Designtripper {design + travel}
Beyond the 1970s-style Holiday Inns my family stay would at when I was a kid (indoor swimming pool was a must, and ping pong table was a mega bonus), most of my hotel stays during my life are unmemorable to say the least. These days that seems to be changing as there’s a greater interest in creating more interesting choices from intimate apartments to exciting new design hotels. It brings me such joy to see the way that travel and design are merging, and creating new travel experiences at the same time.
{Stay in this Loft Yes, please!}
Meghan McEwen is the mind behind Designtripper, a beautiful site curating the most interesting places to stay around the world. As the “intersection of travel and design with genuine curiosity and good taste,” the places and spaces featured on the site range from indie/boutique/design or family-run hotels to tricked-out tents and campervans, ryokans and apartment rentals. You may just plan your next trip based on a place you see here, or you can always search the site to see what’s out there for your next destination, as everything is swoon-worthy (this post took me at least three times as long as it should have because I got caught up dreaming of where to stay next).
Currently Meghan and her husband, along with their toddlers in tow, are off road tripping from Detroit to New Orleans in their continued quest for authenticity and good design in unexpected places. En route they are recording their adventures here, and finding some interesting places to visit and stay. (As a side note, I like seeing a car company – Lincoln – teaming up with a creative mind to encourage travel).
Recently Meghan invited me to contribute a Paris post to Designtripper. There are a handful of chic sleeps in the city, but I went with Hotel Amour a boutique hotel in the 9th (my neighborhood). You can get the full report here, with a sneak peek inside their gorgeous rooms designed by various French designers. And the other great thing about Designtripper is that beyond being more interesting than your “typical” hotel, most of their finds are more affordable too!
{Top 3 images via DesignTripper; bottom 2 by PAV}
Brigid *FrenchLogic
April 22, 2011 at 12:55 pm //
I don’t just want to stay in that loft, I want to live there! That tiffany blue is perfect!
Susan
April 22, 2011 at 1:19 pm //
I will check the site out, I am always looking for interesting and unique places.
risamay
April 22, 2011 at 4:51 pm //
Super cool. Off to check out the site right now. My day job is luxury travel related, so sites like the one you describe (even though you paint it as affordable stays and I myself and not a luxury traveler, by any means) is of great interest to me.
travelkate
April 22, 2011 at 5:20 pm //
Thanks for the introduction to this site, it sounds right up my alley! Off to check it out now!
meghan
April 26, 2011 at 3:48 am //
Thank you, Anne! We are having such a blast.