What is a ‘salvaged stay’? The upcycled hotels travellers are booking in 2026

Hotel booking platforms have seen a surge in traveller demand for stays in “upcycled” retreats in 2026.

According to data from Hotels.com, this year travellers are checking into hotels that “combine historical architecture with modern amenities”.

The platform analysed increases in global hotel searches, comparing 2024 to 2025, to generate its “Hotels of the Year” list – and searches for several stays in restored buildings more than doubled.

Melanie Fish, VP of Global Communications at Expedia Group, said: “Travellers are craving more than just a place to sleep — they want a story to tell.

“Salvaged stays are the perfect blend of character, culture, and comfort. This year I’ve stayed in an old post office, a jail, and a warehouse — the past definitely has a future in hospitality.”

Be it a former French abbey or a renovated bank building, architectural relics have been converted into hotels with history from Kyoto to Sydney.

From stylish schoolhouses to Alpine railway stations, here are the trending destinations with a difference to check into this year.

Read more: Best cheap hotels in London, chosen by a travel expert

open image in gallery

Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu is an elegant 48-room conversion of a former elementary school in Kyoto. Built in 1933, the hotel retains architectural elements of its educational past: designers preserved arched windows and sweeping stairways in communal spaces, and added sleek, minimalist guest rooms and a rooftop bar. Hotels.com saw a huge 194 per cent increase in searches for the heritage hotel in the Higashiyama district last year.

open image in gallery

In the wilds of Cornwall’s Bodmin Moor, the Bodmin Jail Hotel sits within the Grade II listed ruins of an 18th-century prison. Following a major restoration in 2021, 70 spacious rooms were installed in its former cells, retaining some original iron doors and barred windows. An on-site museum and The Chapel Restaurant are clearly a draw, as searches increased by more than double in 2025.

open image in gallery

Rio de Janeiro’s Sandi Hotel offers a boutique stay in the heart of Paraty, a Unesco World Heritage site. Its colourful rooms feature vintage film memorabilia and local art – a liveliness that continues into the pool and dining areas. The 18th-century colonial mansion has had many roles over the centuries, including as a school, social club and even as the Brazilian Mint during the gold-rush era, before it was restored as a luxury hotel in 1987.

open image in gallery

Set within the Lorie Valley’s 12th-century Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, this quiet 54-room hotel – Fontevraud L'Ermitage – is steeped in medieval history with touches of luxury modernity. Founded in 1101, guests can now explore the cloistered courtyards and monastic architecture after hours. Seasonal local produce is on offer at the on-site, Michelin-starred restaurant.

open image in gallery

It’s all aboard during stays at this landmark hotel in downtown Nashville. Union Station Nashville Yards, originally opened in 1900 as a lively terminal for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, was reimagined as a luxury hotel in 1986. The former station has retained some nods to its past purpose – a 65-foot barrel-vaulted ceiling, stained glass lobby and marble floors – with modern amenities including nightly live music performances and the contemporary restaurant.

open image in gallery

The Old Clare Hotel in Sydney’s Chippendale suburb occupies two historic, booze-inspired buildings. Once the site of the beloved Clare Hotel and the Carlton & United Breweries administration block, it was delicately restored in 2015. Well-preserved original features include a connecting four-storey glass atrium between buildings, timber panelling and brick walls. Boutique rooms, a rooftop pool and a raucous bar now nod to the site’s pub past.

open image in gallery

Montreal’s Hotel Place d’Armes once served as prestigious offices for the Great Scottish Life Insurance Company. The heritage boutique hotel stretches across four historic neoclassical buildings dating back to the late 1800s, and reopened as a stylish stay with 169 rooms, a rooftop terrace, spa and refined dining in 2000.

open image in gallery

If you’re looking to bed down in a bank, the Nine Orchard Hotel in Manhattan blends historic grandeur with modern boutique luxury. The former landmark 1912 Jarmulowsky Bank Building reopened in 2022 after restoration efforts to create 113 residential-style rooms and vibrant dining spaces such as the Swan Room and Corner Bar, while maintaining the site’s original splendour. With vaulted ceilings, arched windows and a rooftop tempietto, this is a historic stay on the Lower East Side.

open image in gallery

This stylish boutique hotel in Stockholm is set in a 1910 former bank building. Huge bronze doors, marble floors and vaulted ceilings echo its financial roots. The Bank Hotel opened in 2018 following a conversion, and now offers 111 elegant rooms and suites featuring velvet red sofas, marble bathrooms and spacious beds.

open image in gallery

Luxury hotel Canfranc Estación sits inside the historic Canfranc International railway station. Opened in 1928 as a cross-border rail hub between Spain and France, the station’s Beaux-Arts architecture was reinvented as a five-star hotel in 2023. Guests of its 104 rooms will find a Michelin-starred restaurant, a spa, stunning mountain views and easy access to ski resorts such as Astun.

Read more: Luxury London hotels saw a surge in search in 2025