Small hotels with big stories

Five hideaways in Stockholm, Antwerp, Budapest, Lucca and Marrakesh

Some hotels you never forget. Not because of the breakfast buffet or the view, but because of the room names.

Do you know that tingling feeling when you open the door to your room for the first time, eager to find out whether it lives up to its name?

Places like this are right up my street: rooms with names instead of numbers that tell stories.

I discovered these five places.

Lady Hamilton Hotel, Stockholm, where every room is named after a flower

Imagine you're travelling to Stockholm. You find your hotel in the old town, in the middle of a maze of cobblestone streets and

centuries-old houses. And then you find out at reception: your room isn't called 214. It's called Linnaea, or Vitsippa, or Blåklint.

The Lady Hamilton Hotel names all its rooms after Swedish flowers, and each flower also adorns the room door as an art print.

The building itself dates back to 1470. It was renovated in the style of the 18th century as a silent tribute to Lady Emma Hamilton,

Lord Nelson's famous mistress.

Good to know

• Best time to visit: May or September

• Small hotel, so it's worth booking early

• Sauna in the historic 13th-century cellar, can be booked privately

• Location: Right next to the Royal Palace, 15 minutes' walk from the main railway station

• Breakfast included, homemade jams and Swedish specialities

Rock Lobster City Lodge, Antwerp, jazz, blues and a record player on the bedside table

Antwerp has many faces. This is the most musical of them all.

The Rock Lobster City Lodge is a small B&B. Each of the five rooms is named after a musical genre: jazz, blues, electronic, glam rock, Icelandic. There is a record player on the bedside table. Next to it is a vinyl collection.

On some evenings, the lobby becomes a mini stage. The ‘Rock Lobster Sessions’ are living room concerts with a handful of guests in the room. Among the sessions were evenings with Matthew and the Atlas (singer-songwriter), for example.

Good to know

• Only 5 rooms, book well in advance

• Special feature: host Bart has been a music journalist for 30 years

• Rock Lobster Sessions: exclusive living room concerts

• Location: in the trendy Zurenborg district, only 10 minutes by tram to the city centre

• Breakfast: bread from the Michelin-starred bakery Domestic

• Tip: Glam Rock room

Aria Hotel Budapest, sleep among the legends

What if your room didn't have a number, but was named after Maria Callas, Bob Dylan or Franz Liszt?

That's how it is at the Aria Hotel Budapest: the hotel is divided into four wings, each dedicated to a different genre of music: classical, jazz, opera and contemporary. And every single room is named after a music legend. The colours reflect the genre: jade green for jazz, turquoise for classical, pink for opera.

And now you want to know which room you'll be staying in.

Good to know

• 49 rooms and suites, medium size

• Best time to visit: spring or autumn

• Included: breakfast, afternoon aperitif with wine and live music

• Highlights: High Note SkyBar on the roof, panoramic view

• Harmony Spa with pool, sauna, steam bath, free for guests

• Location: 1 minute walk to St. Stephen's Basilica, perfectly located in the centre

Grand Universe Lucca, Tuscany, where Puccini once stayed

At the Grand Universe Lucca, the rooms are named Piccolo, Adagio, Vivace and Allegro, inspired by music.

This is no coincidence: Lucca is the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, and according to the hotel's history, the maestro was a frequent guest. Jazz legend Chet Baker is also connected to the hotel, with room 15 mentioned in its history.

Good to know

• Rooms: Piccolo, Adagio, Vivace, Allegro, Aria Junior Suite, etc.

• Location: In the heart of Lucca's historic centre, everything is within walking distance

• Best time to visit: April/May or September

• Tip: Rooms with a view of the city walls

Riad Star, Marrakesh, Josephine Baker's temporary home

In the early 1940s, the Pasha of Marrakesh, Thami El Glaui, invited one of the most famous women in the world to his city: Josephine Baker. She stayed in this riad.

The rooms are named Jazz, Josephine, Star, Paris, Rainbow, Charleston, Pasha, Chiquita, Ebony and Ivory. Each one tells a chapter from Josephine's life. Inside the house, you can see stage costumes from her performances, as well as letters and photographs.

Good to know

• Only a few rooms

• Special feature: museum character with original pieces and archive material relating to Josephine Baker

• Location: Medina of Marrakesh, quiet yet centrally located

• Best time to visit: March/April or October/November

• Tip: the ‘Josephine’ room

What makes a real hideaway

These five places have one thing in common: nothing here is arbitrary. You notice it immediately as soon as you close the door behind you. There's a name on the door, not a room code. The building fits the city, and the room fits the idea behind it.

Rooms with names instead of numbers are no joke. They turn an overnight stay into a little story. You're not just somewhere. You are in a flower, the Vitsippa. In jazz. In adagio. In Josephine Baker's room.

For me, that is what a real hideaway is. And if you love places like this, you will find more of them with us, on every trip.

Discover our selected trips with special hideaways under Bespoke Packages