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Hotels
The World’s best Design Hotels
From the architectural luxury of the Hotel Marqués de Riscal—designed by Frank Gehry in Spain—to urban concepts such as Combo in Venice or Turin, design is now making its mark at every level of the hospitality industry.
What are the most beautiful design hotels in the world? Whether they focus on striking aesthetics, exceptional architecture, or polished interior design, it is their appearance that is the main draw of design hotels. Often designed by a renowned architect or interior designer, these hotels are one-of-a-kind—typically modern, contemporary, and avant-garde, and sometimes minimalist.
Designer hotels range from 5-star properties, such as the Hotel Marquès de Riscal by Frank Gehry in Spain, to hostels like the Combo Collection in Venice or Turin. While often contemporary, some from the last century left their mark on their era and have been renovated to pay homage to their former grandeur, such as the Hôtel Les Cabanettes in Arles—an architectural oddity at the gateway to the Camargue, designated a 20th-century Heritage site, and built between 1965 and 1967. Across all countries and categories, here is our—inevitably subjective—selection of the world’s most beautiful design hotels.
The Most Beautiful Design Hotels in France
1. Monsieur Aristide, Paris
Perched on Montmartre Hill, Monsieur Aristide hotel draws inspiration from the singer-songwriter Aristide Bruant and turn-of-the-century bohemian Paris, featuring vintage decor designed by Marion Collard. A mahogany and travertine bar, a Wurlitzer jukebox in the lobby, and 25 rooms where magazine lamps with fringed shades, turned-wood mirrors, vintage working transistor radios, and pendant lights salvaged from old cafés—all sourced from flea markets—are given a new lease on life in this design hotel in Paris.
Monsieur Aristide
25 rooms starting at 180 € per night.
3 Rue Aristide Bruant 75018 Paris
2. Villa La Coste, France
More than just a design hotspot, Villa La Coste is a luxury hotel in Provence worthy of a place among the world’s most beautiful hotels. During the Art and Architecture tour, you’ll encounter works by artists and architects such as Frank Gehry, Matisse, Kengo Kuma, Jean Nouvel, Jean Prouvé, Richard Serra, and Lee Ufan—all set amid 130 hectares of organic vineyards. Also on the agenda: Michelin-starred cuisine, 28 ultra-contemporary villa-style guest rooms, a concrete Art Center designed by Tadao Ando, a gallery by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, and a photography pavilion conceived by Renzo Piano.
Villa La Coste
28 rooms starting at 225 euros per night.
2750 Route de la Cride, 13610 Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade
3. Hotel Les Cabanettes, Arles
Among the cutest hotels in Arles, welcome to Les Cabanettes, a time capsule that transports you to the world of the 1960s. Located at the gateway to the Camargue and designated a 20th-century Heritage site, this design hotel was built between 1965 and 1967 by architect and artist Armand Pellier, modeled after a motel. The 29 rooms are arranged in a semicircle around the central pool and are all furnished in the spirit of the ’60s.
Les Cabanettes
29 rooms
D572N, Hameau Saliers. 13200 Arles
4. Hôtel Richer de Belleval, Montpellier
In Hôtel Richer de Belleval, a 5-star hotel in Montpellier, featuring a Michelin-starred restaurant run by the Pourcel brothers, you’ll find a colorful fresco by Jim Dines on the ceiling, a bar with decadent décor where artist Jan Fabre has arranged thousands of iridescent beetle elytra, and 20 rooms with decor meticulously crafted down to the smallest detail. Margot faucets, Meljac light switches, brass outlets and trim, Garnier Thiébaut linens, Moooi or Christian Lacroix rugs, and antique frescoes restored by the Ricou workshops—it’s all there, including the contemporary art foundation housed within the Relais & Châteaux-listed hotel.
Hôtel Richer de Belleval
20 rooms starting at €190 per night
Place de la Canourgue, 34000 Montpellier
5. La Folie Barbizon, France
Just an hour from Paris, in the legendary village of Barbizon on the edge of the Fontainebleau Forest, La Folie Barbizon is an artist’s home transformed into a hybrid country hotel, at the crossroads of art, nature, and creativity. The property features 21 rooms, each individually decorated by some thirty creative artists—designers, painters, visual artists, and ceramicists—under the artistic direction of the Greenline Foundation. The hotel passionately cultivates the art of detail: it features no fewer than 50 unique works of art, as well as murals, carved woodwork, living art installations, and antique or custom-made furniture… Wherever the eye rests, a story unfolds, colors burst forth, and textures come to life. Artistic and poetic: La Folie Barbizon, with its unique and joyful decor, is an ode to life that invites you to recharge while marveling at its beauty!
La Folie Barbizon
21 rooms, starting at 146 euros per night.
5 Grande Rue, 77630 Barbizon
The Most Beautiful Design Hotels in Europe
6. Stamba Hotel, Tbilisi
Housed in a former Soviet-era printing plant, the Stamba is the very embodiment of world-class hotel design. An ideal base for exploring Tbilisi. An iconic building with spacious interiors, raw concrete throughout, a renovation inspired by the 1930s, and designer pieces everywhere. From the lobby to Café Stamba, not to mention the library and the bathrooms with their spectacular showers, every corner is Instagram-worthy. There’s even a photo gallery.
Stamba Hotel
150 rooms
14, 0108 Merab Kostava St, Tbilisi, Georgia
7. Sommerro, Oslo
While the world’s most beautiful design hotels are often contemporary, the Sommerro plays in the same league as the grand classics. This 5-star hotel is housed in the Art Deco headquarters of the city’s former electric company, meticulously renovated to preserve its historic 1930s details, including original frescoes by artist Per Krohg, set in contrast with works by young contemporary Norwegian artists. For relaxation, head down to the basement, where you’ll find one of Norway’s last remaining public baths, dating back to 1932, which has been converted into a 1,400 m² wellness center. A great base for a weekend design tour of Oslo.
Sommerro
231 rooms
Sommerrogata 1, 0255 Oslo, Norway
8. M.Ou.Co, Porto
Here’s an unpretentious hotel in Porto that has taken design to a lovely level of detail. Serving as a cultural space, concert hall, design hotel, bar, and restaurant all at once, the M.Ou.Co. welcomes guests with a wall of vinyl records at the front desk. These former warehouses have been renovated into a huge, bright, and airy space, with rooms featuring exposed brick walls and refurbished or reissued vintage furniture. Minimalism is the watchword, and music is at the heart of the experience, with each room featuring a professional soundbar, an amplifier, a turntable, Chromecast, and a guitar or keyboard available upon request.
M.Ou.Co
62 rooms
Rua de Frei Heitor Pinto, 67, 4300-081, Porto, Portugal
9. Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh
An elegant base for exploring Edinburgh, the Gleneagles Townhouse checks all the boxes for a design hotel—without even trying—with its 33 Victorian-style rooms filled with velvet and scalloped trim, its grand restaurant under a glass roof, and its rooftop bar overlooking the UNESCO-listed city. Art Deco grandeur and simplicity blend here with brilliance and opulence—an oxymoronic hotel that leaves a lasting impression.
Gleneagles Townhouse
33 rooms
39 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2AD, United Kingdom
10. Il Palazzo Experimental, Venice
Interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon and her Milanese colleague Cristina Celestino are responsible for the renovation of this Renaissance palace, one of Venice’s most beautiful hotels, a world apart from the city’s usual gilded opulence. Retro-chic and laid-back, the style still pays homage to La Serenissima through numerous details: terrazzo, Marmorino walls, carved wood, handmade glazed tiles, and a color palette that mirrors the city’s myriad hues: terracotta, sky blue, and yellow.
Il Palazzo Experimental
32 rooms starting at €195 per night
Fondamenta Zattere Al Ponte Lungo 1411, Venice