The Alba Hotel, first opened in 1907, was a much needed addition to lodging in Montreat. Conferences were growing in size and Hotel Montreat and the many boarding houses could not meet the demand for space. It was conveniently located near the lake (present site of Howerton Hall). The timber was cut on Montreat property and hauled by a yoke of oxen to the saw mill that was near the front of present-day Anderson Auditorium. At the time, the Alba Hotel had sixty-five rooms and a large dining room, but no lobby or private baths. The hotel underwent several renovations over the next few decades until it burned in 1945.