6 historic hotels, from where Martin Luther King Jnr wrote ‘I Have a Dream’ speech to the Parisian birthplace of cinema and Hemingway hang-out
- Some hotels have had famous guests, or were witness to moments of high drama, such as the surrender of Hong Kong during World War II at the Peninsula
- Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel sheltered peace activists such as Jane Fonda during the Vietnam war; Germany’s Schloss Elmau is about to host its second G7 summit
For some, hotels are little more than places in which to sleep and perhaps eat. But over the years, hoteliers have positioned their properties as places of wellness, culinary hotspots with Michelin-starred chefs, and even destinations for art lovers, with the walls of lobbies and guest rooms used as gallery spaces. Only time and fate, however, can bestow upon a hotel one sought-after attribute; not very many can be properly called historic.
Such a property must not only be rich in history but also have a sense of place – inviting a guest to run their fingers along the very walls that “resisted” Nazi occupation or dine in the same breakfast room where great leaders negotiated over scones and tea.
Some hotels are worth preserving for their history alone, and here are a few of the most prominent.
Schloss Elmau, Germany
Host hotel of this month’s G7 summit (June 26 to 28), the Schloss Elmau’s roots date back to 1916, when it was a retreat for German soldiers returning from the front, in World War I. It became a military hospital for American soldiers in 1945 and events of note to have taken place at this sanctuary in the Bavarian Alps include German-Jewish reconciliation concerts in the mid-1990s and important meetings between German political leaders.
