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Housed in a converted elementary school dating back to 1915, this sprawling hotel complex has long drawn out-of-towners and local Portlanders alike with its bars, restaurants, miniature movie theater, and even a heated soaking pool that’s open to the public for a small fee. While these amenities—along with the hotel’s sprawling school grounds and proximity to the popular Alberta Arts District—are enough to make it one of the most attractive spots to stay in town, its real cred shines through in the 57 guest rooms, many of which are actually converted classrooms (and still have some of the original scholastic features, such as chalkboards, integrated into the room design). Don’t leave without sampling some of the McMenamins signature brews in the Boiler Room Bar, housed in what was once the school’s boiler room.

The terrace outside this historic café boasts one of the best views in town, encompassing an almost unimaginable collection of architectural highlights and public art from the Renaissance. Linger over your coffee or a cup of hot chocolate as you gaze upon the Palazzo Vecchio, as well as a copy of Michelangelo’s David, the Fountain of Neptune, and the remarkable assembly of classical sculptures inside the Loggia dei Lanzi. It does cost more to sit outside than to stand at polished wooden bar inside, but this splurge is highly recommended. (The original owners were the official chocolatiers to the royal family of Savoy; you can take home a piece of that history in a beautifully wrapped box of chocolates or a jar of chocolate-hazelnut spread.)

For travelers who appreciate folk art and crafts, there are a number of towns outside Oaxaca where artisans create beautiful pieces following age-old techniques. San Bartolo Coyotepec is a small Zapotec community just eight miles from Oaxaca. It is most famous for its prized black pottery, formed by hand using techniques that are believed to date back at least 2,000 years. While you are there, take a look at the city’s remarkable Baroque church, constructed in the 18th century by Dominican friars. Continue on to San Martín Tilcajete, another Zapotec town, famous for its alebrijes, wooden carvings of fantastic, multicolored animals. Next, visit the studio of Jacopo and María Angeles, two of the most famous artists creating these colorful sculptures.

Azul de Oaxaca Hotel + Galeria is among the numerous lodging options in the city’s colonial Centro neighborhood, but the aesthetic of this hotel tends more toward the contemporary, even though it is housed within one of the city’s typical 18th-century buildings. Respect for the centuries-old style is evident in the preservation of the building and courtyard. Rooms, though, are decorated with contemporary art and furnishings. Guests can enjoy a number of common areas, including a library, chapel, gallery and gift shop, patio lined with tall cacti, and rooftop terrace bar. On Sundays, guests are invited to enjoy local specialties, including quesadillas, at the on-site restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.

Previously known as the Hotel de la Poste, the 97-room property transitioned to the W French Quarter in 2000 and has since undergone a $9-million overhaul. The newly redesigned rooms channel the city’s jazz and voodoo culture, while the new bar and restaurant, SoBou, serves modern Creole fare and has an excellent cocktail program run by Laura Bellucci. Another addition with the renovation, which was completed in 2012, is the FIT gym, open to guests 24 hours a day.

Of course, one of the hotel’s main selling points is its central location on charming Chartres Street, which is lined with antique shops, art galleries, vintage book stores, and the like. And should you want a quiet corner to while away the afternoon, the hotel’s outdoor courtyard is the perfect place to do so.

There are few more storied lodgings in Atlanta—perhaps the South in general—than the Georgian Terrace. Opened in 1911, the grand dame hotel has hosted the likes of Calvin Coolidge, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Walt Disney and was the site of the premiere of Gone with the Wind in 1939. Though the landmark Beaux-Arts building’s opulent crystal chandeliers, marble columns, and detailed molding recall a bygone era, modern appointments bring the property into the present: Recently renovated rooms are outfitted with pillow-top mattresses, eco-friendly toiletries, and free Wi-Fi. While the neighborhood has plenty to offer, you could feasibly never leave the grounds. A rooftop pool provides cool comfort from the city’s oppressive heat, and guests can choose between an elegant New Southern restaurant and speakeasy-style lounge come dinnertime.

Still known to locals as the Ambassador, the hotel is a listed heritage site built in 1945 by colonial architect Walter Sykes George in a fusion of British and Art Deco styles. But its purchase and refurbishment by the Taj Hotels group ensures its present-day comforts, namely pet-friendly rooms with high ceilings, reliable WiFi, and 24-hour room service. While the early clientele included Indian royals, today the building attracts business and leisure travelers looking for a terrific value for their money and a convenient launchpad from which to experience modern New Delhi—it’s next door to one of the city’s most upscale shopping malls. Shop till you drop, then return to the hotel for international favorites like burgers, pasta, and steaks, as well as Indian tandoori specialties at Yellow Brick Road restaurant.

Le Petit Hotel is housed in a former leather merchant’s building that dates back to 1867 and boasts original stonework arches and pillars at its entrance. Truly a “petit” hotel, its 28 rooms are spread across four floors and divided into S, M, L, and XL. Although it’s small, the hotel packs a stylish punch, mixing century-old exposed brickwork and stone with funky hardwood floors and modern-day luxuries—from free Wi-Fi and iPod docks to platform beds and multi-jet massage showers. In the guest rooms, splashes of bold, sunny orange and black accents create a contrast to the fresh white walls. Situated in the heart of Montreal’s fashionable Old Port area, guests are just steps from much of the city’s best shopping, dining, and art.

A farm-style experience about an hour from Christchurch, Okuti Garden caters to travelers who love to create and play. An art box encourages crafting; “tree circles” are great for yoga and meditation; and a small lake features a boat popular among readers and small children. Bohemian accommodations include yurts, a tepee, a caravan, and a cabin. Each is homespun and handmade, decorated with drawings, wind chimes, and dream catchers left by former guests.

The property is completely off grid, relying on composting toilets, a solar shower, and a gray-water system that recycles wastewater to irrigate the wetlands. One area of the wetlands grows willow rods, which are woven into arches, domes, and tunnels—turning waste into wonders.

Set in an 18th-century palazzo, once a former bank, the Park Hyatt Milan boasts interiors designed by American-born, Paris-based architect Edward Tuttle. It aims to wow from the outset. Guests are greeted by a lobby decorated with sophisticated materials such as warm travertine stone and alabaster, and topped with a 30-foot glass-domed cupola. There’s a discernibly modern aesthetic throughout the rest of the hotel, though, from the vibrant modern art scattered throughout the public areas to the contemporary color palettes (creams, beiges, and gentle grays). Rooms are correspondingly elegant, with high ceilings, expensive dark woods, rich wool carpets, and hand-selected furnishings (Murano light fixtures, Bang & Olufsen TVs). The bathrooms are especially impressive, not only because of their generous size and marbled interiors, but also thanks to the mirrored walls, double sinks, octagonal stone and glass showers, and Lauro Tonatto bath products.

Ace Hotels—whose growing brand epitomizes a cool, unfussy, überhip hotel stay—debuted at this site in 1999, and it has become a kind of template for the company’s trademark style. While offering the essentials (including serious coffee by Stumptown), the Seattle Ace Hotel is very much a budget property and doesn’t provide fancy amenities (in fact, standard rooms share a bathroom). But the minimalist guestrooms, with their vintage furnishings and original, Pop Art-esque artwork hanging on walls, are spotless and cozy, and the hotel does offer a comfortable, convivial stay in the supremely walkable neighborhood of Belltown. The brick building has high ceilings and hardwood floors, and a few of the rooms have partial water views. Common areas aren’t large, but they’re the kind of spaces that invite conversation with fellow travelers.

In the heart of SoHo, the colorful Crosby Street Hotel is a boutique from the Firmdale Hotels group out of London. In 2009, owner and design director Kit Kemp opened this fresh, whimsical property, full of art, bold patterns, and a feminine touch that is frequently missing from the more common masculine-themed hotels of New York. Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling warehouse-style windows, with gorgeous views over SoHo and lower Manhattan. The ground-floor bar is a popular gathering place for New Yorkers, but many common spaces at this hotel are reserved just for guests. The Sculpture Garden and vibrant Drawing Room with deep, plush couches provide space to relax after a day of shopping in SoHo’s boutiques. There is also a 99-seat cinema where films are screened weekly.

At five minutes before noon every day, the uniformed Carabiniers du Prince perform a ceremonial changing of the guard in front of Monaco’s palace. Though the royal family still lives in the palace, much of the year there are tours that visit a selection of state apartments, each room dripping with gilt, draped in silk, and decorated with the vast collection of artwork and furniture collected by the House of Grimaldi since it began in 1160. As devoted patrons of the arts, the royal family hosts classical music concerts on the palace grounds every summer. Tickets to see Prince Albert II’s jaw-droppingly impressive collection of antique cars are also available.

The Setai is unlike most hotels in its neighborhood, offering a mature, sophisticated alternative to the frenetic party-time energy of other properties. A member of Leading Hotels of the World, the Setai attracts numerous celebrity guests, thanks in no small part to its attentive and discreet service. While the hotel’s exterior may be somewhat staid, with art deco flourishes that are modest compared with other hotels built in that era, the Setai more than makes up for this in interior design. Somehow avoiding being ostentatious, the hotel still uses ultra-luxurious everything: the finest Swedish beds, deluxe Italian linens, deep soaking tubs, and lacquered wood furniture and accessories. The building includes residence units, which are ideal for extended stays.

In this modern age of Spotify, iTunes, and Pandora, record stores often seem sad and bitter places. Not so Waterloo, where music lovers—both staff and customers—celebrate the art. Bands playing Austin come in for in-store performances and signings, and you may recognize a few famous faces browsing the new and vintage vinyl and CD sections. As expected at a record store, the staff have big opinions but are friendly, and can help you navigate the 6,400-square-foot space. A highly recommended, if dangerous (prices are very reasonable but the desired objects are many), shopping stop.