Historic Hotels Worldwide: The most memorable travel experience is to stay in a grand dame hotel built more than a century ago

One of the most unforgettable travel experience is to stay in a hotel built more than a century ago or stay in an iconic hotel that may have been a former castle, chateau, palace, academy, hacienda, luxury manor home, or monastery.

75 hotels have been inducted into Historic Hotels Worldwide in 2018. Hotels approved for induction into the prestigious Historic Hotels Worldwide registry are from across four continents, including 20 countries, and date as early as the 11th century. The 75 historic hotels represent independent hotels and hotels from 12 different brands, chains, and collections.

“Many are tremendous architectural and heritage landmarks. Each is worth exploring and visiting. The ultimate heritage and cultural travel experience is to stay in these hotels,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide.

To be inducted into Historic Hotels Worldwide a hotel must be at least 75 years old; utilize historic accommodations; serve as the former home or be located on the grounds of the former home of famous persons or significant location for an important event in history; be located in or within walking distance to a historic district, historically significant landmark, place of historic event, or a historic city center; be recognized by a local preservation organization or national trust; and display historic memorabilia, artwork, photography, and other examples of its historic significance.

Many of the historic hotels are adaptive reuse historic hotels that have involved converting some or all of a historically significant building to a hotel. Originally, these buildings were built for another purpose in their history. Many historic hotels are located in buildings first completed for another purpose such as former castles, chateaus, palaces, academies, government buildings, warehouses, monasteries, haciendas, villas, and homes for nobility.

In 2018, Historic Hotels Worldwide inducted 55 historic hotels located in Europe:

Czech Republic:

Century Old Town Prague- MGallery by Sofitel (1894) Prague, Czech Republic

 

Denmark:

Villa Copenhagen (1894) Copenhagen, Denmark.

France:

Hôtel & Spa Jules César– MGallery by Sofitel (18th Century) Arles, France;
Hôtel Paris Bastille Boutet- MGallery by Sofitel (1892) Paris, France;
Hôtel La Citadelle Metz- MGallery by Sofitel (1894) Metz, France;
Grand Hotel des Sablettes Plage, Curio Collection by Hilton (1888) La Seyne-sur-Mer, France;
Hilton Paris Opera (1889) Paris, France;
Grand Hôtel La Cloche Dijon – MGallery by Sofitel (1884) Dijon, France;
Sofitel Paris Baltimore Tour Eiffel (1892) Paris, France;
Hôtel Carlton Lyon – MGallery by Sofitel (1894) Lyon, France;
Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe (1894) Paris, France;
Hôtel de la Cité Carcassonne – MGallery by Sofitel (1907) Carcassonne, France;
Le Régina Biarritz Hôtel & Spa – MGallery by Sofitel (1907) Biarritz, France;
Le Grand Hôtel Cabourg – MGallery by Sofitel (1907) Cabourg, France;
Maison Astor Paris, Curio Collection by Hilton (1907) Paris, France;
Cures Marines Trouville Hotel Thalasso & Spa- MGallery by Sofitel (1912) Trouville-sur-Mer, France;
Hôtel Le Louis, Versailles Château – MGallery By Sofitel (1912) Versailles, France;
Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris (1928) Paris, France;
Hôtel Molitor Paris- MGallery by Sofitel (1929) Paris, France;
Hotel Scribe Paris Opéra by Sofitel (1929) Paris, France;

Germany:

Hotel Pullman Aachen Quellenhof (1854) Aachen, Germany;
Sofitel Munich Bayerpost (1896) Munich, Germany;
Reichshof Hamburg, Curio Collection by Hilton (1910) Hamburg, Germany;
SO/ Berlin Das Stue (1916) Berlin, Germany;

Hungary:

Hotel Nemzeti Budapest – MGallery by Sofitel (1896) Budapest, Hungary

Italy:

Villa del Quar (47 AD) Verona, Italy;
La Bagnaia Golf & Spa Resort Siena, Curio Collection by Hilton (11th Century) Siena, Italy;
Palazzo Caracciolo Napoli – MGallery by Sofitel (1584) Naples, Italy;
Hilton Molino Stucky Venice (1884) Venice, Italy;
Grand Hotel Villa Igiea Palermo – MGallery by Sofitel (1890s) Palermo, Italy;
Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese (1890) Rome, Italy;
Aleph Rome Hotel – Curio Collection by Hilton (1930s) Rome, Italy.

Netherlands:

Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam (1578) Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (17th Century) Amsterdam, Netherlands;

Norway:

Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri (17th Century) Bekkjarvik, Norway
Det Lille Hotel (1750) Risør, Norway
Amerikalinjen (1919) Oslo, Norway

Poland:

Raffles Europejski, Warsaw (1857) Warsaw, Poland.
Sofitel Grand Sopot (1927) Sopot, Poland.

Spain:

Gran Hotel Montesol Ibiza, Curio Collection by Hilton (1933) Ibiza, Spain.

Switzerland:

Fairmont Le Montreux Palace (1906) Montreux, Switzerland.

Turkey:

The Galata Hotel Istanbul- MGallery by Sofitel (1720) Istanbul, Turkey

United Kingdom:

Castle Hotel Windsor – MGallery by Sofitel (1528) London, United Kingdom;
The Trafalgar St. James London, Curio Collection by Hilton (18th Century) London, United Kingdom;
Edgbaston Park Hotel & Conference Centre (1718) Birmingham, United Kingdom;
Francis Hotel Bath – MGallery by Sofitel (1739) Bath, United Kingdom;
Queens Hotel Cheltenham – MGallery by Sofitel (1838) Cheltenham, United Kingdom;
Hilton London Paddington (1854) London, United Kingdom;
Oatlands Park Hotel (1865) Weybridge, United Kingdom;
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dundee (1870) Dundee, United Kingdom;
DoubleTree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro (1878) Dunblane, United Kingdom;
Hilton Edinburgh Carlton (1899) Edinburgh, United Kingdom;
Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian (1903) Edinburgh, United Kingdom;
The Grand York (1906) York, United Kingdom;
The Waldorf Hilton, London (1908) London, United Kingdom.

 

Historic Hotels inducted 13 hotels the Americas:

Bermuda:

Hamilton Princess & Beach Club (1885) Hamilton, Bermuda.

Canada:

Fairmont Banff Springs (1888) Banff, Canada.
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (1890) Lake Louise, Canada;
Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu (1899) La Malbaie, Canada;
Fairmont Empress (1908) Victoria, Canada;
Fairmont Château Laurier (1912) Ottawa, Canada;
Fairmont Palliser (1914) Calgary, Canada;
Fairmont Hotel Macdonald (1915) Edmonton, Canada;
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (1922) Jasper, Canada;
Fairmont Royal York (1929) Toronto, Canada;
Fairmont Le Château Montebello (1930) Montebello, Canada;
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (1939) Vancouver, Canada;
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth (1958) Montreal, Canada;

Historic Hotels inducted seven in Asia:

China:

Fairmont Peace Hotel (1929) Shanghai, China;
Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian (1953) Xian, China.

South East Asia:

Raffles Singapore (1887) Singapore;
The Strand Hotel (1901) Yangon, Myanmar;
The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta- MGallery by Sofitel (1918) Yogyakarta, Indonesia;
Raffles Hotel Le Royal (1929) Phnom Penh, Cambodia;
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor (1932) Siem Reap, Cambodia.