When I think of a hotel, as well as recalling the historic one where I spent my childhood and adolescence on seaside holidays, I am always reminded of the gargantuan Overlook Hotel from Stephen King's novel, and subsequent film, The Shining.
Huge, old, with a style that has never changed over the years, with its patterned carpeting and questionable colours: long before motels and chains like Holiday Inn came into being, these were the establishments where people stayed, whether for business or pleasure.
But there are much older hotels and guesthouses: most of these old structures have long since disappeared, but some are still standing despite the years that have passed. These are not just old buildings converted into hotels, but rather structures that have operated continuously for hundreds of years, and in some cases, more than a millennium.
All history buffs, but not only, can consider a stay in one of these hotels that have truly stood the test of time.
15 - Hotel Stein, year of opening 1399
Photo by Tibor. Location: Salzburg, Austria
It may look like a fortress, but Hotel Stein was opened as a tavern and guesthouse. In the 16th century it was briefly famous for its homemade beer and from 1945 to 1950 it was occupied by American troops. Turned back into a hotel after the war, today it has a somewhat kitsch interior, such as zebra patterns, leather details and shiny silk sheets.
14 - Goldener Adler, opening year 1390
Photo by Dnalor 01. Location: Innsbruck, Austria
Mozart, Goethe and virtually every Austrian king and noble, from Joseph II to Ludwig I of Bavaria, have stayed here. Today, the rooms are furnished in modern style, but the building's history can be seen in its thick walls, wooden ceilings and stained glass windows.
13 - Gastagwirt, year of opening 1380
Location: Eugendorf, Austria
This hotel is located near one of the steepest passages of a major trade route and was built precisely to offer weary wanderers a place to rest before resuming their journey. It was originally more extensive, but one of the owners, a gambling enthusiast, lost half the building at cards. The rooms are simple and rustic, probably just as they appeared 634 years ago, while the food served remains plentiful and the atmosphere familiar.
12 - Al Cappello Rosso, opening year 1375
Location: Bologna, Italy
Located just outside the city walls, Al Cappello Rosso was opened to accommodate and protect travellers of Jewish origin. The law required them to stay here for a maximum of three days. In fact, the building is located near the Bureau of Bills, a government department that was responsible for registering people passing through and making sure they did not stay longer than expected in the city. Today the hotel, despite its age, has a rather modern appearance.
SEE ALSO: THE WORLD'S MOST CURIOUS HOTELS
11 - Hotel Elch, year of opening 1342
Photo by Tilman2007. Location: Nuremberg, Germany
The date of construction of the building is unclear to this day, but the earliest records of its use as a hostel date back to 1342. Its façade has remained completely authentic, as have the wooden beams. The rooms have been made more fashionable and personalised with colourful chandeliers.
10 - Hotel Interlaken, year of opening 1323
Location: Interlaken, Switzerland
Originally a hospital, then a convent and finally a tavern, Hotel Interlaken was first reported as a guesthouse in 1323. Renovated in 1491, it was finally able to receive its own heraldic coat of arms, which can still be seen on the façade. Remains of the original walls can still be seen at the entrance, bar and restaurant.
9 - Pilgrim Haus, year of opening 1304
Photo by K.bierkaemper. Location: Soest, Germany
The Pilgrim Haus is supposed to have been opened in 1304, the official date, but you wouldn't know it from the Ikea-inspired décor or the promotional material, which barely refer to the historical period. Located along one of the main Christian pilgrimage routes(the Camino de Santiago), it was built to house pilgrims on their way to the shrine of James of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
8 - Grey Bear, year of opening 1300
Location: San Candido (BZ), Italy
When this hotel in the Dolomites was opened as Grauer Bär (Grey Bear) in 1300, it was in a scenic location in Austria. Today, however, it is in Italy: the province was annexed after the First World War but the name has remained the same, it has just been translated into Italian. It was built to provide accommodation for merchants, travellers and noblemen who gathered in the town of Ronzone, then a famous trading post that also housed a military hospital during the First World War.
7 - Sanct Peter, opening year 1246
Photo by Mabit1. Location: Cologne, Germany
It is reported that the history of the building dates back to the year 600, but it was not used as a hotel until 1246, when it became part of the court of the nearby Cathedral. Travellers and visitors often gathered here to drink the famous Sanct Peter wine, as this place was also a well-known vineyard in the Ahr region, famous for its red wines.
6 - The Old Bell Hotel and Restaurant, year of opening 1220
Location: Malmesbury, UK
Despite claiming to be the oldest hotel in the UK, we know that it is actually another Old Bell that is. That said, it was built in the 13th century and originally served as a guesthouse for visitors and dignitaries visiting Malmesbury Abbey. At that time, the abbey housed the second largest library in Europe and one of the most important seats of learning in the country. The hotel today has been slightly modernised but traces of the past remain, from the old stone fireplace to the old wooden beams and the eight stone sarcophagi in the basement.
5 - Angel & Royal, year of opening 1203
Photo by Richard Croft. Location: Grantham, UK
Originally the Angel Inn, located on the road from London to Edinburgh, served as a hostel for the Brotherhood of the Knights Templar. It has hosted a number of kings including John of England, Richard III, Edward III, Charles I and George IV, so the addition of the word'royal' to the hotel's name seems well deserved!
4 - The Olde Bell, 1135
Photo by Miranda Hodgson. Location: Hurley, UK
The Olde Bell opened its doors in 1135 as a guesthouse and coach house for those making the pilgrimage to a nearby Benedictine monastery. There is also a secret passageway, still in use, that played a key role in the Glorious Revolution (or Second English Revolution) of 1688, which overthrew the reign of King James II of England.
3 - Zum Roten Baeren, opening year 1120
Photo by joergens.mi. Location: Freiburg, Germany
The oldest hotel in Europe is actually older than the country where it is located, having been built well before Freiburg. Over the years, the hotel survived the Black Death epidemics, witch hunts, revolutions and peasant uprisings, the Thirty Years' War, the First and Second World Wars. It originally belonged to the French, then as many as 51 owners followed, as did intensive modernisation and renovation work. The hotel still bears the same name under which it first appeared in documents dating back to the year 1387 and the cellar still retains original artwork and architecture.
2 - Hoshi Ryokan, year of opening 718
Photo by Namazu-tron. Location: Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Legend has it that a deity commissioned a Buddhist priest to build this hotel over a hot spring with miraculous healing properties, which had yet to be discovered. The monk, apparently too busy to take on such an unenlightened business as the hospitality business, left the task to one of his disciples, Garyo Houshi, whose family has run the hotel ever since. The hotel is described as"the perfect example of Japanese hospitality in terms of accommodation, service and gastronomy" by a guest on the famous TripAdvisor website.
1 - Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, opening year 705
Location: Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
The Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan has been in operation since 705, making it the oldest continuously operating hotel in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Even more impressive, it is always the same family that has run this ryokan, built around a natural hot water spring, for its entire existence of no less than 1,300 years. The structure is indeed ancient, but everything is designed to satisfy the modern traveller by offering an excellent mix of ancient Japanese customs and elegant contemporary design.