All Aboard: These 8 Hotels Are Located in Train Stations

The train station was once among the grandest and most important buildings in many American cities. The golden era of U.S. rail travel may have faded (though there are still plenty of scenic Amtrak routes criss-crossing this nation), but one of the easiest ways to relive some of that magic is by staying at former train stations that have been transformed into hotels.

Among these eight hotels, you’ll experience such original features as 65-foot-high barrel-vaulted ceilings, Tiffany stained glass, symbol-filled murals, and even guest rooms housed inside vintage Pullman sleeper cars. Two of these accommodations are members of Historic Hotels of America, two still offer train service via Amtrak, and one has a Michelin Key award. You don’t need to be a rail buff to enjoy these eight architecturally unique stays, which make up our latest installment of Hotels We Love.

Asher Adams, Autograph Collection

Photo by Jason O’Rear

Opened in 2024, the Asher Adams hotel originated as the Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot, which was built in 1909 in the French second empire style. The white and gold barrel-vaulted lobby showcases this history with stained glass windows, terrazzo floors, and a pair of historic murals: One shows the 1869 driving of the “golden spike” that marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad; the other depicts the arrival of newcomers to this territory in the 1840s.

Guest rooms are divided between the restored station, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and a new, eight-story tower that offers expansive views of the Wasatch Mountains. King and queen rooms (290 to 388 square feet) have modern, sleek lines and a muted gray-yellow palette. On site, you’ll also find a retro photo booth and letter station that harkens back to a bygone era of travel, and the concierge will even seal your correspondence with a wax stamp. Fun fact: The hotel is named for John Asher and George Adams, who produced detailed maps of railroad routes in the 19th century.

The Central Station Memphis, Curio Collection by Hilton

Courtesy of Hilton

Amtrak’s City of New Orleans line, running from Chicago through Louisiana, still stops at the Central Station Memphis. Built in 1914, the building resembles a neoclassical bank with two-story columns, and it reopened as a hotel in 2019 with midcentury-modern decor. The hotel, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, claims that its bar and lounge Eight and Sand, with a collection of thousands of vinyl records of Memphis musicians, is “the best-sounding music room in town.”

The 123 guest rooms, some with views of the Mississippi River, come with custom EgglestonWorks speakers, which are made right in Memphis. The modern accommodations are decorated with bright artwork; the large windows have blackout curtains for an extra good night’s sleep.

The Crawford Hotel

Courtesy of The Crawford Hotel

When Union Station opened in the Mile High City in 1881, its clock tower was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. After a major fire, it took on its current Beaux-Arts appearance in 1914. At its peak as a transport center, during World War II, the building handled some 50,000 passengers daily. As with many big-city train stations across the nation, it fell out of use with the increasing popularity of car and plane travel. The renovated station reopened in 2014, complete with shops, bars, restaurants, and the stylish Crawford Hotel.

Heritage features are on display everywhere, from the Grand Hall, with its huge arched window, to the restored ticket station that now operates as the Terminal Bar, serving spirits distilled in Colorado as well as regional draft beers. The 112 guest rooms are filled with custom artwork and furniture; the hotel’s special Pullman rooms pay tribute to Pullman sleeper cars with art deco furnishings and vintage train ads—plus views of the train platform. Travelers can still arrive here via Amtrak on the scenic California Zephyr route or explore Denver on one of the many light-rail lines that depart from the station.

Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown Union Station

Courtesy of Crowne Plaza Indianapolis

The original station where the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis stands opened in 1853, and it was the country’s first “union station”: a central terminal that handled independent rail lines. Construction of the current three-story building began in 1913. The round window over the entrance, a nod to rose windows in Gothic cathedrals, and its barrel-vaulted lobby suggest how significant the station once was.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this former station offers something unique in its accommodations: 26 of its 273 rooms are in 13 Pullman sleeper cars inside the main building. With two rooms in each car (they used to hold between 8 and 16 compartments), these accommodations are much roomier than the originals. The modern furnishings in the 1920s railcars share the gray-and-red color scheme of other rooms, but true to their railcar formation, they sport rows of small windows. Contemporary additions include individual workstations and an indoor pool.

The Hotel Chalet

Photo by Matt Kisiday

Chattanooga’s Choo-Choo terminal opened in 1909, but by the end of the 1960s, train service ended. The original Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel opened in 1973, retaining the historic Beaux-Arts design and 82-foot-high central dome. New owners recently upgraded it with a $19 million restoration and rebrand, including a name change. The Hotel Chalet is intended to suggest alpine Europe—yes, Chattanooga is surrounded by mountains, including the famed Lookout Mountain—and the attractive decor ranges from art deco to midcentury modern.

You’ll still find railcars here, too: In addition to 102 guest rooms in the former train station, Hotel Chalet lets guests stay in 12 refurbished railcars. The carriages are divided into two guest rooms (each 300 square feet), but the splurge-worthy MacArthur Suite occupies an entire Pullman passenger railcar itself. It includes a kitchen, a dining table for six, and a private balcony overlooking the hotel’s pool (open year round). In 2025, the hotel received the city’s only “One Key” award from Michelin.

Radisson Scranton Lackawanna Station

Courtesy of Radisson Scranton Lackawanna Station

This Pennsylvania city’s historic sites are a playground for rail fans and include the French Renaissance–style Radisson Scranton Lackawanna Station. The station, on the National Register of Historic Places, opened in 1908 and closed in 1970; a later renovation preserved its original clocks, fountains, and ceilings, and the ornate lobby retains its original marble columns and a Tiffany stained glass ceiling. Reopened in 1983 as a 146-room hotel, the building is a convenient hub for exploring the city’s transportation history.

Scranton, aka “Electric City,” was among the first U.S. cities to be electrified, in 1880, and it also had the nation’s first electric-powered streetcar system. At the Electric City Trolley Station & Museum, visitors can ride 5.5 miles on an antique trolley. Scranton’s other nickname is “Steamtown,” for its coal-powered locomotives, and you can still take seasonal trips on old trains.

St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton

Courtesy of Historic Hotels of America/St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton

When it opened in 1894, the St. Louis Union Station had 32 tracks and was the world’s largest train station, but it was obsolete by the 1970s. After a $150 million renovation begun in the 1980s, this National Historic Landmark was transformed into the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, with nearly 600 rooms and suites, plus shops, restaurants, an outdoor pool, and even the city’s aquarium. It’s now part of Historic Hotels of America.

Today, the restored Grand Hall may well stop you in your tracks. The 65-foot-high barrel-vaulted ceiling has art nouveau mosaics above the original terrazzo floors, and a white-marble-topped bar stretches 70 feet. The station’s architect, Theodore Link, also designed a large Tiffany glass window depicting three “maidens of the American rail” in classical robes, representing New York City, San Francisco, and St. Louis.

Myriad room options include stays in the 280-foot-tall clock tower; modern suites have vintage photographs and posters related to the station and its history. A contemporary touch: A light show in the evenings (on the hour 5–10 p.m.) colorfully “paints” the Grand Hall with fireworks, flowers, and other designs. Sit and enjoy local artisan cheeses and microbrews and soak up the atmosphere.

The Union Station Nashville Yards, Autograph Collection

Courtesy of Historic Hotels of America

Trains served this downtown Nashville station from 1900 to 1979. After a multimillion-dollar renovation, the Romanesque revival building reopened as the Union Station Nashville Yards in the 1980s. Now part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection and a member of Historic Hotels of America, the property offers live music nightly in its two-story Grand Lobby, complete with marble floors, chandeliers, and a 65-foot-tall barrel-vaulted ceiling with stained glass. In March 2026, the hotel debuted Alligator Bar, an open-air bar that honors a strange former feature of the station: a pair of alligator pools that used to be located at track level between 1900 and 1919.

The decor in the 125 guest rooms and 12 suites skews modern, with contemporary furniture and a neutral palette in guest rooms and bolder colors in suites. The hotel sits just next door to the Frist Art Museum—itself a reimagining of an architectural landmark, the 1930s post office building—and is an easy walk to the new National Museum of African American Music and the legendary Ryman Auditorium.

This article was originally published in 2024 and most recently updated March 19, 2026, with current information.