The Williamsburg Lodge is the more relaxed, more accessible sibling to the Williamsburg Inn — less formal, larger, and the right call for golf groups that want a great base without the Inn’s white-glove formality. Built by Rockefeller two years after the Inn in 1939 and designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the architect best known for his work on the national park hotels, it carries its own considerable history while operating as a distinctly different kind of property. It joined Marriott’s Autograph Collection in 2017, which makes it the only way to earn and redeem Bonvoy points in the Colonial Williamsburg portfolio.
The Property
The Lodge’s design is organized around a single source of inspiration: the folk art collection of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, whose collection became the nucleus of what is now the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum directly across the street. The interior aesthetic Underwood built around it is best described as less formal than a museum and more comfortable than a living room. Handcrafted lanterns made by Colonial Williamsburg’s tin plate workers appear throughout the public spaces, on room door hangers, as décor pieces, and on staff uniforms. It’s the Lodge’s signature design element and a nod to the same colonial tradespeople whose workshops sit a short walk away in the Historic Area.
The 323 rooms are spread across six guest houses, giving the property a campus feel rather than a single-tower layout. Standard rooms run around 325 square feet with queen or king configurations. Deluxe rooms step up to 400 square feet with a pull-out sofa and more flexibility for a group’s needs. Premium rooms in Tazewell Hall, the renovated building in the Lodge complex, add a comfortable living area and private outdoor patio. Suites run from the 500-square-foot Queen Junior Suite with a separate living room to the 600-square-foot King Suite with both a living room and dining area.
The Golf Access
The Lodge provides preferred tee time access at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, directly adjacent to the property, for all three courses: the Gold, the Green, and The Shoe. The proximity to the golf club is one of the Lodge’s practical advantages over staying elsewhere in the Williamsburg area, and for a golf-first group planning a multi-course trip, the ability to walk to the first tee puts the trip on easy logistics from arrival.
Dining and Amenities
Traditions handles breakfast and is the gathering point most Lodge golf groups start their mornings at before heading to the course. Sweet Tea & Barley takes over for dinner and evening cocktails with a Southern menu in a casual atmosphere that makes it the natural 19th-hole option. Room service is available through the Marriott Bonvoy app from either venue.
The Lodge shares access to The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg, the Forbes Four-Star facility it holds in common with the Inn, including three pools — indoor, outdoor, and an adults-only tranquility pool — plus a state-of-the-art fitness center with daily group exercise classes. One complimentary hour of tennis or pickleball court time is included for Lodge guests, and the Bassett Trace nature trail, a three-mile round-trip path through woodland with over 40 documented bird species, runs from the property for guests who want a morning walk before a round.
The Lodge also holds 45,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event and meeting space, making it the most practical property in the Colonial Williamsburg portfolio for corporate golf outings, tournament groups, and larger parties that need meeting facilities alongside the golf. Every direct booking includes two complimentary admission tickets to the Historic Area and Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
Want to stay at the Williamsburg Lodge on your next Virginia golf trip? Coastal Golfaway has been packaging stay-and-play golf vacations since 1986. Reach out and we’ll put it together.
