inn and Suites. “Everyone told us to knock it down,” Simpson told Pensacola News Journal. Guirl and Simpson chose to retain and adapt it, drawing on hotel redevelopments they had seen in Palm Springs, Miami and Palm Beach.
The building retains its original three-storey plan, including its pillars made from retro breeze blocks. Working with the existing rooms and bathrooms meant accommodating smaller spaces, with custom furniture and finishes helping to make the refurbishment possible. Real wood floors, handmade tile and four coordinated room colour schemes give the interiors their new character without replacing the building itself.
Before joining forces, each partner had separately weighed buying the property. Hotel investments were not new to either of them, but neither had personally taken on a hotel redevelopment of this kind. Their investment firm, Dean Street, is also part of their broader involvement in Pensacola’s business community.
Simpson’s interest in Palafox Street began much earlier. The hotel says he skateboarded here as a teenager, drawn to the architecture of buildings that had stood vacant and imagining what they might become. Guirl described the owners’ everyday connection to the neighbourhood: “These are streets we walk, businesses we visit, and places where we spend time with our families.”
Rich colour and rooms with individual character
Interior designer Lauren Bakarian-Simpson, of Haus of Hue, created the interiors and custom furniture, Travel + Leisure reports. The scheme combines Palm Beach references with mid-century styling, using patterned upholstery, rich colour and textured finishes throughout the hotel.
In reception, a vintage mirror covered with shells sits within an interior that includes Schumacher wallpaper and a bullion-fringed couch.
Upholstered headboards feature motifs of birds wading and flowers from the tropics, while velvet couches are finished with bullion fringe that reaches the floor. Jute rugs add another texture alongside the wood floors.
The bathrooms pair two-tone Moroccan zellige tiles with brass fixtures. Plantation shutters cover the bedroom windows, and floor and table lamps provide the lighting. These smaller choices contribute as much to the vintage feel as the more elaborate furniture, with practical modern amenities kept alongside them.
Room categories include King, Two Double Bed and King Suite accommodation. Guests have Galimard toiletries, slippers and bathrobes among the standard amenities, along with vintage-inspired mini fridges and Keurig coffee machines. Three family suites can be combined, and the property also has two kitchenettes; guests travelling together should ask which configuration best suits their party.
From most rooms, the outlook takes in the hotel’s lot and pool, along with buildings in the historic district. The attraction here is the interior design and downtown address, so it is worth choosing a room for its layout and outlook rather than expecting a sea view.
Café Colette, from coffee to cardamom buns
Café Colette is locally owned and operated, with a European-inspired bakery offering that makes breakfast an appealing part of a stay. Blue-and-white Delft tiles from the Netherlands decorate the café, which has counter service, a small number of indoor tables and additional seating on Palafox Street.
For breakfast, guests can get quiche Lorraine, cardamom buns, pains au chocolat, and seasonal scones and muffins, as well as espresso drinks prepared by baristas. Fresh sourdough is also part of the advertised offering. There is enough choice for a quick coffee and pastry before going out, or a more substantial start with quiche and a seat at one of the tables.
The café’s street seating and welcome to local residents connect it directly to downtown. For hotel guests, that means breakfast can be part of the neighbourhood rather than confined to an overnight-guest dining room. For visitors staying elsewhere, it provides a way to see a little of the property without booking a room.
Light lunches, evening drinks and bites are also advertised. Alongside the café, Coral Bar is scheduled to begin operating most evenings in early November, with cocktails served at a long Alabama marble bar beside the pool and Palafox Street. Its planned offering includes beer and wine, giving the courtyard an evening role as well as a daytime one.
A coral-pink courtyard pool
Coral-pink loungers and matching tasseled umbrellas surround the courtyard pool. Pink bougainvillea, cypress and olive trees sit alongside palms and flowering plants, while Japanese yew has been planted as a privacy screen. The combination gives the outdoor space a clear identity of its own, continuing the colour and texture of the interiors.
Poolside food and beverage service is part of the hotel’s offering, allowing guests to spend time here between trips into town. The courtyard is particularly useful for a downtown property: there is somewhere within the hotel to swim, sit outdoors and take a break without planning another outing. Overnight guests are to have priority access to pool loungers and amenities.
Through the concierge, guests can book local vendors for massages in their rooms, as well as hair and makeup services. The hotel has no spa on site, so travellers considering a treatment should arrange the in-room option rather than expect a dedicated spa facility. The hotel’s small scale and pool make it more suited to a relaxed city break than an extensive wellness itinerary.
Palafox Street on the doorstep
Palafox Market takes place in the tree-shaded linear park opposite the hotel, bringing regional produce, eggs, flowers, arts and crafts close by. Its location makes browsing the stalls an easy addition to a stay, alongside the nearby restaurants, bars and shops.
The hotel’s downtown setting allows guests to spend much of their time on foot. Complimentary beach-cruiser bicycles are also available for exploring. The useful distinction is between the two parts of a Pensacola holiday: staying here keeps downtown close, while beach time becomes a separate trip.
The drive south to Pensacola’s white-sand beaches is eight miles. Guests planning to divide their days between the coast and the city should allow for that journey; those whose priority is dining, shopping and evenings around Palafox Street will have more of their itinerary immediately outside the hotel.
Early bookings suggest the owners’ idea of encouraging longer downtown visits has found an audience. Residents arranged rooms for visiting friends and family, and two families attending a downtown seafood festival booked on arrival so they could stay overnight. An entire wedding party was also booked for an October 31 wedding, showing how the property can serve occasions as well as conventional holidays.
Planning a stay at Hotel Margot
Nightly prices vary with season and demand, with rates ranging from approximately $139 to $250 or more. The hotel does not participate in a points-based loyalty programme, so travellers should compare the room categories and direct rates for their dates rather than plan around a loyalty redemption.
The hotel is advertising an opening offer of 12% off stays of two nights or more, with two glasses of wine on arrival. Current availability, room options and the promotion can be checked through Hotel Margot’s website. Guests seeking a kitchenette or connected family accommodation should confirm the specific arrangement before booking.
One ground-floor ADA room has a roll-in shower. Travellers with particular access requirements should discuss the room and their needs directly with the hotel. Full-property buyouts are also available, encompassing all 45 rooms for a wedding gathering or another private group stay.
