These six hotels are grouped by their buildings rather than by any shared style. Some occupy structures raised for civic or industrial work and later converted; others were designed as places to stay and have kept their original character through repeated renovation. The entries describe what stands there, what surrounds it, and how the shared rooms are used, all from public sources.
Hotel Marcel
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
A concrete office block converted into a hotel
Stands at the edge of New Haven
Runs on electricity, with panels above the parking area
The building
The hotel occupies an office building designed by Marcel Breuer with Hamilton Smith for a rubber and tyre company. Two heavy upper floors are carried above a recessed middle level, so the top of the building appears to stand clear of the base. The precast concrete facade was kept, and guest floors were fitted inside the existing frame.
Around it
It sits at the southern edge of New Haven, next to the interstate and a retail strip rather than in a downtown block. The city centre and the university campus lie a short drive north, and the harbour front is on the far side of the road.
Inside
The lobby fills the open lower level as one long room, with a café counter, seating groups and a bar sharing the space. Furniture follows mid-century designs, and the original stair and lift cores remain visible. Meeting rooms occupy part of the former office wing, and a small fitness room sits on a guest floor.
Before you go
Reaching the hotel is simpler by car than on foot, so plan your arrival before booking anything else. Ask about parking and about charging if you drive an electric car. The shared ground floor is used for events on some days, which changes how busy it feels.
Category — Art Hotel
Location — New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Checked — April 2029
Maison de la Luz
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
A guesthouse rather than a public hotel
Set in a former annex to municipal offices
Shared salon, library and breakfast room for guests
The building
Rooms occupy a masonry building raised as an annex to municipal offices and later converted for guests. The street front keeps its original openings and cornice, while the interiors were rebuilt with panelled walls, patterned floors and colour used room by room. The scale stays domestic, with corridors that read more like a house than a hotel.
Around it
The address sits in the Warehouse District, among converted commercial buildings, galleries and restaurants. The French Quarter begins a walk away to the north east, and the riverfront lies in the other direction. Streetcar lines run along the nearby avenues, so the rest of the city is easy to reach without a car.
Inside
Guests use a salon with a fireplace and grouped seating, a small library, and a breakfast room where a morning meal is served to residents. There is no lobby bar in the usual sense; a separate bar occupies the ground floor and keeps its own hours. Staff handle arrivals in the salon rather than at a counter.
Before you go
Because the shared rooms are for guests only, ask what is open to visitors if you plan to meet anyone here. Breakfast arrangements and salon hours change through the week. Parking in the district is limited, so check what the guesthouse offers before you arrive with a car.
Category — Art Hotel
Location — New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Checked — April 2029
Ace Hotel Kyoto
Kyoto, Japan
Built around a former telephone exchange building
Part of a mixed complex with a courtyard
Central Kyoto, within walking distance of Karasuma
The building
The hotel forms part of a complex built around the brick shell of a former telephone exchange by Tetsuro Yoshida. The old street front was retained and a new wing added behind and above it, so arched brick openings meet plainer modern surfaces along the same courtyard. Guest rooms sit mostly in the new construction.
Around it
The site lies in central Kyoto, a few streets from the Karasuma corridor and its subway stations. Shopping arcades, small restaurants and the covered market are within easy walking distance. The riverside and the older districts to the east take longer on foot but stay within reach of a short bus or subway ride.
Inside
A wide lobby runs from the street into the courtyard, with a café, a lounge and long tables used through the day. The complex holds shops, a hall for events and several restaurants, some open to people who are not staying. Art commissioned for the building hangs in the corridors and public rooms.
Before you go
Shared spaces here are also neighbourhood spaces, so the lobby can be busy from morning onward. Check which restaurants belong to the hotel and which are separate tenants. Event programming in the hall varies, and some parts of the complex keep hours that differ from the front desk.
Category — Art Hotel
Location — Kyoto, Japan
Checked — April 2029
Villa Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark
Housed in the former central post building
Faces the main railway station across the street
Courtyard, roof terrace and pool are shared
The building
The hotel occupies the city's former central post building, a heavy masonry structure with tall arched windows and a long street elevation. The main hall was opened up to serve as the arrival space, and guest rooms were fitted into the office floors above. A newer wing extends the building towards the rear courtyard.
Around it
It stands opposite the main railway station, with the Tivoli gardens and the city hall square a short walk north. The meatpacking district and the harbour baths lie south west across the tracks. Bus and metro connections at the station make this one of the easier addresses in Copenhagen to reach without a car.
Inside
The old post hall now works as lobby, lounge and restaurant in one volume, with seating spread under the original ceiling. A courtyard sits behind it, and a heated pool and terrace occupy part of the roof. Meeting and event rooms take up the older office floors, and a bakery faces the street.
Before you go
The roof terrace and pool close for weather and for private hire, so ask before you count on them. Rooms facing the station are livelier than those over the courtyard. Trains run early, and the surrounding streets stay busy, which is worth knowing if you sleep lightly.
Category — Art Hotel
Location — Copenhagen, Denmark
Checked — April 2029
Casa Fayette
Guadalajara, Mexico
A mid-century house extended by a plain tower
In the Lafayette district, west of the centre
Roof terrace, pool and restaurant shared by guests
The building
A house from the middle of the last century forms the front of the hotel, and a plain tower behind it holds most of the rooms. The older structure keeps its rendered walls, terrazzo and stair, and was reworked to hold public rooms rather than bedrooms. The addition is deliberately quiet against the original.
Around it
The hotel sits in the Lafayette district, a residential quarter west of the historic centre known for its restaurants, bars and design shops. Streets here are tree lined and walkable, with parks nearby. The cathedral and the older civic squares are a short taxi ride east, along avenues that carry most of the city traffic.
Inside
Public rooms occupy the original house: a bar, a lounge with grouped seating and a restaurant opening to a terrace. A pool and a roof terrace sit above the tower, and a small spa and gym are on a lower level. Some of the ground floor rooms are used for private events.
Before you go
Roof terrace hours shift with the season and with private bookings, so ask when you arrive. The neighbourhood is quiet by day and busier at night on the restaurant streets. Check which shared rooms are open to visitors if you plan to meet people who are not staying.
Category — Art Hotel
Location — Guadalajara, Mexico
Checked — April 2029
Château Gütsch
Lucerne, Switzerland
A turreted house standing on a wooded hill
Reached by funicular from the streets below
Terrace and restaurant look over Lucerne
The building
The hotel is a turreted nineteenth century house on a wooded rise above the town, built in a romantic style with steep roofs and a corner tower. Successive owners rebuilt the interiors, and the present decoration is heavy and theatrical, with strong colour and pattern in the public rooms and corridors.
Around it
The hill sits west of the old town, above the streets that run back from the river. Woodland paths lead up from the town, and viewpoints along the ridge look over the lake and the roofs below. The station, the covered bridges and the waterfront promenade are a walk away once you are back down.
Inside
A restaurant and bar occupy the main floor, with a terrace outside used when weather allows and a view over the town. A small spa and event rooms sit within the house. A funicular runs from the foot of the hill and is the usual way up for guests and for visitors coming to eat.
Before you go
The funicular has set operating hours, so ask how to reach the hotel outside them. The approach is steep and luggage is easier with help. Terrace and restaurant service depend on weather, and the house is used for private events on some dates.
Category — Art Hotel
Location — Lucerne, Switzerland
Checked — April 2029
Before you use this page
Lumoriis is an independent reference and has no link to any hotel listed here. Everything here comes from public sources and can change without notice, including opening hours and the use of shared rooms. Nothing is sold or reserved through this site, so confirm any detail with the hotel before you travel.
