This Summer’s Hottest Souvenir? Your Hotel’s Decor

If you’re traveling this summer and like the look of the decor in your hotel, it just might be shoppable. Gone are the days when souvenirs were the stuff of the lobby gift store. Now, thanks to a new crop of design-conscious hoteliers, you have the option to bring back more than a postcard or a magnet, if you wish. We’ve rounded up five hotels that let you recreate your room at home, along with tips from their curators. Bonus: you can shop them all online if you’d rather armchair travel instead.

1. Sea Containers, London

I just got back from London, where I stayed at The Sea Containers Hotel on the Southbank of the River Thames. They had just unveiled four new one-bedroom suites where the rooms were each decorated around a specific era and furnished entirely through Vinterior (Europe’s answer to online consignment shops like 1stDibs and Chairish).

The hotel, designed by Jacu Strauss, creative director of the Lore Group, pays homage to transatlantic cruise liners, so each of these suites is modeled after a ship’s cabin. There’s the Edwardian Cabin (where rumor has it, Alan Cumming recently stayed), the Art Deco Cabin, the Midcentury Cabin (pictured), and the Dynasty Cabin Suite (think 1980s glam).

Although I didn’t stay in one of these rooms, I was able to sneak a peek, and they were completely immersive environments, right down to the vintage glassware. While you might not bring a coffee table home from London, a classic piece of hotel silver would be quite the keepsake! You can shop the look of each suite at Vinterior and do as Strauss does: zoom in on photos to spot genuine wear.

2. The Six Bells Countryside Inn, Rosendale, NY

Country inns don’t get dreamier than The Six Bells in Upstate New York. A blend of English and American cottage style, you’ll find chocolate box rooms clad in timber, Tyrolean-style boxed beds, hand-painted floral motifs, archival wallpaper, artisan-made quilts, and ruffles galore. Staying here feels like stepping back in time—a rest and reset.

It’s the same foundation that runs through their hyper-curated boutique, on-site at the hotel, plus the original Brooklyn outpost. Perusing the shop (online or IRL) is like navigating an antique market where someone has cherry-picked all the good stuff for you—because founder Audrey Gelman has. Offering her finds for sale makes this boutique a literal one-stop shop for immersing yourself in the hotel's nostalgic look at home.

3. Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, MI

Fans of Dorothy Draper & Co will be smitten with Grand Hotel on Michigan’s sun-kissed (and car-free) Mackinac Island, where the legendary designer first introduced her vibrant, modern baroque style to guests in 1887. Now, as America’s oldest continually operating interior design firm celebrates its centennial, they are overseeing a series of restorations to the property, including the recently completed Baroque Bar, Parlor (pictured), and Main Dining Room. 

Even better—guests can shop the look at the on-site (and online) Dorothy Draper Home store. Swathed in green and white lattice print wallpaper—for sale!—you’ll find a range of fabrics and cushions (stripes, plaids, florals), table lamps, faux florals, and more that capture the signature look of the hotel.

See something you like, but feeling indecisive? Draper’s Design Directory Rudy Saunders says to take photos of everything on vacation—not just of the scenery but of anything that catches your eye. You never know when you’ll come back to it.

4. The Warren Street Hotel, New York City

Designer Kit Kemp, creative director of the Firmdale Hotel Group, has garnered a cult following for her signature style of cozy, colorful interiors. There are eleven hotels in Firmdale’s global network, with New York’s Warren Street Hotel being the newest, and each one feels like a cheerful home away from home—should we be so lucky!

You can re-create the look through Kemp’s retail site, where just about everything is available for purchase. You’ll find smalls, like throw pillows and artwork, all the way up to major decorative elements—think wallpaper, armchairs, and the largest headboards you ever did see (which grace every hotel room). 

There’s also a “shop the room” feature if you want a truly curated look, along with a blog filled with design tips. The case goods are not sold on Kemp’s website but are from Chelsea Textiles. Sign up for their mailing list to get alerted to their biannual sale.

5. Guesthouse by Good Neighbor, Baltimore, MD

Modern minimalists rejoice at the simple yet warm interiors of this urban retreat. Founded by Shawn Chopra and his wife Anne Morgan, the hotel nods to the earthy, brutalist work of architects Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in Chandigarh, India, where Chopra’s parents met. The hotel is a spinoff of Good Neighbor, the couple’s retail store, and each room features a global array of shoppable products that are intended to evoke the feeling of staying in a loved one's home.

Furnishings include bookshelves by Swedish brand Hem, lighting by Audo Copenhagen, Japanese ceramics by Hasami, plus original artwork by artists from Baltimore and India, which can be purchased in person or online. There are also houseplants throughout the hotel that have been curated by Green Neighbor by Good Neighbor—the brand’s plant-focused concept shop.