Dallas hotelier Mark Wyant buys the historic Hotel Galvez in Galveston from heirs of fracking pioneer The 110-year-old Gulf Coast property has a rich history that includes hosting presidents, generals and Hollywood celebrities. Galveston celebrates the holidays with a lighting ceremony at the historic Hotel Galvez the day after Thanksgiving. Dallas-based hotelier Mark Wyant is buying the historic Hotel Galvez and Spa in Galveston from the heirs of legendary oilman, fracking pioneer and developer George P. Mitchell in a deal expected to close in mid-May. The 224-room beachfront hotel earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Opened in 1911, it has a rich history that includes playing host to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson and to Hollywood celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Stewart.