253 Unique Hotels in North America

This newly restored hotel was first opened in 1927 and brought luxury to the distant western coast of Canada. Over the years celebrities such as Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Katharine Hepburn have visited this grand hotel. The restoration cost over $120 million and no wonder when you consider the art …

The site was originally home to the Snoqualmie Falls Lodge (built in 1919), and now the building has been renovated to become the Salish Lodge and Spa. The exterior was used as a location for the cult TV show Twin Peaks, and while the interior has changed, fans of the …

In C.S Lewis’ classic Narnia tale, The Magician’s Nephew, Polly Plumber – a little girl – finds a secret part of her house and pretends it is a smuggler’s cave by leaving some empty beer bottles in there. Luckily these caves are better than that. A whole lot better. For …

In 2011, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened. It is the first large American art museum opened since 1974 and is the project of a Walmart heiress who spent a number of years amassing a collection of fine art and arranging it in the museum located in the …

Located on 36 acres of private land near Siskiyou National Forest, this treesort had to fight legal battles to get permission to be called a Bed and Breakfast. Over the years, uptight regulators refused to recognize the soundness of their specially designed treehouses. They were allowed to have friends stay …

Set in the sleepy town of Chacala (which means “where the shrimp are” in the native tongue), this resort is located in a secret cove only accessible by boat. There is no wifi or television, and the little electricity needed is produced from solar panels. There are several private houses …

This hotel is located in a skyscraper of curving glass that seems to undulate in the year-round Miami sunshine. Located dockside in Miami Marina, the hotel offers direct access for boats and moorage. You can take day trips out to the sea or explore the Miami waterways. The rooms are …

Miami Beach is a magnet for celebrities, and you can find some of them at the Delano Hotel. The hotel has been designed to reflect the lifestyle of your average schmo’s wildest dreams. Just check out these indoor/outdoor lobby photos, the landscaped pool, and luxurious day beds. Artwork by Salvador …

Acapulco, Mexico, in the 1950s was a glamorous haven for rich dudes with grey-haired chests and beauties in white bikinis. But recently, some people have said it is in decline. Lucky, then, that Hotel Boca Chica has arrived on the scene. Located in a vintage Acapulco hotel, new owners overhauled …

Located in central San Francisco near SoMa (South Market) and the Westfield mall, Hotel Zetta is one of America’s most technologically advanced hotels. The recent refurbishment has utilized the recycled, the re-used, and re-appropriated. A string of iMacs contrasts with twisted timber detailing. Your room features a “tall desk” where …

This boutique hotel in Laguna Beach, California is a special design hotel created by the famous Horst Architects. They have created a contemporary design in conversation with the quaint aesthetics of Laguna Beach. They used reclaimed wood from buildings demolished in east LA, over 100 years old. The garden seems …

Canyon Ranch Lenox is a destination spa resort in The Berkshires in Massachusetts. It consists of an inn, an enormous Spa Complex, and the Bellefontaine Mansion – a private residence built in 1897. It has seen action as a seminary and boarding school before reopening as today’s health resort in …

The Wit Hotel has an enviable location on the corner of State and Lake near Chicago’s business district, theatre town, and Millennium Park. The 27-story building was built in 2009 and reflects the vibrancy of the local area with a kickass lightning bolt running the length of its glass floors. …

How far north can you go without staying a tent, getting lost, and resorting to cannibalism? Well, try the Hotel Arctic. It is the world’s northernmost four-star hotel (which begs the question as to what a two-star Arctic Hotel would be like) and is popular among people who like their …

This hotel occupies the top 11 floors of the 48-floor 345 California Center building. The twin towers of the building are 45-degree angles relative to the rest of the building which makes for a dazzling – if trippy - stay. The vibe is distinctly oriental, borrowing themes from the best …

This hotel is an Organic Bed & Breakfast and Ecology Resource Center which means they have amazing gardens overflowing with flowers, hand-built guestrooms using ethically-sourced materials, and a lovely courtyard and tea room. Much of the hotel has been made from recycled materials. There are buildings made from straw-bale and …

Located in the Mexican Caribbean and achingly hip, this hotel is built around a courtyard swimming pool: the blue iris in an eye of chicness. Around the pool are the designer day beds and a Jacuzzi. There is a DJ playing ambient music, hopefully with gratuitous lashings of DJ Shadow. …

Located in the 92-story glass skyscraper in Chicago’s famous skyline, Donald Trump, in typically bombastic style, opened this hotel while it was still being built. Now it is completed, when you stay here you will be a short walk away from several Chicago landmarks such as Marina City and Tribune …

Grupo Habita is well-known for producing hotels that have style gurus levitating in amazement. This one is located in Santa Fe, Mexico City’s high-retail and business district, so it is one of their more swish creations. Acclaimed interior designer Joseph Dirand masterminded the interior down to the vintage furnishings and …

Boeing (as in the airplane company) was founded here, so to commemorate that you'll find riveted metal cocktail tables to rest your specially crafted beverage. The massive circular fireplace in the Living Room which houses the resident DJ high above, riffs on a forest ranger look-out tower, and is covered …