Hotel Settles can host meetings, banquets, receptions and weddings for up to 300 guests seated theater style in its Grand Ballroom, or 310 standing with the adjoining mezzanine, across more than 15,000 square feet of event space. The hotel stands at 200 East Third Street in downtown Big Spring, Texas, in a 15-story tower that opened on October 1, 1930.
Seminars and company events
The hotel sells meetings and conferences for groups of more than 300. Breakout rooms, full audiovisual equipment and wireless internet are part of the offer, and catering covers breakfast, lunch, dinner and breaks, so a full meeting day can run without leaving the building.
The two mezzanine meeting rooms suit a training day or a breakout program. The Cosden Meeting Room covers 1,003 square feet and seats 50 classroom style or 50 for a banquet. The Texas & Pacific Meeting Room covers 1,046 square feet with the same layouts. Both have large windows over the Big Spring skyline. For a leadership meeting, the Birdwell Conference Room on the second floor has an executive table with 12 leather chairs. The Judge's Chamber, in the basement, has soft seating, a game table and a cigar smoke extraction system for up to 20 guests, a setting for an evening after the sessions.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel sells weddings, rehearsal dinners and receptions. The restored Grand Ballroom is the main reception room, with gold inlaid ceilings and chandeliers; it seats 200 for a banquet or takes 290 for a standing reception. Ballroom hire includes the Mezzanine Lobby, which overlooks the lobby from the grand staircase and serves for cocktails before dinner. The Pavilion, on the ground floor, has marble floors, arched doorways and four sets of French doors, two of them opening onto a private enclosed patio facing the pool, the spa, the fountains and the gardens.
The events team handles set-up through breakdown, recommends vendors and includes cake cutting. Spa days for the bridal party can be added.
Rooms and capacities
The Grand Ballroom covers 2,784 square feet with a 13.6-foot ceiling: 300 theater, 185 classroom, 200 banquet, 290 reception. With the Mezzanine Lobby, the combined area reaches 3,093 square feet and 310 guests at a reception. The Pavilion covers 900 square feet and takes 80 theater or reception, or 60 for a banquet. The Cosden and Texas & Pacific rooms each take 65 theater style, 50 classroom and 50 at tables. The Birdwell Conference Room seats 12 and the Judge's Chamber up to 20.
Accommodation
Guests and attendees can stay on site in Heritage Rooms and Tower Rooms, or in the Ryan Suite, the Penthouse Suite and the Presidential Suite. The hotel has a pool, a spa and a fitness center.
Catering
Event catering is customized for breakfast, lunch, dinner and breaks. The hotel also runs Settles Grill and the Pharmacy Bar & Parlor.
History and setting
Will R. and Lillian Settles built the hotel, designed by architect David Castle, and opened it on October 1, 1930. It closed in 1982. G. Brint Ryan bought the building in 2006 and financed a renovation of about 30 million dollars, which restored the ballroom and public rooms. The hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America.
Getting there
The hotel is in downtown Big Spring, on the historic Bankhead Highway, along Interstate 20 between Midland and Abilene. Midland International Air and Space Port is the nearest airport with scheduled flights.
