Grand old hotels

Some hotels have a heritage from the golden age of steam railways and ocean liners, before the Second World War, in the 19th or early 20th centuries. These hotels were where the rich and the famous of the day would stay. They have an appeal all their own: old fashioned fittings, the lack of the latest amenities, and a certain graceful agedness. They are often in superb locations, either smack in the middle of cities – very often being next to or part of a major railway station, as they were often constructed to house railway travelers – or close to major outdoor attractions. Some were also located next to sea ports to serve steamship passengers. They are likely to neighbor a legacy department store or a legacy food market from the same era. For this article, we also include numerous mid-20th century hotels that are iconic and historically significant.

New York City, London, Paris and the Los Angeles area are known for having a particularly high concentration of such hotels.

Understand
"I stayed in a really old hotel last night. They sent me a wake-up letter."

- Steven Wright

Even today such places generally offer fine accommodation and are usually not cheap, though more modern high-end places may be even more luxurious and are often more expensive.

A traveller with piles of money might consider a round the world flight, broken up with stays in many of these hotels. Travelling around the world overland, on routes such as the one taken in Around the World in Eighty Days, would give a more authentic experience of pre-flight travel.

While the grand old hotels are usually privately owned, they sometimes accommodate visiting heads of state and other dignitaries.

Do
You need not stay in such hotels to enjoy some of their services. Many have fine dining, live music and nightlife, as they had in the days of yore, and gambling if local law allows. A visitor to Singapore, for example, might go to Raffles just for a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar where it was invented, and where Rudyard Kipling and Noel Coward once drank, and check out the Billiard Room where Singapore's last tiger was shot.

Sleep
Grand old hotels tend to have a 4- or 5-star rating. Due to their legacy and premium location, they can cost more than newer hotels with similar amenities.

Cope
As the buildings are old, they might be less accessible for travellers with disabilities. In most cases, the staff will be helpful for guests who need assistance.

Egypt




East Asia




China

 * Shanghai has several fine hotels built in the Art Deco style in the city's glory days, the 1840s to the 1930s:
 * Shanghai has several fine hotels built in the Art Deco style in the city's glory days, the 1840s to the 1930s:

Japan
The following three are regarded as the Three Great Hotels (御三家 gosanke) of Tokyo, in reference to the three main branches of the ruling Tokugawa family of the Edo Period:

There are some other grand old hotels to be found:



Middle East
Egypt is listed under Africa above.
 * — originally called the Jerusalem Hotel when it first opened in 1866. Closed down in 1940 and sat forlorn and abandoned for decades before being painstakingly restored and reopened under its current name in 2018
 * — originally called the Jerusalem Hotel when it first opened in 1866. Closed down in 1940 and sat forlorn and abandoned for decades before being painstakingly restored and reopened under its current name in 2018
 * — originally called the Jerusalem Hotel when it first opened in 1866. Closed down in 1940 and sat forlorn and abandoned for decades before being painstakingly restored and reopened under its current name in 2018
 * — originally called the Jerusalem Hotel when it first opened in 1866. Closed down in 1940 and sat forlorn and abandoned for decades before being painstakingly restored and reopened under its current name in 2018

Southeast Asia


Several of Southeast Asia's grand old hotels can be credited to a single family, the remarkable Sarkies brothers from Armenia, who founded all of the following icons:



Of course, there are some other very classy options as well:





Nordic countries




Western Europe




Central Europe




Canada
The grand old hotels in Canada, also referred to as railway hotels, have a unique place in Canadian history. Most of them were built during the first quarter of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway or Grand Trunk Railway to provide elegant accommodation while viewing the natural beauty along the rail line. Canadian Pacific, which purchased the former Grand Trunk (Canadian National) hotels in 1988, spun off all non-rail subsidiaries (including Fairmont, its hotel group) in 2001.

These hotels are popular with tourists and locals alike and though overnight stays are expensive; they represent a fine piece of Canadiana worth visiting even if you only have time for a walk through the lobby. Three – Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper- are major tourist resorts in their own right, located amid stunning Rocky Mountain scenery. Listed approximately east-to-west, they are:

Of course, there are some other very classy options as well:



United States
There is a program called Historic Hotels of America with 260-odd hotels involved as of 2015. Each of these hotels is over 50 years old and is (or is eligible to be) a historic landmark.

Peru

 * – The cocktail Pisco Saur was invented here. Royalty stayed here, and the Rolling Stones had to leave for bad behavior.