Historic Luxury Hotels Defined

What makes a hotel a “historic hotel”? Well, like most things in the hotel world, this is up for interpretation. In the United States, an organization called the National Trust Historic Hotels of America (HHA) defines a historic hotel. The HHA is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and has identified more than 200 quality historic hotels that have "faithfully maintained their historic architecture and ambiance." To be selected for this program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or recognized locally as having historic significance. Keep in mind that a historic rating does not necessarily qualify the hotel for the “luxury” category, which I define as having exemplary service, fine dining and amenities not available elsewhere.

If you want both history and luxury, look for hotels that belong to organizations such as the Leading Hotels of the World; have won accolades from the media, such as Travel + Leisure; or have been written up in magazine such as the Robb Report. Historic hotels taken in hand by hospitality giants, such as the Ritz or Orient Express, are also a guarantee that you’ll have both luxury and history the way you want. I’ve detailed just a few of the world’s best historic hotels in this book.