For discerning travelers, finding a hotel with that’s decidedly cool is paramount to having a great vacation. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of trendy hotels and resorts where you’ll find the most unique and luxurious décor, dining, and details you've ever seen. And while these properties tend to pop up in cities, it’s possible to experience a hip setting in unexpected places. Here are 14 of the world’s hippest hotels, all of which appear on our 2014 Fodor's 100 list. Read on and get inspired to set off on your next stylish escape.
By Megan Suckut
Hotel Marques de Riscal
Elciego, Spain
Stay inside an architectural masterpiece at the Hotel Marqués de Riscal, featuring a pink-and-gold, titanium-clad edifice designed by Frank Gehry. This luxurious countryside getaway, located in La Rioja's vineyards, offers superb dining at its gourmet restaurant and traditional bistro. Get out and enjoy the nearby winery and outdoor activities, then hit up the spa afterward for wine-inspired treatments.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Bilbao and the Basque Country Travel Guide
Hotel Solamar
San Diego
Hotel Solamar is a stylish urban escape in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, close to some of the city's best shopping, dining, and nightlife. Besides its upscale-yet-fun guest rooms, the hotel is known for LoungeSix, a poolside rooftop bar illuminated by fire pits and accent-lit palm trees. From Jsix, the hotel's sustainable restaurant, to complimentary red bicycles and yoga mats, it's sure to be a memorable place to stay.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's San Diego Travel Guide
Refinery Hotel
New York City
The trendy, retro-industrial Refinery Hotel, housed in a former hat factory in the Fashion District, delights guests with 197 custom-furnished rooms, a year-round rooftop bar, and a variety of gastronomic delights. The hotel's signature restaurant, Parker & Quinn, serves pastoral dishes with a southern touch, and Winnie's, its prohibition-style cocktail bar, hosts live jazz and piano performances throughout the week.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's New York City Travel Guide
Hotel Mama Shelter
Paris
Located across the street from the popular Fleche d'Or nightclub in the 20th arrondissement, Hôtel Mama Shelter provides its guests with postmodern, trendy rooms with their own kitchenettes, and often balconies as well. The hotel's bohemian, quirky ground-floor restaurant—with a chalkboard ceiling—serves French family-style dishes and pizza to an international mix of stylish patrons.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Paris Travel Guide
Viceroy Anguilla
Anguilla
Rich in international sophistication, the Viceroy Anguilla provides spacious, luxurious rooms – or, if you're looking to go all out, glamorous, private villas with their own infinity pools, indoor-outdoor showers, and gourmet professional kitchens. There are plenty of activities and fitness programs to keep guests busy, and five restaurants, including a beach barbecue and the Sunset Bar, to keep them full.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Anguilla Travel Guide
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome
Paris
Romantic and Zen, the guest rooms at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme have a minimalist vibe brought out by underfloor heating and Japanese-inspired baths. Located near Place Vendôme and Opéra Garnier, this urban-chic property hosts a multitude of fine dining restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Pur' by celebrated chef Jean-François Rouquette, and the artsy cocktail lounge Le Bar.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Paris Travel Guide
Covent Garden Hotel
London
Centrally located for great theater and opera, the Covent Garden Hotel and its ottoman-clad public salons bring guests back to 18th-century London, with modern English design employed throughout the 58 guest rooms. Take afternoon tea in the drawing room or sip wine in the brasserie, and keep an eye out for the celebrities and stylish clientele who frequent the trendy property.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's London Travel Guide
Argos in Cappadocia
Turkey
Take the paleo lifestyle to new levels in the cave accommodations at Argos in Cappadocia, which are the pinnacle of luxury and tranquility. Whether you stay in a stone room or a “splendid suite”—which features an in-room private pool—make time to explore the hotel's six mansions and lush gardens. Exquisitely designed public spaces, extensive wine cellars, and first-rate service are all hallmarks of a stay here.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Cappadocia and Central Turkey Travel Guide
The Greenwich Hotel
New York City
Inviting and low-key, The Greenwich Hotel, partly owned by Robert De Niro, boasts 88 distinctly designed rooms and suites decorated with a vast range of cultural influences, from France to Morocco to Japan. The hotel offers guests a cozy courtyard and a homey drawing room, not to mention an excellent on-site rustic Italian restaurant, Locanda Verde, which is notable for its handmade pastas.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's New York City Travel Guide
Topnotch Resort
Vermont
Head to the Topnotch Resort in Stowe for posh, country-inspired accommodations, outdoor activities, and romantic dining. The rooms, decorated with painted barn-board walls, feature plush robes, fine linens, and premium bath products. Guests are greeted with homemade cookies before they go out and hike, mountain bike, cross-country ski, or take tennis lessons right on the resort's property.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Northern Vermont Travel Guide
Only You Hotel and Lounge
Madrid
Housed in a historic 19th-century building, Only You Hotel & Lounge brings the youthfulness and glamour of Ibiza to Spain's vibrant capital city. Guests here enjoy amenities from in-room audio systems and smart TVs to hooded bathrobes and rainfall showers. Don't shy away from the local nightlife—or the hotel's elegant cocktail bar—as late check-out is always available here.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Madrid Travel Guide
The Hotel George
Washington, D.C.
Declare your independence from chain hotels with a stay at D.C.'s first contemporary boutique hotel. Funky yet patriotic, The Hotel George is laden with pop art featuring America's first president and wallpaper printed with Washington's handwritten inaugural address. Check out the hotel's award-winning Bistro Bis for the perfect pommes frites and French rotisserie fare.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Washington, D.C. Travel Guide
Dean Street Townhouse
London
A thoroughly modern and au courant boutique hotel, Dean Street Townhouse is both stylish and often budget-friendly, especially for its Soho location. The historic Georgian townhouse's guest bedrooms are adorned with high quality upholstered furniture, and many feature four-poster beds. Check out the hotel's restaurant for modernized classic British fare as well as a fantastic art collection.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's London Travel Guide
The Drake Hotel
Toronto
Toronto's trendiest travelers head to The Drake Hotel, where you can find contemporary art and vintage-style furniture around every corner. The unique guest rooms are notable for their contemporary glass showers, custom millwork, and hand-made dolls. No need to leave the hotel for good nightlife here, as DJs spin nightly in the lounge, the underground bar, and on the rooftop patio.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Toronto Travel Guide