8 Unique, Boutique Hotels from Preferred Hotels & Resorts We Can’t Wait to Check Into This Fall

Designer-to-the-stars Martyn Lawrence Bullard has given Hotel Californian a glamorous new lease on life, from luxurious details inside its award-winning restaurants to a spa covered in hand-painted Moroccan tiles where you can receive personalized treatments. Even more jaw-dropping is the rooftop pool, which features panoramic views of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean a block away. After a swim, there’s no better place to kick off the night than Djinn, the library bar where mixologist Devon Espinosa shakes expertly crafted cocktails.

Both American and international royalty—John F. Kennedy; Prince Rainier of Monaco—have stayed at the opulent Hotel Du Pont. We can see why they’d feel at home here: the boutique hotel’s Italian mosaics and oil paintings could rival any luxury hotel in Europe. A $40 million restoration has helped keep the magic alive, whether you’re enjoying high tea or an unforgettable dinner beneath the Green Room’s oak-beamed ceiling. We wouldn’t blame you if you never feel the need to step outside the hotel doors.

Few hotels channel Dallas’s larger-than-life personality quite like the Lorenzo Hotel. Inside this Preferred boutique hotel, more than 600 artworks vie for your attention, from a colorful mural of Albert Einstein by the pool to the lobby bar, where hot pink statues wow as much as the drinks. In guest rooms, ornate bed frames and custom carpets are as eye-catching as the floor-to-ceiling skyline views. Whatever you do, don’t miss the lively pool—the most stylish dip in the city.

The SLS Brickell embodies everything we love about the SLS brand—but with a few tricks up its sleeve. Slick, understated rooms by Philippe Starck are given a unique nautical twist with tile mermaid murals and oversize fish sculptures. There’s also sexy infinity pool on the roof that features swoon-worthy views of downtown Miami. When hunger strikes, head to Fi’lia for handmade artisanal pizzas and pastas, then end the evening with a nightcap on the safari-chic lounge’s open terrace.

Fifteen Beacon was the first boutique hotel to hit Boston when it opened in 1998 and it hasn’t missed a step since. Behind the building’s Beaux-Arts façade, you’ll find a modernist hideaway with luxurious old-world touches like an original cage elevator. Upstairs, guest rooms keep things cozy with four-poster canopy beds, fireplaces, and personalized service that goes above and beyond. If you already enjoyed a meal at the hotel's stellar steakhouse, ask the 24/7 concierge to arrange a private dinner in the wine cellar. When you’re ready to explore the city, hop inside the hotel’s chauffeured Lexus.

Many resorts line the beaches of Montego Bay, but Half Moon is arguably the prettiest. The lobby transitions into an oceanfront restaurant and bar, where guests can enjoy 50-year-old rum produced right on the estate. There’s also a championship golf course and 54 swimming pools to float in when you’re not scuba diving or wakeboarding. If you’ve got kids in tow, the Children’s Village is a perfect distraction while adults take horseback rides along the beach, enjoy a scrub at the spa, or kick back with sunset cocktails at Cedar’s Bar. No wonder Queen Elizabeth II chose to stay here.

You’ll find beauty and history in spades at Hotel Sans Souci, a 19th-century boutique hotel that puts a unique spin on its storied past—like a curated art collection that includes works by Roy Lichtenstein as well as Vienna’s largest hotel pool. Guests are also treated to special perks including home-baked cookies delivered to their room. Of course, if it’s traditional Vienna you seek, you’ll find that as well, from tastings at the opulent Champagne bar to the spa that specializes in custom massages.

Talk about a backstory: alchemists attempted to turn metal into gold while living in the Prague’s Baroque quarter, in what is now known as the Alchymist Grand Hotel & Spa. Today, the 45-room boutique hotel is decked out in hand-painted wall murals and Venetian stucco and offers equally unique “treasures,” from pralines made by an in-house chocolatier to free daily wine and cheese tastings for guests. If you can’t get over the lavish interiors inside the Aquarius Restaurant and Café, wait until you see the spa and chandelier-lit pool housed in an underground grotto.