Off-The-Beaten-Track American Hotels

Yes, NYC has the buzz, San Fran is hip and Florida has the fun. But sometimes it’s good to go off menu. To seek out the less well-trodden roads of the USA. Just ask Jack Kerouac.

We’d like to take you on a tour of the unexpected outposts of Stateside style. Such as Pittsburgh – because, where the Ace hotel group goes, it’s always good to follow in its slipstream. And who knew the city boasts an Andy Warhol museum?

Or Austin, Texas, where Hotel Saint Cecilia serves up ol’ time charm, or New Orleans, where the Pontchartrain adds some sass to the Big Easy. For a southern stop-off with the most authentic mid-century accent, check into The Dwell Hotel in Chattanooga. Then there's Portland, so hip it became a TV parody with Portlandia, but still cool enough for the Hoxton Hotel to move in.

Finally, for super-sized skies, coastline and blissed-out views, the Post Ranch Inn at Big Sur serves up nature amid luxury. Expect fewer tourists, but still plenty of bang for your buck.

Hoxton Hotel

Portland, Oregon

The lowdown The third US opening from this hip hotel group

Best for savvy style at affordable prices

Holding all but a monopoly on the hipster-luxe hotel concept, the uber-cool folk at Hoxton are sweeping across America’s coolest cities.

The recent opening in millennial Mecca Portland sits alongside properties in Chicago and Williamsburg,and a soon-to-be new location in downtown LA.

The brand’s signature mid-century look has been executed with particular success at the Oregon outpost, with public areas including a snug, a jewel-toned lobby, a white-tiled rooftop taqueria and La Neta, the hotel’s Mexican restaurant.

These spaces are punctuated with Danish chairs, indoor plants and curated art. Check out the nameless basement bar for American cocktails and Chinese bites – pork belly buns anyone?

Book itDouble rooms from £160 a night. (opens in new tab)

ACE HOTEL

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

The lowdown The latest Ace outpost reworks local history for hipsters

Best for Pretending you’re a local, talking apps over artisan coffees

Pittsburgh is a mini American history lesson: boom industrial town goes bust, now seeks new identity. The city that was a steel giant has seen hard times, but is regenerating with local music, culture, technology – basically, your regular US melting-pot by-products.

The Ace Hotel group knows where the next party is going to be, so it bought up and renovated the old 1909 YMCA building in the East Liberty ’hood. The historic frame - marble floors, wrought-iron balustrades and giant windows – add gravitas to the refreshed, rebooted building. Then there are the Ace touches: sleek, student-hall-chic furniture and turntables and acoustic guitars in some rooms. The food is exceptional and the eating venues include the old gym – benches and squeaky basketball court floor still intact. It’s fun to stay at the YMCA all over again.

Book itDouble rooms from approx £164 (opens in new tab)

HOTEL SAINT CECILIA

AUSTIN, TEXAS

The lowdown Rock star meets Texan beauty queen

Best for Anyone who’s ever said, ‘I’m with the band’

This southern belle of a boutique hotel serves up typical Lone Star hospitality with a touch of David Lynch drama. It consists of a Victorian house and several bungalows dotted around its lush gardens. The interiors are all different, erring towards either funky or more glam-rock ends of the design playlist.

In the most beguiling suites, woodwork is rechristened in glossy black, beneath tall ceilings, sparkly chandeliers and swathes of ruby red velvet curtains. Think Mick Jagger in Performance - or Johnny Depp and Kate Moss in their Portobello Hotel phase. Baths come claw-footed, or shower under the stars in an outdoor wet room wrapped in bamboo. A poolside neon sign beams out a welcome for clubbers who aren’t ready for bed just yet. Austin rocks with music venues and this is the perfect place for pre-drinks or the after-party. When you do crash, beds are by Hästens for all-out comfort.

Book itDouble rooms from £454 per night (opens in new tab)

PONTCHARTRAIN

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

The lowdown The Big Easy, done with style and grace

Best for High-rolling, Mardi Gras-loving literary types

This hotel was once known as the grand dame of New Orleans hotels and is all set for its revival. The architecture dates from the Twenties, but the Pontchartrain’s first heyday was in the decadent Forties. It’s the kind of hotel where Hollywood stars, musicians and writers, including Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams, tended to take up ‘residences’ rather than checking in and out like ordinary folk.

As the hotel enters its next heyday, its public spaces - all palm prints, dark walls, tasseled tie-backs and smoked glass - still have a deliciously louche air. The bedrooms are less full-on style statements, but the mint green, peony pink and lacquered-black combo still feels very Blanche DuBois… This is where Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire – and a clanging streetcar still stops just outside the front door. Don’t miss cocktails at the Hot Tin rooftop lounge, where the American tin tile ceiling is painted fashionably black.

Book itDoubles from approx £147 per night (opens in new tab)

THE DWELL HOTEL

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE

The lowdown Deep Southern comfort with added curves

Best for Musos with a penchant for mid-century style

Less than a three hour drive down Interstate 24 from music mecca Nashville lies Chattanooga, now a destination in its own right. This is the hotel to head to: a haven of mid-century originals, with the emphasis on the rare, offbeat and utterly covetable. Much of the furniture and lighting was sourced by the owner herself, Seija Ojanpera, who is a dab hand at sniffing out the cream of auctions and online sales, from the US and Europe. Wallpapers work as vivid backdrops, from intricate Fornasetti patterns to the classic Martinique lush-leaf motif, made famous by the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The range of suites is dazzling, from the zingy shades and Sixties art of The Tiki to the tropical and teal of The Palm Springs, where the mood is set by Slim Aaron’s iconic photograph, Poolside Gossip. The only way to start your evening is in similar style, tipple in hand at the in-house Matilda Midnight cocktail bar.

Book itDoubles from £185 per night (opens in new tab)

POST RANCH INN

BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA

The lowdown Woodsy hideaway with infinity pools et al

Best for Nature lovers who also adore luxury

From burgers to canyons, Americans have a propensity to big things up. But, to be fair, the Big Sur does deliver. This sweet spot of California has state parks, beaches and mountain panoramas that will send your Instagram feed into arty Ansel Adams territory. Post Ranch Inn scoops the best views (choose from ocean or mountain), while the rooms are luxe-natural, with mellow wood, sculptures, cosy wood burners and outdoor decks designed to drink in nature.

As an indication of the general vibe here, the hotel refrains from putting alarm clocks or TVs in rooms… But they do lay on free daily yoga and stargazing sessions with a resident astronomer. There’s no under-18s, so karmas remain unruffled by kids. When you tire of being blissed out by nature, San Fran is 150 miles up the coast for a re-energizing blast of city life and culture.

Book itDoubles from £640 per night (opens in new tab)

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