When entering a hotel, often after a grueling drive or flight, it’s gratifying to find that you’ve arrived at a place that feels like a place, that embodies the city or town or corner of countryside in which you are standing.
Unlike hotels that evince a mass-produced appeal that positively eradicates any sign of character, the craft hotel embraces the well-designed, the unique, the quirky, and the cozy.
Sometimes this comes down to a set of brightly colored, hand-embroidered pillows on a custom-upholstered sofa, or a hand-hewn wooden bedframe with inlaid brass accents. Or locally made ceramic and glass tableware, or a collection of rainbow-colored dioramas. Perhaps the wool blankets on the beds are loom-woven. Or the soaps are crafted by a local artisan who cares that you experience the natural scents of cedar or mint.
These are beautiful offerings that are, in fact, acts of generosity by the hoteliers, designers, and craft artists who have given something of themselves in order to create a tangible connection—to let you know where you are and that you are among the people who live in this place.
In some cases, craft hotels go a step further and offer ways for you to express your creativity. These opportunities might include pottery classes—even outings where guests collect and refine raw clay—jewelry-making classes, or the simple provision of a sketch pad and pencils in each room.
Here are five great craft hotels. Each has what it takes to ensure that you inhabit the exact spot where you stand.
