5 Hotels Where History and Culture Live On

From medieval palaces to avant-garde art movements, these properties offer more than just a place to sleep — they're portals to the past.

In the basement of a luxury hotel in Palma, guests can walk through what was once a medieval escape tunnel, its stone walls echoing nearly a thousand years of history. In Zurich, travelers sleep in rooms where the Dada art movement was born, while in Helsinki, they rest where Finnish cultural life has been shaped for two centuries.

These aren't museums with beds, but living spaces where history was actually made. Across Europe and Asia, a new generation of hotels occupies buildings that witnessed everything from artistic revolutions to royal intrigue, offering guests the chance to sleep where the past and present beautifully collide.

The Home Hotel Zürich

Once a 1836 paper mill that later hosted the Dada art movement revival, this Neo-Dada hotel along the Sihl River preserves its creative rebellious spirit. Original concrete columns are artfully illuminated amid lush greenery, while the historic façade remains unchanged after over a century. Read more: https://bit.ly/442NQxJ

Villa Theatro Hotel

A 20th-century building in Braga, Portugal, this former bakery features striking grey granite and Sumerian-inspired friezes. The renovation opened up terraces and shifted from traditional pink tones to contemporary mustard yellow while respecting the building's historical essence. Read more: Read more: https://bit.ly/4nlnnmx

The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

Located in China's "Ceramic Capital," this 99-room mountain resort, by In-between Architects, celebrates local tea culture and ceramic traditions. Each room includes a tea cabinet, while the design uses local oak, stone, and ceramics that will "gracefully age" like the region's centuries-old craftsmanship. Read more: https://bit.ly/3ZO1uCn

NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa

This hotel unites two historic buildings: the 1910 Art Nouveau New Student House and Hotel Seurahuone, Helsinki's oldest continuously operating hotel since 1833. The 224-room property maintains its role as a cornerstone of Finnish cultural life near the city's renowned museums. Read more: https://bit.ly/45C9gD1

Nobis Hotel Palma

This luxury hotel occupies a 12th-century medieval Islamic palace built around two surviving courtyards. The 37-room property seamlessly blends preserved historic archways and ancient ceramic tiles with contemporary luxury, including a former escape tunnel now transformed into a serene space. Read more: https://bit.ly/4lovlcP