The Most Beautifully Restored Historic Hotels in Europe

Photo: Courtesy of the Bloomsbury

In a world where new is always better, it can be refreshing to look to the past as inspiration. These hotels do just that. From reimagining Old World Warsaw to redefining hotel design with a department store as inspiration, each one of these historic properties bring the best of the past into their newly remodeled present.

Hôtel Lutetia, Paris

The founders of Le Bon Marché, inspired by the success and display of their department store, first opened Hôtel Lutetia in 1910 in Paris’s Left Bank neighborhood, a bold move as the hotels of note at the time were all perched along the River Seine. Now a member of The Set Hotel Group, the Hôtel Lutetia, whose name derives from the city’s original Roman name, is undergoing a renovation and set to reopen in Spring 2018. From Art Nouveau to Art Deco, the Hôtel Lutetia’s design is as much a journey through Paris’s history as the hotel’s. The Jean-Michel Wilmotte-designed jazz bar promises to be worth the wait. hotellutetia.com

Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin

Kaiser Wilhelm II, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin. The original Adlon Hotel in Berlin’s Mitte neighborhood has known an illustrious past. Reimagined 20 years ago, it has now become a hotel scene in modern times, hosting presidents, the Nelson Mandela Charity Gala, and of course, who can forget Michael Jackson’s memorable balcony moment? Celebrate this holiday in the newly remodeled lobby with a Feuerzangenbowle, a traditional German holiday cocktail where a rum-soaked sugar loaf is lit aflame and melted into mulled wine in a blaze of seasonal showmanship. kempinski.com

Hotel Moskva, Belgrade, Serbia

Inaugurated by King Petar I Karadjordjević in 1908, Hotel Moskva in Belgrade City Center will celebrate its 110th anniversary next year. The hotel’s public spaces, from the pastry shop to the dramatic stairways, remain true to the Russian secession style with brocade curtains, ornate gilded chandeliers, and gold inlaid wall trimmings. Interestingly, it remains one of the only nonsmoking hotels in Belgrade, as well as the only luxury hotel with duplex rooms and suites. hotelmoskva.rs

The Bloomsbury, London

This 1928 Sir Edwin Lutyens-designed building was originally created as a women’s club for the YWCA. The famed British architect sought inspiration from one of his own designs: a doll house he had created for Queen Mary. Now a hotel in the heart of London’s literary district and a member of the Doyle Collection Hotel Group, The Bloomsbury reopened last month after a multi-million pound renovation in collaboration with Martin Brudnizki Design Studio and British illustrator Luke Edward Hall. doylecollection.com

Raffles Europejski, Warsaw, Poland

Originally The Europejski Hotel, this historic property was inaugurated in 1857 Warsaw. While the premise was at the epicenter of Poland’s cultural scene, it was all but destroyed during World War II. Renovations were undertaken in the 1950s and ‘60s to slowly bring this property back to its former glory, and Raffles is currently in the midst of a major remodel that will see this hotel reopen in Spring 2018. Highlights to expect include a patisserie evocative of Hotel Europejski’s captivating past with an array of sweets so compelling, they transport you back to the hotel’s original opening. raffles.com