Dale Avanaganthi Although when it opened in 1851, prison reform approaches greatly influenced the jail's design, explaining, for example, its own 30 windows that are each 33 feet elevated.

Although when it opened in 1851, prison reform approaches greatly influenced the jail's design, explaining, for example, its own 30 windows that are each 33 feet elevated.

Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, Calif.. Legendary actors Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin were among the famous founders behind the United Artists studio, housed from the United Artists Building that opened in 1927. And the United Artists Theatre (pictured) that anchors the construction illustrated Hollywood's Golden Age of glamour. Many iterations later, the building is currently home to the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, a cutting edge boutique which opened in 2014. As the focal point, the 1 shower glass toronto .600-seat, three-story theater has been restored into its heyday, best described as a cathedral paying homage to the film gods. The Spanish weathered inside overwhelms with gothic-style chandeliers and restored murals (of movie celebrities and execs( naturally), while the tiled ceiling sparkles having an infinite number of tiny mirrors encircled by a ceiling-length golden sunburst. The theater again displays movies, although performances dominate the calendar. Either way, it is a struggle to pull off your eyes off the place.



Alila Fort Bishangarh, India Luckily you don't need to become an invader to keep in the former Fort Bishangarh at Jaipur, a 230-year-old palace fortress that recently finished a nearly decade-long overhaul. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the ruined fort is currently the Alila Fort Bishangarh, however, as a heritage conservation project, the hotel is still faithful to the original. By way of instance, everything from the turrets to the wavy arched windows have been either restored or recreated in keeping Jaipur Gharana design. Careful consideration was even given to the walls, using a modern twist on an ancient plastering technique. Elsewhere, the main restaurant, Amarsar, is located in the former royal quarters, although the prior dungeon now delivers spa remedies instead of torture. Another interesting fact is that the turret that currently houses a cigar and cognac bar, whose initial musket openings were used to pour boiling oil on intruders. (They now mainly function as organic air-conditioning.)



The Liberty, Boston, Mass.. It is a safe bet that the former residents of the Charles Street Jail would have preferred its present iteration as the ironically named Liberty Hotel. Although when it opened in 1851, prison reform approaches greatly influenced the jail's design, explaining, for example, its own 30 windows that are each 33 feet elevated. However, the expression, "The path to hell is paved with good intentions," proved true in this case, as overcrowding and poor living conditions finally led to its closure in 1990. Now enjoying its best lifestyle as a four-star resort, signs of its past are on full display once you enter, such as the preserved 90-foot central atrium and catwalk railings surrounding it. Head to Clink restaurant to float in former jail cells which are much cozier now, or see Alibi bar (a former drunk tank, of course), to imbibe prison-themed cocktails and snap selfies from the first holding cells.



Pulitzer Amsterdam, Netherlands Twenty five meticulously renovated canal homes -- all dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries -- comprise the five-star Pulitzer resort. The canal houses, part of a UNESCO site, completed a significant renovation in 2016, keeping the historic aspects intact. By way of instance, the Saxenburg House, now utilized to host weddings and special events, once was home to a wealthy dye salesman. The Italian marble floors, grand stairs and ornate 18th-century fireplace mantel are among the original capabilities. Meanwhile, you'll discover original wooden beams in the rooms which used to be part of warehouses, and ornate plaster ceilings in the chambers which were part of houses. And hints remain of a former apothecary that used to occupy the entry to the restaurant Jansz, together with shelves of vintage glasses connecting the past to the present.



Il Salviatino, Italy A walk down history lane indicates that a Roman fortress initially stood on the site of Il Salviatino, a restored palazzo which may be traced back into the 14th century. Its name comes from the Salviati family, who owned and renovated it in the 16th century. Ever since then it has transformed many hands (even belonging to Stanford University at one stage), and experienced more renovations, together with the newest completed in 2010 when it surfaced as a hotel. Among the preserved details is the 19th-century fresco by Augusto Bruschi (book the Affresco Suite to maneuver underneath the golden, angelic painting). The wood-paneled, 19th-century library has also been restored to its heyday, as it played host to high society figures like Salvador Dali. Other historical features include the grand entrance stairs, now blanketed in red rug; the marble flooring close to the library; and the magnificent terraced gardens dotted with fountains and manicured shrubbery.



Hotel Quinta Real Zacatecas, Mexico Among London's buzziest new openings is The Ned, a five-star hotel located in the former Midland Bank. It's named after the noted architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens, or Ned, who built it in 1924 -- back when bank lobbies rivaled luxury resorts. A number of the original opulent attributes were luckily preserved during a multi-year recovery: vaulted ceilings, walnut-paneled counters and 92 green African verdite columns. But you'll need to search to discover a number of these best-preserved details. These include an Instagram-ready spiral staircase; big cupboards beside The Tapestry Room that after saved top hats and canes; and even a private elevator that once carried the chairman to board meetings and private lunches. But the true showstopper is the prior lender vault-turned-lounge, which you access through the original 25-ton, floor-to-ceiling vault door. If it looks familiar, that's because it inspired the vault in the1964 James Bond film, Goldfinger.



The Ned, London You can throw a stone and hit a historical hotel building in Italy. But Monastero Santa Rosa has an especially intriguing history as a 17th-century, pastry-making convent. The nuns were known for baking sfogliatelle, a cream-filled pastry shaped like a shell, which have been called Santa Rosa. (Today's resort guests get to savor this tradition at breakfast, which is served in an outdoor terrace that makes the most of Mediterranean perspectives.) Plenty of architectural features are preserved as well: towering vaulted ceilings, from the spa to guest rooms; an original 17th-century church that's still in usage; along with the confessional, where guests can jot down their sins, or, more likely, use their own cell phone because of the place's excellent reception.



Monastero Santa Rosa, Italy This grand dame of New York Society started out as a Gilded Age residence called Villard Mansion. Famed architecture firm McKim, Mead & White constructed the neo-Italian Renaissance palace, and novels can be written concerning its landmark preservation (and its former existence as The Helmsley Palace). But in a nutshell, every historic aspect of Lotte New York Palace was faithfully restored, meaning floorboards were substituted in their original spots. The Gold Room, the epitome of Gilded Age style, is gilt-covered in the walls to ceiling. In addition, it possesses a musical motif as it had been originally meant to be a music space. Meanwhile, the jaw-dropping Madison Room maintains its original green marble walls and columns, legendary murals and chandeliers, and stained glass windows -- which makes for the ultimate wedding venue.



Lotte New York Palace, N.Y. Ashford Castle offers so many actions (falconry, destination spa, movie theater), which it's almost like a castle theme park. However, this grand mansion, dating back to the 13th century, has also maintained a lot of its royal heritage. It is one of the few castle hotels that truly exemplifies the castle adventure, because of some current two-year, $75 million restoration project that fixed more than 40 battlements and ancient stonework. Inside the castle, Victorian-era oil paintings were restored into their prime, as were 30 guest rooms at a 19th-century wing. And abandoned tunnels have been transformed into wine cellars that can accommodate more than 600 wine bottles -- also as guests for private, candlelit dinners.