As a counter to the least favorite places thread, what are some of your favorite hotels? Looking for favorite hotels/resorts specifically, and not the destination or region. Could be a sub-par destination but a great hotel - the vibe, service, whatever.
Case in point, one of my favorite hotels anywhere is the Post Oak in Houston, where I go frequently for business. I’d never recommend booking a leisure trip to Houston, but I always love my stays there. In addition to great staff and beautiful rooms, they have a solid wine bar on premises. The place is bougie and in general wouldn’t be my style, but for some reason it just works for me and I’m always happy to return.
Another one I like is the Bowery Hotel in New York. There’s plenty of nicer places to stay in NY, but it’s in a great location and they do a good job delivering service that is cool but not trying too hard. Drinking a Negroni in the lobby bar before a dinner is tough to beat.
Recognizing that this is completely subjective, what are some spots that you all favor where the vibe and feel of the hotel makes you want to return?
The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Impeccable service, luxurious rooms. I’ve stayed there 5-6 times over the years. And I smoked a cigar with Jack Nicholson at the outdoor fire pit. It was dark and no one else knew he was there. We talked for almost an hour, mostly about sports (he was there for a Nuggets-Lakers game during the 2012 playoffs). Never once did I mention his movies or fame, or ask for an autograph or selfie. I think he really appreciated that, and stood up to shake my hand and say it was a pleasure when I excused myself for the night.
The US Senior Open is taking place there next week.
Oh goodness. The only thing I love as much as wine is nice hotels. Here are my off-the-top-of-my-head favorites. Just hotels. Resorts is a different category.
FS Florence
Yeatman Porto
Cipriani Venice
Park Hyatt Vienna
Peninsula BH
The Mitsui Kyoto
Little Nell Aspen
Mayflower DC (not a perfect hotel but a perfect hotel bar, which should prob be another thread)
Mansion on Turtle Creek Dallas (ditto)
And as someone who lives in Houston, I agree on Post Oak. Great place.
My list ended up being my favorite hotels (not including resorts) that I wish I could stay in again and again. But if the prompt is, hotels that you actually keep coming back to because you like the vibe, my list becomes places I stay on business and enjoy. That list is:
Mayflower DC
Jefferson DC
Ritz CPS NYC
Ritz NOLA (not that great of a hotel but I like the vibe and the bar; I also stay regularly in the FS Nola)
Watermark Baton Rouge
Fairmont SF Nob Hill
Mansion on Turtle Creek Dallas
FS Austin
21c Museum Hotel Bentonville
I’d like to add Peninsula BH to the list–I totally love the place–but I don’t go to LA often enough.
I’ve also come to the conclusion that Park Hyatt is my favorite chain these days. Recently had superb experiences at PH Vienna, NYC Midtown, and Beaver Creek. Headed to PH Milan later this week.
Coworth Park
Amangiri
Four Seasons Bali- Sayan
Four Seasons Kyoto
Four Seasons Florence
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo
Mandarin Oriental Madrid
Peninsula Chicago
Meadowood
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
Ocean House
The funny thing about this stuff is there’s a couple places mentioned here that were some of the worst/my least favorites.
I really didn’t like the Post Oak, the big spread out campus eliminated any intimacy or atmosphere. The dining options all seemed like tourist attractions, couldn’t even visit the bar because of the weird crowd and what appeared like a good amount of prostitutes. The other one is the Four Seasons Austin, has some good aspects, but a poor value and the worst size/quality rooms of any FS I’ve been to.
You’re right about the FS Austin rooms. They are small. I like the bar and the vibe–always festive, often people psyched to be there for some event or another, and I always seem to know someone–and the fact that it’s so far superior to most of the other business-y type options in Austin, though the Fairmont is okay.
Re the Post Oak, I’ve never stayed there as I live in Houston, but I have been to many, many galas/dinners/etc there. It is definitely a Vegas (or Dallas!) type crowd at times, but it is so much more exciting than the other luxe hotel options in Houston. There’s always a lot going on, the car dealerships are pretty cool, and it actually has somewhat of a vibe (whether one likes it or not). The FS and St. Regis in Houston are so lame (though again I’ve never stayed there).
Non sequitur: it always astonishes me that the hotel options in Houston have long been so poor. It has the second most Fortune 500 companies of any city and is always awash with business travelers–including many very wealthy ones. Yet I think it might have the worst hotel options of any major city in the USA. Houston is aching for a new and shiny Park Hyatt or something.
What’s funny is that I said I liked the Post Oak but don’t disagree at all with your assessment! While I haven’t found the crowd to be weird, you do see all types hanging out there - anyone from professional athletes (NBA teams stay there) to full on ranchers in their wranglers. For whatever reason, I like the vibe of the place but could definitely see it as off-putting to others. Kind of oozes Tilman Fertitta, for better or worse…as I said in the OP, totally subjective!
I have an opposite take for the Mansion in Dallas. Not a favorite of mine because it always seems dead, even though the rooms are nice, the stray cats are cute, and the staff is pleasant. Would much rather be at the Crescent Court or somewhere else, but to each their own.
Have gotten some good suggestions and ideas of places to try from the responses! Cheers!
