Historic Hotels of the World

There are hotels known for their luxurious facilities. There are those known for their distinctive architecture. There are those known for having notable restaurants. And then there are those known for their historical significance.

Historical significance can mean many things for a hotel. For one, tradition may run deep through a particular establishment's history. Another meaning may be a role the hotel has played in a historical event or occurrence, or how it is associated with a particular historical figure. Yet another meaning is simple the age of a hotel, or-as some would prefer to call it-longevity.

Some hotels will be forever enshrined in history books, with major historical events being held within its walls. Take the Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, Germany-the former residence of the German crown prince William.

The eponymous Potsdam Conference was held in the hotel, where Communist representative Joseph Stalin met with UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Harry Truman to decide how the then-defeated Nazi Germany would be punished. For this reason, the hotel also serves as a museum that commemorates the event.

Some hotels are, in and of themselves, indicators of history. This can be traced by influences in the hotel's façade, architecture, design, furnishings, style, and atmosphere. One of the best examples for this aspect is The Ritz in London, famous for its luxury. It has a neoclassical design, and after restoration still bears much of the building's old grandeur.

Of course, some hotels' histories may be forever altered upon necessary renovations. Take the May Fair hotel of London, for example. The hotel, which opened way back in 1927, underwent a recent $140-million renovation that transformed the traditional luxurious hotel into a hotbed of modern luxury.

There are also hotels that have eked out their places both in the history books and in record books as well. Prime examples include the United Arab Emirates' Burj Al Arab, which is the tallest building that exclusively functions as a hotel, and the First World Hotel in Malaysia, which has a whopping 6,118 rooms-easily making it the world's largest hotel in terms of capacity.

When it comes to longevity alone, none other than the Hoshi Ryokan in Japan holds the distinction of being the world's oldest hotel that still functions and remains in operation to this day. Just how old is it? Consider this: the inn was founded back in the year 718. Now that is a hotel with centuries upon centuries of history. It is a traditional Japanese inn with hot springs or onsen, and it can be found in the Awazu Onsen in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture.

As we have seen through the different example noted above, hotels can be historical in many, many ways. It does not really matter through what method; the important thing is that these hotels are able to gain recognition and identity through their defining moments or characteristics. That way, guests who so choose to spend even a night under the roof of one of these hotels can also become part of that establishment's rich history.