Best Urban Hotels in USA

Striking and minimalist, The Sarasota Modern has been inspired by midcentury architecture. With 14 room categories, it caters to a diverse range of guests; from digital nomads (desks with USB ports are provided in each), to honeymooning couples and groups seeking self-catering facilities. It has a playful spirit, with its Wink Wink Modern Lounge and Wink Wink Modern Pool Bar, with the adjoining Tiki pool bar with overhanging palms. Order Polynesian-inspired or vintage-style smoking whisky cocktails. Beach chairs, beach towels, beach blankets and bicycles can be borrowed and there are ping pong tables, deck games and a pool table.

While still in its infancy, Posada del Angel was visited by the likes of Bill Clinton during his Presidency. But on first sight you may be surprised to learn it’s fewer than three decades old; with much patina, terracotta tiles, stone walls and a pretty pillared central courtyard bursting with blooms, it resembles a heritage building, blending well into Antigua’s cobbled streets and colonial-era properties. This was the UNESCO-listed city’s first-ever boutique hotel, with a long narrow outdoor pool, a plushly decorated outdoor terrace with far-reaching volcano views, a breakfast dining room with an open fire and just seven individualised suites.

This was The Ritz-Carlton group’s first LEED Gold-certified property worldwide, and the first hotel to receive the accolade in the Charlotte area, making it a good option for the eco-conscious traveller. The property is located in the salubrious Uptown, accommodating guests in 146 bedrooms over 18 storeys. A penthouse spa and wellness centre occupies two floors and there’s a newly launched in-house gift boutique, Hidden Treasures. For drinking and dining guests can frequent the Urban Sip wine and scotch bar, the Bar Cocoa dessert dining and retail experience and the Cocoa Lab dessert cooking school (the chocoholic’s dream), as well as a street-side BLT Steak restaurant.

This Argentinian-inspired hotel features bold and eclectic custom furnishings and original artwork. Each bedroom offers Starbucks Coffee, a JBL Bluetooth Speaker, a soaking tub and a portable steamer to tackle travel-creased clothing. Búho Bar is the indoor/outdoor lounge on the 16th floor with weekly live music; Mico is the lavish restaurant serving Argentine cuisine in Art-Deco-influenced surroundings; and Poseidon is the hotel’s spa, harnessing the healing power of water. Additionally, there’s a Starbucks coffee shop, the exclusive use Monito dining room and a Bohemian Garden for some alfresco relaxation with stunning views over Charlotte.

Dating back to the Gilded Age, this was once the private home of wealthy cotton merchant Francis Silas Rodgers and his 14-strong family (plus 24 servants). Built in the Second Empire style by architect Daniel G. Waynes, it has a rooftop cupola and spans 24,000-square-feet over four floors. Now a boutique hotel, it has 50 bedrooms, some of which have hot tubs for two and library nooks. Original features — including pocket doors with 19th century brass hardware, 14-foot ceilings, Tiffany windows, hand-carved moulding and marble fireplaces — are everywhere making it a veritable sweetie shop for fans of period residences. The stables have been repurposed as a luxe spa and the carriage house as a restaurant.

The Charleston-based Bennett family are behind this grande dame, a hotel reflecting Charleston’s elegant and graceful nature. Hotel Bennett opened in 2019, but was in the planning for over a decade prior. Refined and plush, it has 179 bedrooms, the Fiat Lux rooftop bar and the Art Deco-inspired Camellias bar, the two-tiered Gabrielle restaurant focussing on the coast’s seafood and La Pâtisserie, paying homage to the city’s European connections. A chic rooftop pool has sea views, plus there’s a spa and a concierge to help with anything you need during your stay.

Stay in one of just 18 bedrooms at this family-run Relais and Chateaux property. Evocative of the Gilded Age, the red-brick mansion house features antiques, glamorous modern interior touches by designer Joszi Meskan, working fireplaces and four-poster beds. Guests have access to a library of books, a complimentary car (for trips up to three miles), a selection of movies, a 1920s-esque afternoon tea and drinks served from a vintage bar trolley. But the best benefit of all, is the creative in-house bistro, Magdalena, featuring a raw bar and headed up by Chef Scott Bacon.

This 1900s-era dance hall and warehouse is now a 128-bedroom hotel in one of the city’s most prestigious neighbourhoods, Fells Point. Part of the Waterfront’s Recreation Pier, it juts out over the sea, with a “floating” pool area and dining deck providing direct views of the passing superyachts. Inside are two further culinary options from the team behind Nobu; the Rec Pier Chop House for world-leading steaks and The Cannon Room whisky bar (do try the Sagamore Spirit Rye). The Sagamore Pendry decor is a blend of industrial-chic and grand, with a touch of grown-up sass.

The city’s only art and boutique hotel, Revival occupies the former Peabody Court Hotel building. It was also the site of the first Museum of Art exhibition in 1923 and is found in the historic Mount Vernon neighbourhood. Guests can expect both the art and the playlists to be thoughtfully curated; a live DJ plays vinyl on a Friday and Saturday night in the vicinity of a lit sign stating “Let Your Life Proceed by Its Own Design”, somewhat of a motto here. The food and drink has an artisan feel too, with the Topside restaurant, Dashery Café and the B-Side Cocktail Lounge.

Rising 24 storeys, this is a Salt Lake landmark, with some of the best views in town. 775 bedrooms and suites feature handcrafted Richelieu furniture, original artworks and Italian marble bathrooms, while public areas boast unique pieces such as a solid brass portico and 17th-century Flemish tapestries. Guests can take tea in The Lobby or Gibson Girl Lounges, sample traditional American dishes in the Garden Café, order artisan chocolates, ice cream and pastries in La Bonne Vie, and drinks and snacks at the outdoor pool bar. Amenities at The Grand America Hotel also include an indoor lap pool, a sauna, spa, salon and gym.

Stay downtown, at this cool and quirky, pet-friendly establishment, part of the upscale international Kimpton group. It’s an urban sanctuary with a boutique feel – although the hotel accommodates 225 rooms and suites. Explore the city with complimentary loaner bikes and Micro Kickboard scooters (for kids). Savour award-winning food by Executive Chef Patrick LeBeau in The Vault, an intimate 35-seat eatery, or enjoy seasonally-inspired plates in the lively Bambara bistro. The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City also has a fitness centre, yoga mats in every room and a kids’ programme.

Just steps away from the lights of River Street, this boutique hotel offers great views of the waterway and a vintage maritime feel inside. Guests can enjoy a curated programme of live music from local artists, including Southern blues and jazz. Watch the boats pass by from the outdoor terrace of Rocks on the Roof with some tapas and a handcrafted cocktail; or dine at the indoor section of the restaurant, savouring the all-American flavours. Other highlights of The Bohemian Hotel include a glass of champagne on arrival, Matelassé bed linens, in-room Starbucks coffee and oyster shell chandeliers.