7 historic hotels in Europe

Historic hotels offer a unique sense of place and offer a connection to a destination that contemporary hotels are hard-pressed to match.

Here are seven great historic hotels recently opened or renovated that provide an authentic European experience. From Snowdonia National Park in Northern Wales to the canal district in Amsterdam, from the first hotel ever built in St. Moritz to Malta’s first luxury hotel (dating back to 1939—practically modern compared to the other hotels on the list), these properties all have one thing in common: They offer a distinctive take on their location and offer travelers a chance to immerse themselves in the destination.

1 

Wales' Palé Hall (pictured above) is a 19th-century, Grade II-listed country home built in 1871.

2
The Pulitzer Amsterdam, located within the 400-year-oold Golden Age canal house buildings, re-opened its doors recently after a complete renovation.
 

3
In St. Moritz, Switzerland, The Kulm Hotel recently unveiled its largest-ever room renovations. 
 

4
The Phoenicia was built in 1939 as Malta’s first luxury hotel. Currently, the CampbellGray Hotels property and Leading Hotels of the World member is closed for a top-to-bottom refurbishment, and is slated to reopen in October 2016.

5
Housed in a row of Victorian townhouses in London’s Knightsbridge district, The Franklin Hotel is a newly renovated Starhotels property that is now one of 29 other luxury hotels the brand has throughout Europe.

6
Il Sogno di Guilietta is a luxury boutique hotel inside the courtyard of a house that literature lovers imagine belonged to Juliet of Romeo and Juliet fame.
 

7
The Baur au Lac first opened its doors in 1844, but today, it’s got all the modern touches that travelers have come to expect.