10 Coolest Airport Hotels Around the World

Dutch creative studio Concrete played up the aviation theme at this fashionable outpost of Citizen M. Model planes and blimps hang in the clubhouse-like communal space, which is also outfitted with propeller sculptures and vintage photos from the days when air travel was truly glamorous. Also on hand are a selection of design books curated by Amsterdam’s renowned bookshop Medno, as well as iMacs and a kitchen stocked with pastries. The best place to unwind after your flight is in your room’s Vitra chair while watching 747s take off outside your window.

Tripod floor lamps, mint tile kitchenettes, an all-night gourmet pantry— Westin's eco-minded offshoot near Miami International Airport feels like your own pied-à-terre. Its green cred stacks up, too, with stationary bikes that produce electricity at the state-of-the-art fitness center and priority parking spots for hybrid cars. Bonus: the healthy menu at the Salon at Element restaurant is the antidote to greasy airport food.

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An interactive visual installation of Instagram images welcomes guests to this new wave hotel at the airport’s Viscount terminal. Here it’s all about function with a modern edge. The airy lobby has cozy hammock chairs, free hyperfast WiFi and a departure board with flight times. Upstairs, you’ll find goose-down duvets on the beds and Fruit & Passion amenities in the bathrooms. If you’re in a rush, the 24-hour grab-and-go sells ready-to-eat meals from local purveyors — guaranteed to be better than the food on the flight.

A chill L.A. vibe permeates this chic boutique hotel, where stylish guests lounge in poolside cabanas or hang out at the hotel’s American bistro. The colorful rooms come with customizable LED lights, and, as if to remind you that you're near LAX, the sleek staff uniforms evoke the Pan Am era. Don’t miss the paintings of flight attendants from the 1960s in the lobby (appropriately named the Hangar Lounge).

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Starwood's urban millennial brand is on a mission to make airport stays cool. (It currently has 12 outposts, including the popular Montreal and San Francisco locations.) Minutes from El Dorado International airport, in the Connecta Complex, South America’s first Aloft is not the place for weary, red-eyed passengers to rest their heads—the buzzing social scene at the WXYZ bar is proof of that. But don't fret, the self-serve refueling station, with fresh fruit and cappuccino, will get you back on your feet come morning.

Connectivity is the draw at the Hilton Frankfurt Airport. The high-tech hotel is linked to Terminal 1 by a skywalk from its space in the mixed-used Squaire complex, which sits above a high-speed railway station (15 minutes to downtown Frankfurt). What’s more, it’s flanked by two major autobahns. The 249 guest rooms incorporate very un–airport hotel touches like Patricia Urquiola chairs and retro 1960s carpets. In the sun-splashed atrium lobby, Europe’s briefcase warriors work on their laptops under color-changing orb chandeliers while sipping potent cups of coffee.

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We couldn't resist putting Citizen M on this list twice. The Amsterdam outpost—a “six-minute moonwalk” from the airport—gets it right by focusing on what jet-lagged guests crave most: high-power rainfall showers, free movies, and extra-large beds with “the softest, fluffiest pillows known to mankind.” What you won't find here are traditional extras like towel swans and turn-down chocolates, but we’re okay with that. When your RFID room key doubles as a luggage tag, it’s hard to complain.

This five-star property has all the trappings of a luxury resort. There's a resident tea master who hand-picks Chinese varietals; a standout Cantonese restaurant, Ming Court, run by New Zealand–born chef Phillip Kraal, who was previously the private cook for the king of Jordan; and a sports bar with rotating DJs and a terrace perfect for spotting incoming planes. The 352 guest rooms are done in dark woods and beige tones, and the two-story loft suites and townhouses come with access to a private club.

Chi-Town’s airport digs seriously up the luxury ante. The Loews Chicago O’Hare tapped designer Simeone Deary, who is also behind the brand’s downtown Streeterville hotel, to update the airy lobby. The result includes gorgeous pine walls, plush purple couches, and revolving exhibitions of contemporary artworks by local artists. Colorful paintings by Chicagoan Jay Ryan and chaise longues give the guest rooms a homey feel, and the live music venue the Montrose Room, an on-site art gallery, and the Fresco 21 restaurant wouldn’t be out of place in the city’s trendiest neighborhoods.

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How's this for convenience: The Grand Hyatt DFW is actually located in Terminal D at the Dallas/Forth Worth airport. Jet-lagged travelers can expect first class pampering, from wine body wraps and chocolate facials at the spa, which also has a heated saltwater pool, to the Mediterranean-inspired Grand Met restaurant. What to order? The roasted lamb from San Francisco's famed Niman Ranch or the Berkshire pork with grits.