I remember back when the Mansion was first renovated in 1980. We were turning the kitchen and dining room into a bar for a party. I asked the designer to get some animal heads for a Western theme. When she said she didn’t have any, I said my husband had plenty and that he’d loan her some. When my husband saw them the night of the party, he nearly died. He said she chose the worst specimens, like animals with crooked horns. When I asked her about it, she said, “I chose them because they had sweet expressions.”
The Mansion has hosted many famous guests. In the late 1980s, entertainer Robert Goulet came. He always traveled with his two pet cats. The cats arrived before he did, and the hospitable Mansion staff brought them welcome baskets. There was a catnip mouse in there, and when he arrived, they were wild, climbing the drapes.
A couple of years ago, Crown Prince Abdullah, now King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, rented the entire hotel and part of the Hotel Crescent Court. He required a bathroom remodel, which was accomplished in one week’s time. He also had an entire suite devoted to all the televisions he brought with him.
In 1989, I realized how special the Mansion was when we won the Mobil Five Star Award—the only hotel in Texas so honored, and a designation the Mansion has had since.
Caroline Rose Hunt is the founder and honorary chairperson of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.
