Most gilded, gracious, grand dame hotels strike me as catering to visiting rulers of Third World countries, dowagers hoping to marry off their pedigree granddaughters or to meeting-planners praying to fill up the ballrooms with conferees.

But the 94-year-old Davenport Hotel (www.davenporthotel.com), occupying a full block of downtown Spokane, Wash., courts the city's social lions, visiting dignitaries and field systems engineers willing to upgrade from a Courtyard by Marriott. It has no problem with road warriors dropping into to hold meetings in the spectacular lobby.

The Davenport is a history-maker in the hospitality business. It claims to be the first hotel in the United States with air conditioning in the public areas, folding ballroom walls and a central vacuum-cleaning system. Not exactly as earthshaking as the first in-room bathroom, The Astoria in New York City, or the first in-room telephone and television, The Statler Hotel chain now owned by Hilton. But innovative nonetheless.

What's more, during a recent visit the entire lavishly furnished and decorated lobby — with a fountain and fish, elegant sofas and tables, intricately carved floor lamps and a sky-lit ceiling — was indeed packed with people transacting commerce on their laptops and spreadsheets and connected to the Internet via WiFi at no charge. At 10 am. I didn't spot a single tourist.

Of course, the Starbucks coffee and pastry counter, which seemed strangely out of place in the lobby, is a lure for latte lovers. However, it's the spacious yesteryear setting and welcoming spirit you can actually feel that packs in the businesspeople.

Another attraction: massive bouquets of colorful fresh flowers are everywhere. Louis Davenport, credited by many for inventing the Crab Louis, reportedly made a deathbed vow that his hotel would never, ever have fake flowers or floral arrangements and that his guests deserved the freshest of everything that his considerable wealth could buy.

The Davenport boasts one of a dying breed and his door is open to all guests. Tom McArthur, who carries the title communications director, is a wry wit and resident historian. He does far more than churn out press releases.

Blessed with a deep baritone voice, McArthur worked in radio in Tacoma, Wash., and he doesn't bob, weave, spin or go mum at tough questions. He answers before you ask.

“See those beautiful stone walls? That's painted on to look like stone,” he confesses. “The plaster is painted to look like wood. The art deco glass ceiling is 25 feet high and authentic Tiffany.”

When the Davenport opened, most guests traveled by railroad. They wanted luxury so Louis Davenport created an ornate main dining room for his hotel and dubbed it the Palm Court Grill, a name he swiped from the Titanic. Like most historic hotels it has a ghost in residence. She “fell through a skylight to her death in 1920” and haunts the place on occasion.

Guests aside, the 238 room Davenport — be sure to book the original and not the 328 room contemporary tower across the street — is very accommodating to business travelers. Next to the staffed round-the-clock concierge desk, is a business center with two Dell PCs and an HP laser printer that never closes; no charge for guests.

Rates for nice, traditionally furnished rooms start at $299 rack rate for a standard and there is no high- or low-season differential. However, I called the hotel reservation line direct and was quoted $219 nightly for a deluxe king-size on a Wednesday two weeks out. Rack is $319 a night

The charge is $17 a night for self-parking and $24 for valet. Spokane International Airport is 8 miles, or 15 minutes, away and a roundtrip by town car is $50. It is $25 each way by cab. Do the math and you will see the town car is a better deal.

There is a spa and workout room one floor below the lobby. Hours to use the fitness equipment are 8 a.m.-10 p.m., but the hotel will bend them on request. You want a personal trainer at 3 am? No problem, says McArthur.

Do not expect delicate, nouvelle cuisine at the Davenport's dining room. Both the Palm Court Grill and the Peacock Room have traditional food. “The guy who owns the Davenport today is a very meat and potatoes kind of guy, not a sushi guy,” maintains McArthur. “If you want grits for breakfast or prime rib for dinner, it's on the menu. There's no tantrum-throwing chefs here. We're not a Manhattan restaurant or hotel.”

Not even close. The great event at the Davenport was a live cattle auction called “Ladies in the Lobby.” Buyers and sellers would sit on the mezzanine sipping bourbon and the stars of the show would gallop through the lobby floor in the early ‘80s, before the hotel was closed down for a remodel.

Doesn't sound like it was lucky to be a winner on this runway.

Chris Barnett writes on business travel strategies that save time, money and stress. Reach him at cbarn@aol.com. To find out more about Chris Barnett and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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