Lobby

Four floors of hotels worth going out of your way for.

Eleven hotels, sorted by what they are rather than where they are. Pick a floor.

How the index works

A hotel gets a room here only if its category is the plain reason to stay. Being nice is not enough.

Before each update, we confirm the hotel still trades under the name we print. Closed or renamed hotels come off the floor.

We write descriptions. Prices, availability and bookings stay with the hotels themselves.

Floor 1

Hotels where an art programme shapes the stay. Some commission whole rooms; others run galleries and residencies under the same roof.

Floor 2

Compact cabins with shared baths and lounges. All three on this floor come from one Japanese operator and follow its airline-cabin idea.

Floor 3

Full-service hotels with a gaming floor as one feature among many. Rooms, restaurants and live entertainment come first in every write-up.

Floor 4

A hotel rebuilt from river ice every winter. One entry, the original, kept as the standing reference for the category.