WEST TEXAS WEEKLY

It might sound silly, but you can feel James Dean’s star power permeate this landmark fifty years after the fact. There is an ineffable glamor here that my video may not be able to capture. The only way to experience it is to visit yourself; stop by their website and make reservations so you can see what I’m talking about.

I want to give a big thank you to Vicki, Carlos Lujan and the rest of the staff at the Paisano Hotel and Jett’s Grill. This isn’t just a great place to stop by if you’re from out of town… they go out of their way to make a wonderful experience for the whole community. A perfect day in Marfa always ends with one of Jett’s excellent Margaritas while observing the sunset to the sound of the fountain in the courtyard.

They get my kudos because they are professional about providing excellent service. Even when every other restaurant in town in closed, you can get something to eat here. That is a community service, people!

Here’s a little history on the Paisano straight from the horse’s mouth:

The Hotel Paisano was built by Charles Bassett of El Paso and opened in June 1930. It was one of five hotels that he built in west Texas and eastern New Mexico of the Gateway Hotel chain. He commissioned notable architect Henry Trost of Trost and Trost in El Paso for the architectural design. The construction company was McKee Construction out of El Paso that had built most of the early Hilton Hotels around Texas in the 1920’s and 1930’s as well as most of the office buildings in downtown El Paso of that era.

The Paisano was for the most part a cattleman’s hotel for its first 40 years. Ranchers from all over the area had business meetings here and bought and sold their herds from the lobby of the hotel. The railroad depot was two blocks away so many rail travelers stopped in for a night in their travels between California and San Antonio. The hotel was also the prime location for social events within a 100 mile radius of Marfa. Many weddings, parties, receptions, proms and meetings were held at the Paisano.

In 1955 Warner Brothers chose Marfa as the location for the filming of the epic movie Giant. In June of that year the cast and crew including James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson made the hotel their headquarters. Today, the hotel still has many visitors that come to see and remember Giant. James Dean’s hotel room here is one of the most popular that we have to offer. In July 2005 the Chamber of Commerce is having a 50th anniversary celebration of the movie with hopes to attract some of the stars from the movie.

The hotel closed in the late 1970’s as a working hotel. In 2001 the building was purchased with plans to be restored back into its 1930’s splendor. After three years of renovations we now have 33 rooms and suites available for the public. Like in the 1930’s the Hotel Paisano is again becoming a destination in and of itself in far west Texas for guests visiting local art foundations, (The Chinati Foundation), the Marfa Mystery Lights , Big Bend National Park, Mexico, and attractions such as McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis National Historic Site, and the Davis Mountains Scenic Loop Highway .

The hotel offers a banquet room that seats 100, a full service bar, and private meeting and conference area. Also, an indoor swimming pool, shopping and a “Giant” memorabilia room with the movie playing continuously. Please check with reservations for availability.