Some travelers like their hotels modern, even, dare I say, ultramodern with sweeping, newly built towers with skyline views and high-tech amenities.
Those are all certainly a vibe, but on some trips, the real appeal is staying somewhere with more lore.
Luckily, there are plenty of gorgeous historic hotels across the United States that scratch that itch.
Whether you’re a history buff, an art lover, or just someone who appreciates sublime architecture, these five properties (which each happen to be a member of Historic Hotels of America) make an overnight stay feel a little like a night at the museum.
In this article
Hotel Del Coronado
The quintessential San Diego stay is definitely “The Del,” the affectionate nickname for the historic Hotel del Coronado.
It’s been dazzling SoCal tourists (plus royals, politicians, and celebrities) for well over a century. Opened in 1888, Hotel del Coronado was the brainchild of former railroad executive Elisha Babcock, Jr. and Chicago piano manufacturer Hampton L. Story who scooped up the then-undeveloped Coronado peninsula with the intent of creating a world-class seaside resort. (Spoiler alert: It worked.)
The classic Victorian property, known for its distinctive red roofs and turrets, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977, and film buffs will recognize it as the exterior filming location for Marilyn Monroe’s 1959 comedy “Some Like It Hot.” It even served as the inspiration behind Walt Disney World’s famed Grand Floridian Resort.
Today, the 28-acre oceanfront destination has over 900 rooms and over 140 suites across several distinct “neighborhoods,” but history lovers should head straight for The Victorian, the original 1888 hotel building. The oldest section of the sprawling resort, The Victorian recently underwent a major $550 million renovation and best preserves the property’s storied past.
The other four neighborhoods lean modern: The Cabanas and The Views offer a more contemporary take on The Del, while the more exclusive Beach Village and Shore House (the latest addition to the resort) lean into residential-style luxury.
Recent nightly rates range from $400 to $1,000+, depending on the season, accommodation type, and “neighborhood.”
Mohonk Mountain House
If Hotel del Coronado feels like a Victorian daydream by the Pacific, Mohonk Mountain House is its Hudson Valley fairy-tale castle cousin.
Set alongside Lake Mohonk in New Paltz, New York, the turreted resort dates back to 1869, when Quaker schoolteacher Albert Smiley began transforming a modest lakeside inn into one of the country’s most storybook historic retreats.
More than 150 years later, the property is still owned and operated by the Smiley family, and it’s one of the relatively rare all-inclusive resorts in the U.S.
Today, the 262-room landmark resort sits within a historically protected 7,800-acre landscape, with forest, cliffs, gardens, trails, and carriage roads adding to the time-capsule effect (along with offerings like house history talks and the Barn Museum).
Inside, that mood continues as you wander past long wooden porches, natural stone fireplaces, and hallways that feel like they should come with a sepia-toned soundtrack. It’s less “old hotel with a plaque” and more a full-blown slippage through time. They even have their own in-house archivist dedicated to preserving and publicizing the resort’s history.
Recent nightly rates range from roughly $700 to $1,000+ depending on seasonality and room type.
The Hermitage Hotel
The Hermitage Hotel isn’t just one of the most luxurious five-star stays in Nashville, though the jaw-dropping marble lobby (itself a work of art) and the rest of the hotel's heavily ornamented Beaux-Arts architecture are certain to capture your attention first.
It’s also steeped in history, and inextricably woven into the legacy of the city itself.
The downtown Nashville landmark first opened its doors in 1910, hosting celebrities from Charlie Chaplin to Babe Ruth to Johnny Cash. But even more significantly, The Hermitage became a key stage for the women’s suffrage movement during Tennessee’s decisive 1920 ratification battle, when suffragists led by Carrie Chapman Catt and anti-suffrage forces effectively made the hotel their competing headquarters as legislators debated the 19th Amendment nearby.
In addition to its 122 rooms and suites, The Hermitage also, incidentally, has one of the world’s most famously beautiful bathrooms. It’s not quite as historically monumental, sure, but certainly fun.
Recent nightly rates start at $320 for a standard room and vary based on seasonality.
La Fonda on the Plaza
Much like The Hermitage and Nashville, La Fonda on the Plaza feels inseparable from the city it calls home.
The historic landmark sits directly on Santa Fe’s central plaza, on a site where hospitality stretches back centuries. The current 180-room hotel dates back to 1922, when it was leased to early hospitality pioneer Fred Harvey a few years later. Harvey’s architect expanded and redesigned the structure with the Pueblo Revival look that helped define modern Santa Fe.
Today, between its adobe-hued walls, Southwestern art, and distinct sense of place, La Fonda is a veritable love letter to all things New Mexico, in hotel form.
La Fonda’s interiors serve the same function. The rooms, hallways, lobby, and public spaces are filled with hand-painted details, custom furnishings, and work by Native American and local artists. In a sense, the hotel feels more like a living cultural collection than a standard luxury getaway.
Complimentary docent-led art and history tours cover the building’s many eras, including its Harvey House period, along with its architecture and art collection, making a stay there feel even more museum-like.
Nightly rates generally start in the $250 to $400 range for standard rooms, with prices varying based on seasonality and room type.
21c Museum Hotel Louisville
21c Museum Hotel Louisville offers a very different kind of historic hotel, swapping out grand-dame ornament and architectural splendor for what is, quite literally, a museum-hotel.
All 21c hotels double as museums and hotels in one, and this outpost located on West Main Street’s Museum Row in downtown Louisville, occupies a row of restored 19th-century warehouse buildings in the city’s historic district.
Its second life as 21c Museum Hotel Louisville began in 2006, when the 21c brand opened its first hotel-museum hybrid here with a 91-room boutique stay wrapped around a contemporary art museum, with rotating exhibitions that are open 24/7 to both overnight guests and the public free of charge.
That museum experience follows you well beyond check-in. Large-scale installations, gallery spaces, and unexpected pieces appear throughout the property. So the walk back to your room can feel like wandering through an after-hours exhibition.
Compared with the rest of this list’s marble-lobbied landmarks and Victorian resorts, 21c proves there’s more than one way to blend historic preservation and a winning travel experience.
Nightly rates start at $165 for a deluxe king room and vary based on seasonality and room type.
The Shortcut
These five historic U.S. hotels offer immersive stays built around architecture, history, art, and a strong sense of place. All are members of Historic Hotels of America, a useful filter when searching for stays with genuine architectural and cultural significance.
The Victorian at Hotel del Coronado recently completed a $550 million renovation and is the section that best preserves the original 1888 building.
Mohonk Mountain House is one of the few all-inclusive resorts in the U.S. and has been owned by the same family since 1869.
21c Museum Hotel Louisville's contemporary art exhibitions are open 24/7 to both guests and the public, free of charge.
These properties are at a variety of price points, ranging from relatively accessible boutique stays to splurge-worthy landmark resorts.
