DeSoto House Hotel

Was very disappointed with the room. We had reserved a king room with a view of Green Street. The room was small and had a musty smell. The door would only open if you pulled the key out of the lock a little. We immediately checked out and went to Eagle Ridge. Would not recommend Desoto at all.

We had stayed here for the weekend for my Spring Break from nursing school. I recommend it for anyone that enjoys history on their vacations rather than getting drunk and going to the beach. The décor is older but it goes with the history of the building. There is a walking tour throughout the hotel and also a quiet room where you can view the history of Galena on video. The building is also rumored to be haunted even though I did not experience anything while staying there. The building is within walking distance of every tourist attraction in town. There is a parking garage next door which is really convenient. I dined at all three restaurants and have no complaints. The staff was very attentive, friendly and checked on us frequently. I highly recommend the tortellini and the braised beef flatbread at the General’s. The Egg’s Benedict was very good at the Courtyard restaurant. I only deducted a star because there are no refrigerators or microwaves in the rooms.

The food was decent but the service was horrible. We stood for 15 minutes by the sign that said «wait to be seated.» Then someone from the back of the house yell «just sit anywhere.» The place wasn’t crowded so I don’t understand the confusion. As we ate no one stopped by once to see if we enjoyed our food, resulting in empty water glasses for nearly the entirety of the meal. Then, we had to get a bus boy to bring us boxes to go and to get our waiter who was otherwise never around. For such a renown place, we we surprised at such a bad experience. Will not come back.

Desoto? good price, location, parking, functional.
Improvements needed? Décor needs upgrade. Beds, covers, carpeting and bathrooms are from 1987. Dark and damp feel to the place.
If you want a great location with free parking, this works. But the hotel and the vibe need a major overhaul.

This was our first but definitely not our last time at this hotel. It’s in the middle of everything, it’s clean even though it’s an older remodel of a VERY old building, and the people were all friendly and helpful. One downside (at least for us) is the bed is within 6 feet of the door leading to the hall so, if people are talking in the hall, you can pretty much hear it all. If you’re wanting to get romantic, this may be a downer! The rooms are showing their age but as said previously, are kept clean. The bed was actually pretty decent; stiff, but not bouncy or uncomfortable, and there are plenty of pillows. Main Street is pretty busy so if you get a room, try to get one overlooking one of the other streets. The main restaurant where breakfast is served is good, and their Sunday brunch is pretty decent too! I’d like to see the bathrooms updated, and a small fridge put in the rooms to store the copious amount of food all the restaurants seem to serve. With those things, it’d be a 5 star review! Cheers and enjoy!

This is such a beautiful hotel. We came in after our wedding to take pictures and it is such a lovely place. Food is really good too !

Always fabulous. My husband have made it a must several times a year, dragging friends and family along to enjoy this beautiful hotel in the heart of Galena. You are instantly transported back to a time when the likes of Abraham Lincoln stood on it’s balcony addressing the townsfolk — or Ulysses S. Grant hurried past on his way to work. Whether you yearn for history, haunted mystery, fine dining, brats and beer, eclectic shopping, kayaking, or all of the above — the place to come home to is the Desoto. Try a room that overlooks the grand city of Galena where it is said that Lincoln could still look out and instantly recognize where he is, as it has been perfectly preserved. A perfect little gem of a town, frozen in time.
Richard and Stephanie Edwards

Right downtown. Cool old place with lots of history. Floors are historic and roll downward at least in our room. It added to the charmclean. Friendly staff.

Fantastic stay for our 20^th Wedding anniversary. We arrived to a bottle of wine and two keepsake glasses. It was so sweet! Our room was very spacious (king courtyard) on the third floor.
The only downside was that a wedding reception in the courtyard took place until 11 pm. Music was loud but entertaining. Being a night owl, it worked fine but if we had had our kids, it would have been difficult.
The history of this hotel was fascinating. I suggest you pick up the walking tour at check in. We only saw it at checkout, but it gives us a reason to return.
We also paid for the bed and breakfast package which included a phenomenal Sunday brunch. Service was awesome, servers and the buffet workers were extremely attentive and friendly.
A few downers: the elevator broke our last day, but the hotel desk said we could call and they would send it up to pick us up. (Elevator would not allow trips down.)
Also, the woman who checked us in was very emotionless. She was neither friendly or helpful. She seemed to see us as a nuisance, a disruption to her day. The woman at the desk when we checked out was far nicer.
All in all the downers were not enough to keep us from returning.

My husband and I got married here in October ’13. They are a FANTASTIC venue to get married or have your reception in. They are so much less expensive than Eagle Ridge and all other venues. The food selection is great and it’s nowhere near the prices you would find anywhere else. It’s a beautiful open atrium brightly lit. I was concerned that it may be a little outdated, but for our Art Deco wedding it was perfect.
The only con is that the hotel rooms are small and not worth the price.

Beautiful hotel in the heart of downtown Galena. My husband and I took advantage of a $ 99 special that included breakfast. The rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated to fit the quaint homey atmosphere of Galena. The staff was friendly and offered suggestions of things to do in the area, since many shops are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays this time of year. (We didn’t know this ahead of time). The complimentary breakfast was delicious. We could order anything off the menu. The hotel’s downtown location allowed us to leave our car parked and walk the downtown area. Excellent value this time of year, although the price rises significantly during peak periods.

I can chime in with the rest of the breakfast/​brunch choir here. Though I’ve not stayed in the hotel, I did drop in for Sunday buffet breakfast (served from 8AM-​1PM.). It was hands down the best restaurant meal and the best value ($ 15 total) I’ve had in Galena. The food was all very fresh. It was especially nice get real fresh fruit on a buffet. Scrambled eggs were not rubbery or overdone. Bacon and sausage tasty and crisp. Plus there were interesting choices such as baked chicken, fresh green beans and broccoli/​mushroom strata. And of course an omelet chef and carving board with delectable, juicy baked ham. And right behind the omelet chef, a jazz pianist! And thankfully, especially for breakfast, the coffee is decent.
The atrium lower level room is spiffy clean, and there side rooms which probably more conducive to group dining. The main room is fairly crammed with four tops, and with servers and chef and buffet diners a plenty, things can get a little «New York tight.». And while there is nothing wrong with the décor or ambiance, this geezer gardener wants to install some floor plants or hang some planters from the railings. It would probably work well with the tall ceilings and natural lighting from above.
Service and staff were fine, though nothing was too complicated with a self-​service buffet. My experience here would make want to return and try their other offerings, for sure. The hotel and bar and surrounding shops are a prime part of the Galena historic experience. And you can walk off your buffet intake quite easily the same afternoon. Oh, I forget to add, this is one of the few places here for a Belgian Waffle. I do get cravings for those.

On an impromptu trip to Galena we dropped into the historic DeSoto House after hearing about it from another couple we spoke with at a winery in Galena. We had heard about the haunted past and many ghost stories and after a few glasses of wine, it sounded kinda interesting to us. So we walked in and as it turned out they had some vacancies. They offered us a sweetheart rate as a last minute deal. The room was very nice. It was clean and roomy and nicely equipped. All around the hotel there are historic items and information. They have a library off of the lobby where they show a historic video about the hotel. Be sure and visit the spot in the restaurant where a ghost in a black dress was known to walk through and disappear into a wall. The hotel owns its own parking garage a few doors down from the hotel which makes things convenient to get in and out. We’d definitely return, maybe next time we’ll see a ghost!

Big rooms, large and comfy beds, brand new tvs, and the feeling of being surrounded by history. Old and adorable hotel in the heart of downtown Galena, right on Main Street. The rooms with a view of Main Street are choice!
It does have some of the ‘charming’ vagaries of old hotels (i.e. my parents’ room had a slanted floor and the glasses were different sizes in different rooms) but you can’t beat the easy access to the pasta and root beer shops, or the series of antique photos with informative captions in the lobby showing all the famous personalities who have visited the hotel. Cool, cozy, cute, rich in history… all of the above!

What a WONDERFUL breakfast buffet… Wait staff were very attentive and nice. Food was plentiful and hot. Made to order omelletes were delicious. The hotel itself was amazing. This breakfast buffet will hit all of your taste buds. You cant go wrong with a beautiful hotel, hot food and very good wait staff. I will def be back. Thank you

We stayed here for the last night of our honeymoon. Although they were busy, we were greeted very kindly at the front desk. Through our conversation they found that is was our honeymoon and had a bottle of champagne with complimentary glasses sent to our room! They also pointed out a special they were offering with gained us a $ 50 dinner credit for $ 20 more in price, and we took advantage!
The complimentary drink hour offered that night from 5 – 6 started us off to a great evening. After some drinks, we moved on to a wonderful dinner and a nice bottle of wine. The environment was fantastic!
The room was very nice and exactly what we needed.
Breakfast in the hotel was also delicious to top it off!
We will definitely be returning. A wonderful place to visit!

We were in town for the night and to do some sightseeing. A group of ladies. Two separate couples with our group walked in the hotel to inquire on the price, as most of the group returns annually for the same event. The lady at the front desk could have not been any more rude or unaccommodating to each one of our groups that had come in asking about the hotel. It came up later and both groups exchanged that we had the same experience happen. Why be in the service industry if you can’t be nice to potential customers?
An interesting fact about the hotel is that it used to be 5 stories but at one time m, way back in the day, there wasnt enough business so ithe top 2 stories were taken off. It is now a 3 story hotel. I’ll bet they often wish they had those other two stories to rent out the rooms nowadays!

Just to walk in such a historic landmark was 5 star but the fine dining restaurant, downstairs is beyond wonderful… DIVER SCALLOPS were½ the size of my palm and delicious and never had a spinach salad that wonderful and different with an app of duck leg… all my guest raved about their dinners and dessert was equally wonderful.
We took pictures all through the hotel and various dining areas… breath taking!

We had a great stay and the staff here made everything super easy. Everybody made us feel welcomed and important, which was a big change coming from LA. The room price included parking and free breakfast. Seriously, ANY menu item at the place downstairs, plus two drinks. It was a steal and a great way to celebrate my mom’s 60^th bday. I also thought it was cool that the hotel is part of the local ghost tour and was totally cool about tourists roaming the halls with «ghost meters».
One caution for any out of towers:
This is a VERY quiet town. Most of the eateries were closed by 5pm. Come here if you’re looking for a super laid back get away, because there’s no night life to be found. That said, you can have a great time in your room if you buy some wine and cheese down the street earlier, then just stay in with your friends at the hotel!

Just returned from staying at the DeSoto House in Galena IL.
An awesome experience! I spend over 150 nights a year in hotels, so I get jaded and unhappy quickly with underperforming properties … DeSoto house is NOT one of these!
This is a property with a very interesting history going back to 1850’s. The hotel is in excellent condition with a great restaurant and pub. The quality of the food is excellent and the wait staff also very good!
Our rooms were extremely comfortable and well appointed capturing the «old world» style. Everything is clean and fresh.
They have a private parking garage for their guests, which is terrific, as downtown Galena is very «challenged» with public parking on the Main Street.
Heading back there for the fall colors!