These Hotels Have Some Serious Baggage
Some hotels have a history far more interesting than their room service menus. Before welcoming overnight guests, these remarkable buildings housed bustling train terminals, noisy factories, and even hospitals. Rather than disappearing, they were transformed into extraordinary accommodations where original architecture and modern comforts share the same address.
Sarahstrunk, Wikimedia Commons
St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Missouri
Opened in 1894, St. Louis Union Station was once among America's busiest railway terminals. Today, its magnificent Grand Hall welcomes hotel guests beneath a 65-foot vaulted ceiling decorated with stained glass, elaborate mosaics, and gold detailing.
Union Station Nashville Yards, Tennessee
Nashville's former Union Station became a hotel after decades of serving railway passengers. Designed by engineer Richard Montfort, the Romanesque Revival building preserves its distinctive architecture, offering travelers a considerably more relaxing experience than catching a departing train.
Warren LeMay from Chicago, IL, United States, Wikimedia Commons
Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown Union Station, Indiana
Indianapolis offers an unusual overnight experience inside its historic Union Station complex. The hotel's most memorable accommodations include authentic Pullman railway cars resting on their original tracks. The magnificent 1888 station also retains its impressive architectural character.
The Crawford Hotel, Colorado
Denver's Union Station underwent a major transformation in 2014, introducing The Crawford Hotel on its upper floors. Guests sleep within the historic transportation landmark, surrounded by architectural details that recall the building's railway origins and century-long history.
Canfranc Estación, A Royal Hideaway Hotel, Spain
Opened in 1928, Spain's enormous Canfranc International Railway Station eventually fell into decline. Its transformation into a luxury hotel, completed in 2023, preserved the station's spectacular architecture while introducing elegant accommodations surrounded by the dramatic Pyrenees mountains.
Lozano Manzanedo, Wikimedia Commons
The Central Station Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis's Central Station opened in 1914 and remains connected to passenger rail service. Its converted hotel features original railway signage and a restored waiting room, alongside a music-focused design celebrating the city's extraordinary musical heritage.
The Hotel Chalet At The Chattanooga Choo Choo, Tennessee
Chattanooga's Terminal Station welcomed its first train in 1909. After railway operations ended in 1970, the property became a hotel and entertainment destination. Today's Hotel Chalet occupies the historic railway complex and offers restored Pullman carriage accommodations.
WeaponizingArchitecture, Wikimedia Commons
The Old Railway Station, England
Petworth's former railway station, rebuilt in 1892, offers something especially charming. Guests can stay inside the old station building or restored Pullman carriages. The property began welcoming overnight visitors in 1995, decades after regular passenger service ended.
Evelyn Simak, Wikimedia Commons
Hotel Emma, Texas
San Antonio's Hotel Emma occupies the former Pearl Brewery brewhouse, built in 1894. The brewery operated until 2001, but its industrial character survives through preserved architectural details. The luxury hotel honors Emma Koehler, who helped guide the brewery through Prohibition.
Sarahstrunk, Wikimedia Commons
Fordson Hotel, Oklahoma
Before becoming the Fordson Hotel, this Oklahoma City building manufactured automobiles for Ford. Designed by architect Albert Kahn, the former assembly plant eventually became the 21c Museum Hotel before adopting its current identity within Hyatt's Unbound Collection.
Refinery Hotel, New York
Manhattan's Refinery Hotel occupies the former Colony Arcade building, constructed in 1912. Once home to prominent hatmakers, its industrial origins inspired the hotel's high ceilings, spacious windows, and design details celebrating New York City's historic Garment District.
TheCatalyst31, Wikimedia Commons
The Foundry Hotel, North Carolina
Asheville's Foundry Hotel opened in 2018 inside buildings associated with a former steel factory. Original industrial details, including exposed brick and historic mechanical elements, help preserve the character of a property that once contributed to the city's manufacturing economy.
Warren LeMay from Cincinnati, OH, United States, Wikimedia Commons
Henry Jones Art Hotel, Australia
Hobart's Henry Jones Art Hotel occupies buildings once used by the IXL jam factory. Opened in 2004, the hotel preserves much of the original industrial architecture while displaying hundreds of artworks celebrating Tasmania's thriving creative community.
Gary Houston, Wikimedia Commons
Hotel Indigo Dundee, Scotland
Dundee's Hotel Indigo occupies a former jute mill connected to the city's textile industry. The property's industrial history stretches back to 1822, and its conversion preserved original brickwork while introducing design elements inspired by Dundee's manufacturing heritage.
Hôtel Fabric, France
Paris's Hôtel Fabric sits inside a former textile factory in the fashionable Oberkampf neighborhood. Its exposed metal structures, brick walls, and enormous workshop windows recall the area's industrial past, creating an unusually spacious atmosphere for a Parisian boutique hotel.
New Road Hotel, England
London's New Road Hotel occupies a former Whitechapel garment factory. The building closed in 2000 before three brothers whose father had worked there transformed it into a boutique hotel, preserving original industrial materials and architectural features.
Hotel Ottilia, Denmark
Copenhagen's Hotel Ottilia occupies historic Carlsberg brewery buildings, including an 1881 structure once used for brewing and malt storage. Preserved machinery, distinctive brickwork, and the former brewery's enormous storage spaces give the property its unmistakable industrial personality.
Ramblersen2, Wikimedia Commons
The LOOM Hotel, Rhode Island
Warwick's LOOM Hotel occupies a genuine 19th-century textile mill overlooking the Pawtuxet River. Now operating within Hilton's Tapestry Collection, the property preserves industrial features including oversized windows, exposed brickwork, and unusually high ceilings.
B2 Hotel, Switzerland
Zurich's B2 Hotel occupies part of the former Hürlimann Brewery, which operated until 1996. Its transformation preserved elements of the historic brewing complex, including industrial machinery and former production spaces now incorporated into guest accommodations.
Mill Hotel & Spa, England
Chester's Mill Hotel incorporates the former Griffiths Corn Mill, built in 1830 beside the Shropshire Union Canal. Its conversion into a hotel preserved an important piece of the city's industrial heritage while introducing restaurants, guest rooms, and spa facilities.
Tanya Dedyukhina, Wikimedia Commons
Wythe Hotel, New York
Brooklyn's Wythe Hotel occupies a factory constructed in 1901. Originally associated with barrel manufacturing, the building later housed textile production. Its hotel conversion retained exposed brick, original timber, and numerous architectural reminders of Williamsburg's manufacturing past.
Mikeyfrecks, Wikimedia Commons
Napa River Inn, California
Napa River Inn occupies historic buildings originally developed by Captain Albert Hatt during the 1880s. Later used for grain storage and feed milling, the complex was transformed into a boutique hotel that opened in 2000.
The Richardson Hotel, New York
Buffalo's Richardson Hotel occupies buildings belonging to the former Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane. Designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the historic complex was transformed into accommodations that retain its monumental stone architecture and distinctive towers.
Andre Carrotflower, Wikimedia Commons
InterContinental Marseille Hôtel-Dieu, France
Marseille's spectacular Hôtel-Dieu once served as a major hospital. Its medical history stretches back centuries, although the present building was inaugurated in 1866. Following extensive restoration, the property reopened in 2013 as an elegant five-star hotel.
Fred Romero from Paris, France, Wikimedia Commons
InterContinental Lyon Hôtel-Dieu, France
Lyon's Grand Hôtel-Dieu provided medical care for centuries before closing as a hospital in 2009. Its transformation into an InterContinental hotel preserved the spectacular riverside architecture, including the celebrated dome designed as part of the historic complex.
Lana Hussain, Wikimedia Commons
Hotel Du Vin Birmingham, England
Birmingham's Hotel du Vin occupies a former Victorian eye hospital dating from 1884. After the hospital relocated in 1996, the historic building was converted into a boutique hotel, preserving its magnificent staircase, granite pillars, and distinctive architectural details.
The Jaffa, Israel
Tel Aviv's luxurious Jaffa hotel occupies a former 19th-century French hospital and convent complex. Its remarkable restoration preserved arched corridors, historic stonework, and an old chapel, transforming spaces once associated with medical care into sophisticated accommodations and gathering places.
Avi1111 dr. avishai teicher, Wikimedia Commons
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