30 Unique Hotel Lobby Interiors from Around the World

While we agree the destination is more important than where you place your head at night, where you stay can have a pivotal impact on any vacation experience. These hotels and resorts feature some of the most unique lobby designs, architecture and artwork you'll see around! While this isn't an exhaustive list, we hope it'll inspire you to reconsider the importance of where you'll be staying next. Who knows? One of these hotels might just be your next favorite.

Ovolo Woolloomooloo doesn't just have an awesome name: it has an awesome location in Sydney, Australia's historic Finger Wharf and an exceptional interior design. The 5-star boutique hotel is located within the Finger Wharf building, which dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century, but its interior is modern and glittering, with a decidedly industrial, playful and artistic, focus. The hotel's biggest feature is the lobby art sculpture made from 128 small clocks that form to create one large, 86 kg clock, but guests will find unique design touches everywhere they look.

Fairmont Le Château Montebello is a luxury ski resort in Montebello, Québec. It boasts over 90 years of history and is known as the world's largest log cabin. Its uniquely shaped lobby boasts a spectacular stone fireplace with six sides that towers three stories in the air, allowing guests to view it from several stories while those on the first floor can sit at one of its sides and warm themselves after a long day spent outside.

HONEYROSE Hotel is located in Montreal's cultural hub, Quartier des Spectacles, and offers a warm, modern twist on the historical Art Deco style. The lobby boasts of dramatic detail, with warm tones reminiscent of honey. Its own name decries the theme of the hotel: honey, for nature's bounty, and rose, the French symbol for love and passion.

The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami, Florida boasts one of the glitziest lobbies on this list. The lobby is encased in mirrors and glass in a flashy, Art Deco-inspired design that reminds guests of a piece of diamond jewelry. Metal sculptures hang from the ceiling, reflected in the mirrors around the room. Many of the other locations in the luxury hotel also share a similar design.

This hotel is probably the coolest on this list: literally. The Ice Hotel is truly one of a kind in North America. Known as Hôtel de Glace in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, Québec, it is built for stays only in the winter, when travelers from around the world come to stay in a hotel made solely of ice. Lovers can even get married in the carved ice chapel! The hotel boasts slides, decorations, carvings, a bar and rooms carved from the ice, and this extends to the lobby portion of the hotel.

Some lobbies defy the meaning of the word lobby. This is true at Dominica's exclusive, all-villa Relais & Châteaux rainforest resort, Secret Bay. Instead of a traditional lobby, it has the Mouben Welcome House, an architecturally modern, open-air resort hub with swinging chairs and beautiful rainforest views. While it offers a port-cochere for its fleet of electric vehicles, it doesn't have a check-in desk: guests check-in at their villa for the ultimate privacy.

Enter the glory days of mid-century design at the historic Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona. Reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's own signature architectural design, the hotel has hosted notable guests such as Clark Gable and Bing Crosby. It was originally designed by architect Edward L. Varney and today offers a beautifully updated, retro hotel in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. The lobby boasts a large gathering area with a fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows and 350 pounds of decorate concrete panels.

Atlantis The Palm's 63-foot Grand Lobby is a wondrous marvel combining modern artistic techniques with the Arabian mythos, including the story of the creation of the solar calendar. Eight hand-painted murals by Spanish artist Albino González tell stories of myth, while eight columns carved into fish surround a Chihuly glass sculpture made of over 3,000 individual pieces of glass. Dazzling, lavish and colorful, guests will be blown away by the Dubai resort's design as soon as they check in.

The lobby of The Memphian, located in Memphis, Tennessee, is like a Pop Art painting come to life! The colorful lobby offers locally designed furniture and statement pieces as well as thrifted finds, that combine to offer a blend of colors, prints and styles (like vibrant leopard-print chairs and teal walls) that makes the space truly unique.

ATLANTIC Hotel Münster is a hotel designed for both business and leisure in the heart of Münster's green Promenade area. The hotel features a modern design that extends throughout the lobby with a dedicated coworking space, shop, cafe and restaurant in a bright, airy design that lets you feel the city around you while you work, socialize or play in the hotel's hub.

The new 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis blends the art gallery with the hotel, making it a truly unique attraction. The building was once a Renaissance-Revival YMCA building. The lobby features O by Serkan Özkaya, a glass sphere that measures eight feet in diameter and reflects and magnifies the people and surroundings in the lobby. The rest of the hotel offers over 14,000 square feet of exhibition space for art galleries and community events.

The historic The Breakers Palm Beaches offers a lobby that more resembles a palace. The 200-foot-long lobby features large, curved windows, a hand-painted ceiling dating back to the 1920s, a custom, hand-tufted carpet on the floor, large chandeliers and elegant, modern furnishings that ensure the area stays welcoming and inviting. The oceanfront resort dates back to 1896, to Florida's first flourishings as a leisure travel destination.

The luxury InterContinental Bali Resort lobby pays homage to Indonesian culture with a sculpture that remains the most beloved spot for taking photos for guests of the resort. Located in the center of the lobby is the 9-meter-tall statue of a dancer named, "Dedari," which comes from the Bahasa word for angel, "Bidadari." It's a beautiful sight for travelers checking into the resort.

Bluebird Lake Placid brings Scandinavian and Japanese interior design to the U.S. in a thoroughly serene way. The year-round mountain retreat located in Lake Placid, New York boasts ample light wood features, a natural palette, and features such as a warm fireplace, bright natural light and a beautiful view of the surrounding area. The lobby area is the perfect place to relax and socialize after a day spent skiing and exploring.

The Colony Hotel, located in Palm Beach, Florida, dates back to the 1940s and offers a wonderfully re-created lobby guests and employees of the hotel call "the living room." The living room features exclusive, hand-painted de Guornay wall coverings in bright pink with bright, whimsical foliage and animals, a fireplace that resembles a pagoda and several unique decorative touches. The area is where guests can work, socialize and sip a beverage while listening to live flamenco music on select nights.

Atlantis The Royal is a luxury resort in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The large, modern lobby is themed around fire and water, with the design featuring a fire and water wall, along with fixtures that recall both water droplets and flames of fire. The lobby's main attraction is a 37-foot-tall metal sculpture called Droplets, which weighs 12,125 pounds! Droplets represents the special first drops of rain that fall upon a dry desert.

The Lincoln Hotel is located in Biddeford, Maine and offers a historical stay in a former mill. Beautifully renovated to feature a saturated color palette, industrial and Art Deco-inspired furnishings and pops of lively green foliage, the lobby area reminds guests of historic salons and gathering spaces. The lobby itself offers The Lobby Bar, a coffee shop and a library furnished with books just waiting to be enjoyed.

The luxurious Raffles Doha, located within the stunningly designed Iconic Towers in Doha, offers a stunning lobby complete with features that most travelers will never encounter in a hotel lobby. The lobby, designed by Marcel Wanders, features mosaic floors, marble paneling and large arches, but its real masterpiece soars above them all: the ceiling! The kaleidoscope-style ceiling changes in color throughout the day, ensuring you'll feel like you're entering the lobby for the first time every time you enter it.

The 136-year-old Raffles Hotel Singapore boasts an incredible history, and its Victorian-style lobby showcases the preservation of that history. The hotel's main building was lovingly restored in 2019 and today features natural lighting from a skylight three floors above. The lobby is a social space for guests to enjoy an afternoon tea, a libation at the Writers Bar, named so for the hotel's many literary guests, and two dining options.

The luxurious Fairmont Doha, located in Doha, Qatar's Iconic Towers, boasts a feature that isn't just unique to hotels, but is unique for all buildings ever built: it's home to the tallest chandelier in the world! That's right, the Fairmont Doha is home to a 57-meter-long (about 187 feet-long) chandelier that is designed out of glass droplets that resemble raindrops. It's able to viewed not only from the lobby area, but from every floor of the hotel. The lobby features a neutral cream and gold palette that creates a serene landscape where the chandelier overhead is the focal point.

The Interlude is perhaps one of the most unique hotel concepts ever: it's located in a portion of a former prison. Yup, you read that right! Located in the former Pentridge Prison in Melbourne, Australia, it's part of a $1 billion transformation project that will breathe a more positive light into the building, which dates back 170 years. As such, it's one of only 40 prison hotel conversions worldwide, and is focused on providing a wellness-focused hotel approach. The lobby maintains much of the prison's historical walls and industrial-style metal accents, while offering pops of color with furnishings and floor coverings to breathe new life into the area.

Tired of stale, personality-less lobbies? So are we, and the nhow London, located in the heart of Shoreditch, throws away the traditional model of a lobby in favor of something entirely more fun. Resembling a retro arcade more than a hotel lobby, nhow London's lobby boasts a 30-foot Big Ben rocket sculpture, a dark palette with neon pops of color, a playful coworking space and a bar that glows neon yellow. The James Soane-designed hotel defines its style as "London Reloaded," featuring aspects of the city's best attractions and offerings in an unconventional way.

Decorative carved wood paneling and a skylight letting in the light blue Himalayan sky makes the Songtsam Linka Retreat Lhasa a unique hotel lobby. The all-suite, luxury hotel reflects local Tibetan architecture and techniques, featuring Tibetan paintings and wall tapestries to complement the design of the hotel. Several floors look down on the lobby area through wood-paneled windows, creating a tall, airy space for travelers to gather and socialize.

The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel on Oxford Street, Manchester, England is located in the Victorian-era Refuge Assurance Building and boasts a grandiose lobby. Throughout the hotel, guests can find design elements and features that harken back in time, but the lobby is where they'll find historic architectural finishes like towering stone pillars and a large glass dome overhead. A statue of a bronze horse designed by Sophie Dickens, Charles Dickens' great-great-granddaughter, is a main focal point of the lobby, connecting the past with the present in an homage to Manchester's industrial heritage.

The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah is one of Dubai's most luxurious hotels, so it's no surprise that it also boasts a truly unique lobby design. The lobby boasts a design of white marble with gold accents, with pops of rich colors throughout. The lobby's ceiling soars 180 meters, or about 590.5 feet, making the lobby feel spacious and airy, while two large aquariums ground guests in the world of water.

Quaaout Lodge in British Columbia, Canada opened in 1992 as the nation's first completely First Nation-owned and operated hotel. Even after a devastating fire destroyed the lodge's accommodations wing last year, the lodge's lobby, restaurant, golf course and spa continue to be open to the public. The Quaaout Lodge's lobby is inspired by historical kekuli winter homes, with cedar and fir woods creating a lodge-like atmosphere. Views of Little Shuswap Lake offer a glimpse into the region's scenic beauty, while the grand central fireplace and concrete floor imprinted with recreations of pictographs found in the region connect guests with the Skw'lax te Secwépemcúl̓ecw (formerly Little Shuswap Lake Band).

The newly opened The BoTree is located in Marylebone Lane in London's West End offers a design-forward "modern conservatory" approach to its lobby, featuring verdant plants, warm, light wood features and floral accents that creates a modern, bohemian space that's perfect for resting, socializing and working. A swiveling welcome piece can change from an art installation to a mirror or a decorative shelf daily, giving the space a changing atmosphere.

The Amway Grand Plaza, Curio Collection by Hilton, is a historic hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It originally opened in 1913 and its lobby, which retains its historic glamour, is like a step into the past. Features include three 4,000-pound-each Austrian crystal chandeliers imported from Czechoslovakia, the largest gold leaf installation in the United States, with over 7,000 square-feet of gold painted upon its domed ceiling and a wooden gold-painted sunburst decoration that previously hung for over 150 years in the Palazzo Moscini in Venice, Italy. Many of the lobby's light fixtures were once powered by gas and have now been wired for electricity.

The Radisson Blu Hotel in Lyon, France features a crayon-shaped exterior that locals call "Tour Crayon," but its lobby offers one of the tallest lobbies in Europe, at 143 meters, and offers wondrous views of the city and the French Alps. The lobby atrium offers a modern-styled space where travelers can marvel at the unique architecture of the towering, circular room, above which a glass ceiling is located.

The InterContinental Phuket Resort's lobby design is based upon the oldest Thai text, the ‘Traibhumikatha,' which tells the story of Heaven. Four central components complete this heaven-on-Earth design: the Form of Heaven, which is located in the spire form of its multi-tiered roof; the Sky on Earth, found in a reflective glass mosaic wall which reflects the sky for guests walking on a path towards the lobby pavilion; the Passage to Heaven, found in the stairs leading towards the pavilion; and the Angels' Floating Abode, found in the lotus pond which surrounds the lobby, which further reflects the sky and is reflected in the mosaic tile walls.