A brief lesson in interior design and hospitality!
Interior design in hotels is an interesting thing. Unlike most homes, they're redecorated every few years. That doesn't mean hotels are given a head-to-toe renovation, but it does mean their interiors are often pretty representative of design trends of the current time. And while hotel architecture isn't as easily changed, it's an intriguing indicator of the architectural period in which it was built—whether that's the Victorian or postmodern era. Curious to know what hotels looked like the year you were born? We've got the years 1960 through 1999 covered.
In 1960, motel rooms weren't all that different tthan today in terms of the necessities. This motel, the Alroy Motor Inn, has all the basics: two queen beds, a desk, a TV, a dresser, and an air-conditioning unit. But the chairs and bureau have a decidedly midcentury look, and the color palette screams 1960s. Beyond that, all that's really changed is the technology.
The elegant Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida once hosted fashion shows poolside for the social elite. Back in 1961, the exterior of the building was a darker brownish-red hue—now it's an eye-catching pink.
When the Americana Hotel opened in New York in 1962, it was the tallest hotel in the world. The luxury property, now the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, had rather demure decor.
Themed hotels were all the rage in the 1960s. Though Harrisburg is a landlocked Pennslyvanian city about 2,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean, its former Beachcomber Hotel had a Polynesian-themed restaurant.
Model Renata Boeck poses while having breakfast in bed at the Regency Hotel in New York, a luxury property with traditional decor—think porcelain lamps, gold trim, and floral upholstery. The hotel is now the Loews Regency.
The shore town of Wildwood, New Jersey became a motor-inn hotbed in the 1950s, with popularity growing in the 1960s. Most motels featured the Doo-Wop style of midcentury architecture; colorful, low-slung L- or U-shaped buildings with pools lined with fake palm trees. The Tahiti Motel, pictured here, was demolished in 2004, but many Doo-Wop motels are still open to guests.
Miami Beach, Florida is known for its historic Art Deco buildings—most of which are hotels. They were largely built in the 1930s and 1940s and many, including the Delano and Marseilles hotels shown here, are still open today.
The Hawaiian island of Maui may be lined with resorts today, but the commercialization of the beaches there began in the 1960s. Many of the properties still feature midcentury architecture. When this photo was taken, the hotel was a Hilton on Ka'anapali beach, but now it's the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas.
A bastion of New York's creatives, the Chelsea Hotel was the home (both short- and long-term) of many acclaimed artists, writers, musicians, and designers. As such, it featured quite eclectic interiors—long-term residents decorated their spaces individually.
Architect Minoru Yamasaki, perhaps best known for the original World Trade Center buildings in New York, designed the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, now the Fairmont Century Plaza. When it opened in 1966, it was the first hotel to have color televisions in each of its rooms—an impressively high-tech feature.
The band Mott the Hoople poses at the Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco, once the most modern, stylish hotel in the city. The midcentury-style architecture, however, never really stuck in San Francisco, garnering much criticism over the years. It was renamed the Cathedral Hill Hotel in 1982 and demolished in 2013.
Disney's Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is a symbol of modern architecture, with an A-frame silhouette through which runs the property's famous monorail. Fun fact: The hotel was the site of the infamous press conference in which President Nixon said, "I am not a crook."
This $1,400-per-night suite at the Holiday Inn in Gaithersburg, Maryland was reported to be the most expensive suite in the United States when the property opened in 1973. This round bed vibrated, and both round beds and vibrating beds were quite popular in the '60s and '70s.
Actress Farrah Fawcett wed Lee Majors at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. The hotel had 60 acres of gardens when it opened in 1922, but now it has just 12—still impressive given the high value of land in the city.
This was Elvis Presley's hotel room at the Philadelphia Hilton in 1974. Matching curtains and bedding were a popular '70s design statement that's making a comeback today.
Singer Smokey Robinson poses at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. The legendary hotel has always been an icon of luxury, and its decor reflects that—even in the 1970s.
Architect Morris Lapidus designed the Americana Hotel in New York, and he did the original furniture, too—reportedly in a subdued style. When this picture of President Jimmy Carter and his family was taken there in 1976, the hotel had likely changed out many of its furnishings. Such soft renovations typically occur in hotels every handful of years.
Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club in Thompson, New York was located in what was formerly known as the Borscht Belt—part of the Catskills region where Jewish New Yorkers went on vacation in the summer. Sprawling resorts, including Kutsher's, were popular from the '20s to the '60s, but by the '70s they were falling out of vogue.
The combination of gold, mirrors, and a bland beige-and-red palette at the Westin Hotel in Boston preempted '80s design. Large flower arrangements, however, are still a staple in hotel lobbies today.
While newer hotels across the U.S. took on more contemporary aesthetics regarding their decor, classics often retained their traditional style. This is the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, which was built in 1892 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
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