Grand old hotels
- I stayed in a really old hotel last night. They sent me a wake-up letter. – Steven Wright
In many cities, there is an interesting old hotel reminiscent of the days when travel meant long journeys by rail or sea. A place where the rich and the famous of the day would stay. Nearly all of these were built before the Second World War, and many date back to the reign of Queen Victoria.
Staying in such places is usually not cheap, though perhaps cheaper than a more modern high-end hotel. They are not necessarily the most luxurious option; modern high-end places may be even better. However, the grand old hotels are usually very centrally located and they have an appeal all their own. The old fashioned fittings, the lack of the latest amenities and a certain graceful agedness are often part of their character.
You need not stay in such hotels to enjoy some of their services. A visitor to Singapore, for example, might go to Raffles just for a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar where it was invented, and where Rudyard Kipling and Noel Coward once drank, and check out the Billiard Room where Singapore's last tiger was shot.
A traveller with piles of money might consider a round the world flight staying in many of these hotels. Travelling around the world overland, on routes such as Around the World in Eighty Days, would give a more authentic experience of pre-flight travel.
Africa
Egypt

- Alexandria - Cecil Sofitel
- Aswan - Old-Cataract Hotel
- Cairo - Marriott Hotel, originally the "Al Gezira Palace" built to house Napoleon's wife, Empress Eugenie of France
- Giza - Mena House Oberoi
- Luxor - Old Winter Palace The discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb was first announced on their bulletin board.
Kenya
Morocco
- Essaouira - Villa Maroc
- Fez - Palais Jamai
- Marrakech - La Mamounia
- Tangier - Hotel Continental
Mozambique
South Africa
Asia
East Asia
- Hong Kong, China - The Peninsula, Kowloon side at the foot of Nathan Road
- Beijing, China - Beijing Hotel
- Shanghai, China - The Peace Hotel, on the Bund at the start of Nanjing Road
- Shanghai, China - Astor House Hotel
- Hangzhou, China - The New Hotel
- Seoul, South Korea - Westin Chosun
- Taipei, Taiwan - The Grand Hotel
- Tokyo, Japan - The Imperial Hotel
- Yokohama, Japan - Hotel New Grand
- Nara, Japan - Nara Hotel
Middle East
- Jerusalem, Israel - American Colony Hotel
- Jerusalem, Israel - King David Hotel
- Aleppo, Syria - Baron Hotel
South Asia
- Bangalore, India - Taj West End
- Chennai, India - Taj Connemara
- Kolkata, India - The Great Eastern Hotel Built in 1841 and historically known as 'the jewel of the east'.
- Kolkata, India - The Grand Hotel
- Delhi, India - The Imperial Hotel
- Delhi, India - Maidens Hotel
- Kandy, Sri Lanka - The Queen's Hotel
- Mumbai, India - The Taj Mahal Palace
- Shimla, India - Clarke's Hotel
- Bikaner, India - The Laxmi Niwas Palace Hotel, built in the early 20th century as the local Maharaja's palace
- Lahore, Pakistan — Faletti's Hotel, built in late 18th century by an Italian and recently renovated.
- Colombo, Sri Lanka - Galle Face Hotel
Southeast Asia

Many of Southeast Asia's grand old hotels can be credited to a single family, the remarkable Sarkies brothers from Armenia, who founded all of the following icons:
- George Town, Penang, Malaysia - Eastern & Oriental
- Singapore - Raffles, with the bar where the Singapore sling was invented
- Surabaya, Indonesia - Hotel Majapahit
- Yangon, Myanmar (Burma) - Strand Hotel
Of course, there are some other very classy options as well:
- Bangkok, Thailand - The Oriental
- Hua Hin, Thailand - Centara Grand Beach
- Hanoi, Vietnam - The Metropole
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Continental Hotel
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Majestic Saigon
- Manila, Philippines - The Manila Hotel
- Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Cambodia - Grand Hotel d'Angkor
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Le Royal
- Vientiane, Laos - Settha Palace Hotel
- Singapore - Goodwood Park Hotel
Europe
Northern Europe
- Copenhagen, Denmark - Hotel D'Angleterre
- Helsinki, Finland - Kämp
- Oslo, Norway - Grand Hotel
- Gothenburg, Sweden - Hôtel Eggers
- Saltsjöbaden, Sweden - Hotel Saltsjöbaden
- Stockholm, Sweden - Grand Hôtel
- Sundsvall, Sweden - Hotel Knaust
West Europe


- Brussels, Belgium - Hotel Metropole
- Le Pouzin, France - La Cardinale
- Paris, France - Hôtel Ritz
- Paris, France - Hôtel de Crillon
- Paris, France - Le Grand Hôtel
- Nice, France - Hôtel Negresco
- Amsterdam, Netherlands - Amstel Hotel
- London, UK - Claridge's
- London, UK - Savoy Hotel
- London, UK - The Ritz
- London, UK - The Langham
- London, UK - St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel (originally called the Midland Grand Hotel)
- Manchester, UK - The Midland
- Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - The Balmoral
Central Europe
- Vienna, Austria - Hotel Imperial
- Vienna, Austria - Hotel Sacher
- Berlin, Germany - Hotel Adlon
- Frankfurt, Germany - Frankfurter Hof
- Hamburg, Germany - Hotel Atlantic
- Heiligendamm, Germany - Grand Hotel Heiligendamm
- Munich, Germany - Bayerischer Hof
- Budapest, Hungary - Hotel Gellért
- Budapest, Hungary - Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal
- Krakow, Poland - Grand Hotel
- Wroclaw, Poland - Hotel Monopol
- Lucerne, Switzerland - Grand Hotel National
- Saint Moritz, Switzerland - Badrutt's Palace Hotel
- Zurich, Switzerland - The Dolder Grand
- Zurich, Switzerland - Hotel Widder
Southern Europe

- Athens, Greece - Hotel Grande Bretagne
- Pisa, Italy - Royal Victoria Hotel
- Monaco - Hotel de Paris
- Valletta, Malta - The Phoenicia
- Lisbon, Portugal - Pestana Palace Hotel
- Lisbon, Portugal - Hotel Avenida Palace
- Barcelona, Spain - El Palace
- Madrid, Spain - Hotel Ritz
- Madrid, Spain - The Westin Palace
- Seville, Spain - Hotel Alfonso XIII
- Istanbul, Turkey - Pera Palace
Eastern Europe
- Moscow, Russia - Hotel Ukraina
- Saint Petersburg, Russia - Grand Hotel Europe
- Saint Petersburg, Russia - Hotel Astoria
- Lviv, Ukraine - Hotel George
North America
United States
There is a program called Historic Hotels of America with 200-odd hotels involved.

- Boston, Massachusetts - Parker House Hotel - The oldest continuously operating hotel in the USA
- Boulder, Colorado - Hotel Boulderado
- Chicago, Illinois - Allerton Hotel
- Cincinnati, Ohio - The Cincinnatian
- Grand Canyon, Arizona - El Tovar
- Los Angeles, California - The Biltmore
- Mackinac Island, Michigan - The Grand Hotel
- Memphis, Tennessee - Madison Hotel
- New York, New York - The Waldorf-Astoria - Where President Franklin Roosevelt stayed during his trips to New York during World War II. A secret train platform the Roosevelt used in an effort to hide his disability from the public survives underneath the hotel, together with the traincar he most likely used, though these are currently not accessible to the public.
- New York, New York - The Pierre
- New York, New York - The Plaza
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - The William Penn
- San Diego, California - The Hotel Del Coronado
- San Francisco, California - Palace Hotel
- Waikiki, Hawaii - Moana Hotel
- Washington, D.C./West End - The Willard Intercontinental
- Yosemite National Park - The Ahwahnee Hotel
Canada

The grand old hotels in Canada have a unique place in Canadian history. Most of them were built during first quarter of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway or Grand Trunk Railway in order to provide elegant accommodation while viewing the natural beauty along the rail line. Canadian Pacific, which purchased the former Grand Trunk (Canadian National) hotels in 1988, spun off all non-rail subsidiaries (including Fairmont, its hotel group) in 2001.
These hotels are popular with tourists and locals alike and though overnight stays are expensive; they represent a fine piece of Canadiana worth visiting even if you only have time for a walk through the lobby. Two - Banff and Lake Louise - are major tourist resorts in their own right, located amid stunning Rocky Mountain scenery.
- Banff - The Banff Springs Hotel
- Calgary - The Palliser Hotel
- Edmonton - The Hotel MacDonald
- Halifax - The Hotel Nova Scotian
- Lake Louise - The Château Lake Louise
- Ottawa - The Château Laurier. One of Canada's Prime Ministers, R.B. Bennett, lived in this hotel, a block from Parliament, rather than in the mansion most PMs occupy.
- Quebec City - The Château Frontenac. Tallest structure in "Vieux-Québec" (the old city) and the city's most easily-recognised landmark.
- Saskatoon - The Bessborough Hotel
- Toronto - The Royal York
- Vancouver - The Hotel Vancouver
- Victoria - The Empress Hotel
- Winnipeg - The Hotel Fort Garry
Mexico
- Chichen Itza, Yucatan - Hacienda Chichen Resort and Spa, 16th-century colonial landmark
Costa Rica
- San José, Costa Rica - The Gran Hotel Costa Rica, 20th-century colonial-style landmark
- San José, Costa Rica - Hotel Grano de Oro, grand old hotel of Victorian design. Also listed as a small, distinctive hotel.
Cuba
- Havana, Cuba - Hotel Nacional La Habana, a grand old lady filled with memories of times past