5 great hotel chains

I used to be a bit torn when it comes to hotel chains. I have realized now that it probably stemmed from the fact that chain used to equal generic. But there was a trend break some years ago when there were, almost simultaneously, several entrepreneurs that saw a gap in the market between what the existing chains were offering and what the modern traveller wanted. These entrepreneurs, all in their separate corners of the world, acted on this opportunity by opening their first hotels, daring to break norms and create unique, inspiring spaces. These first openings was the starting point of what are now vibrant, forward-thinking companies offering unique, very non-generic stays.

One chain that was a real trail blazer in this field is Ace hotels (one of the chains listed below), that were the first ones to identify and act on this gap and by that setting the bar for their competitors. Ace understood early that the discerning traveller wanted something more, regardless if traveling for business or pleasure. A room that inspires, a lobby where locals and visitors mix, an in-house coffeebar serving great coffee and merchandise that you actually wanted to buy and use.

Nowadays there are several really great chains out there that have carved out a niche for themselves on the market. A niche that makes them relevant and interesting, and most important of all - they keep re-inventing themselves and not relying on a concept that used to work. No, these are all here to stay. Here are five of those chains:

Palisociety

Palisociety was launched back in 2007 by entrepreneur Avi Brosch. He had a background in real estate and hospitality which is kind of the perfect combo for a hotel entrepreneur. Brosch is originally from the east coast and when moving west to LA he realized there were none of the upscale but yet bohemian hotels there that you would normally find all over NYC. He decided to get to work, trying to fill this gap in the market by opening his first hotel in West Hollywood back in 2008.

The aim with all Palisociety hotels has always been to mirror the local community where the aim is to provide a boutique-chic experience in eclectically designed spaces.

Thus far (by July 2025) I’ve stayed at four of their hotels; Silver Lake, Westwood Village, Culver City and Santa Monica (where the photo above is from), all which are located around the LA area.

Next on my list of Palisociety hotels that I would like to stay at is the Grand Stark in Portland, Oregon. That one looks amazing!

Hoxton

The story of this chain started back in 2006 when the founders turned a car park in Shoreditch, East London into their first hotel. They opened a second property in London and In 2012 the small chain was acquired by the Ennismore Group. This provided more muscle and by 2015 they ventured outside London and England when they opened their third property in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

At Hoxton they have defined what makes a Hoxton hotel and one of the main things is what they call “open house”, where guests and locals come together to hang, eat and drink. This ambition together with their idea of “Thoughtful design” where the key words are vibrant, cosy and welcoming makes for a really successful hotel concept.

Thus far (by July 2025) I’ve stayed at seven of their properties: London Shoreditch, London Holborn, London Southwark, the two in Amsterdam, in Rome and in Brussels where the photo above is from.

Next on my list of Hoxton hotels that I would like to stay at is The Hoxton Paris. The design and the vibe looks mighty fine.

Experimental

The Experimental Group has an interesting back story. The journey started with three friends, Olivier, Pierre-Charles and Romée. Their first venture was actually not a hotel at all, but the Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris . But lucky for us they realized they had not fulfilled their potential but decided to branch into hotels by opening their first one in Paris in 2015, the Grand Pigalle Hotel. Their trademark reek of fun, colorful and eclectic design oozing of style and that unique French chicness that is so hard to reproduce by us non-French. Their journey has just started and I can’t wait to see where they go next.

Thus far (by July 2025) I’ve stayed at three of their properties: in London, Venice and in Biarritz, where the photo above is from.

Next on my list of Experimental hotels that I would like to stay at is the one on the Spanish island of Menorca. It looks like en eclectic Summer paradise.

25hours

The first 25hours hotel opened in Hamburg, Germany back in 2003. It was the result of the vision of local hotelier Kai Hollmann. Onboard came Christopher Hoffmann and together with Stephen Gerhard and Ardi Goldmann they started the expansion of this chain beyond Germany. The idea was to create a collection of unique hotels using alternating design teams.

Just like Hoxton, this chain was also eventually acquired by Ennismore, which has helped them to take this chain above and beyond. But during this expansion, the core of the brand has been kept intact where the aim is to break away from the traditional hotel frame and infuse a huge dose of playfulness and unique design.

Thus far (by July 2025) I’ve stayed at four of their properties: three in Hamburg and one in Firenze, where the photo above is from.

Next on my list of 25hours hotels that I would like to stay at is the one on Paper Island in Copenhagen. It looks like so much fun, oozing with style and personality.

Ace

When Calderwood, Weigel and Herrick, the founders of Ace Hotels opened their first hotel in 1999 in Seattle, USA in a former Salvation Army halfway house, they started a journey that would have a huge impact on the hotel industry. They introduced two things that were brand new at the time, they defined their own unique Ace style and they also opened their doors to non-guests. They realized that a great way to make hotels feel vibrant and interesting is to connect them closer to the local community. And it worked and still works really well. So well that many other hotels have been inspired by what Ace is doing.

Thus far (by July 2025) I have had the opportunity to stay at six of their hotels: Seattle, Portland, LA, Palm Springs, London and Kyoto, where the photo above is from.

Next on my list of Ace hotels that I would like to stay at is Ace Athens. It looks like such a fun place where they combine that famous Greek hospitality with the Ace attitude.

Do you agree? Or do you have any favorite hotel chains that didn’t make in onto my list?

5 great hotel chains