Alabama hotel up for best boutique in America in new USA Today poll

FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — A local Alabama hotel has a chance to win top honors in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice awards, and voting is now open.

The GunRunner Boutique Hotel in downtown Florence is among 20 finalists in the Awards’ Boutique Hotel category .

According to USA Today, the category is for hotels that “offer an escape all their own, complete with a more customized experience and the best modern amenities and service and unique accommodations in the middle of some of the nation’s greatest destinations.”

Other finalists for honors include the following:

• The Bottleworks Hotel, a former Coca-Cola bottling plant in Indianapolis, Ind.
• The chateau-like Castle Hill Inn in Newport, R.I.
• The Inn Above Tide overlooking San Francisco Bay
• The Sewanee Inn on the grounds of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.

The GunRunner’s name is taken from a pawn shop that once occupied its space at 310 E. Tennessee St. Each of its 10 suites has a theme reflecting Shoals-area history.

Online voting in the 10Best competition continues until noon Monday, Aug. 5. Voters can weigh in once per day. The 10 winners will be announced Wednesday, Aug. 14. A leaderboard can be found here . For more on the GunRunner, visit gunrunnerhotel.com .

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