Navasota, established in 1854, quickly became a vital hub for cattle and cotton shipping by the late 19th century. Cotton warehouses lined its railroad tracks, and in the late 1860s, Louisa Loftin funded the construction of a three-story stone hotel near the tracks. P.A. Smith owned and operated the Navasota Weekly Tablet, and expanded his entrepreneurial pursuits to include a furniture store, a cotton business, and investments in local real estate. He also constructed and managed the Navasota Opera House. Following Loftin's marriage to Smith in 1875, the hotel opened in 1876 as the P.A. Smith Hotel. The Smith family lived on the upper floors until the 1940s.

Over the years, the building endured multiple ownership changes, a devastating fire, neglect, and severe structural damage, including a collapsed roof by 2017. That same year marked the revival of Navasota's Historic Railroad District. After five years of restoration, the P.A. Smith Hotel was reborn, and in 2019, the neighboring Giesel House—Grimes County's oldest building—was added to the project.

Today, the site features a luxurious AAA Four Diamond hotel, an event venue showcasing original stone walls and Texas pecan wood, a speakeasy bar, a gourmet coffee shop, and a gift shop, all in the heart of Navasota's vibrant Historic Railroad District.