As travelers—and human beings—color serves as a powerful bridge between culture, community, and art, creating a dynamic tapestry that can enrich our travel experiences. The way we think, experience, and remember a place can be shaped by the colors around us and the feelings they evoke. Conventionally, luxurious hotels might have their time and place, but there is something to be said about a unique, otherworldly property. Picture this: you wake up to walls in the same vivid shades of a Moroccan souk, or fall into your hotel bed, cushioned by a room modeled after a waterfall in a national park.
When traveling to new destinations around the world, there are specific shades that reflect the spirit of each city. Traveling through the lens of color is to travel intentionally—and means sightseeing doesn’t have to end where you rest your head. When it comes to hotel design for these properties, color is more than just mere decoration. Here are 6 of the most colorful hotels in the world—blending luxury with cultural authenticity through color.
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Madonna InnMadonna InnAt the Madonna Inn, color is luxury; color is abundance; color is everything. Located in San Luis Obispo, the property is a common and kitschy stop on California road trips. The rooms here are uniquely decorated to suit traveler tastes across the board—some are even inspired by the property’s surrounding American West nature. In the Bridal Falls room, named after the Yosemite National Park waterfall, all of the walls, even the ceiling—along with the carpeting and marble rock surrounding the bed—are bright green. Their iconic Madonna Suite is the signature room, bedecked in shades of pink and rose and complemented by gold furnishing. The pink and red velvet seats around the dining table feature a gold script “M” marked on them—a nod to Phyllis Madonna, the co-owner and interior designer of the room. Outside of the rooms, stained glass windows pour a rainbow sleuth of colors into the Silver Bar Cocktail Lounge where the vivid pink, blue, and green floral carpet is kissed with the California sunshine.BOOK NOW AT EXPEDIABOOK NOW AT BOOKING.COM
Arte Luise ArthotelHOTELArte Luise Arthotel$Berlin’s art scene is ever-evolving—made even more evident when staying at the Arte Luise Art Hotel. Guests are met with swarms of color, from the lobby entrance’s sculptures and art installations to the suites, which are individually designed by over 50 artists. Each room is a canvas itself, arousing the curiosity of creative-minded travelers. One room, “The Woman in Red,” was designed by local artist, Elvira Bach, and is decked out in black and white stripes to accentuate the large painting of three life-sized female figures. Another, “Heartbeat,” was created by famous Berlin Wall graffiti artist Kiddy Citny. It has red finishing touches and a large painting of two figures in the shape of conjoined yellow hearts. Redesigned by artists every two to five years, the property keeps up with the forward-looking art world in Berlin.BOOK NOW AT EXPEDIABOOK NOW AT BOOKING.COM
Casa PalopóHOTELCasa Palopó$ | 
READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021Vibrant colors are an innate part of Guatemala’s culture, art, fashion, and design due to the influence of both Spanish and Indigenous peoples, as well as of descendants of Africa and the Caribbean. At Casa Palopo, each suite is uniquely decorated with contemporary and indigenous Guatemalan artwork. The walls are painted with colors that echo the hues of the surrounding landscape. For example, cadet blue accents cover the walls in the property’s San Andres deluxe suite, where a large sliding door opens to Lake Atitlán and its three surrounding volcanoes. Deep, dark red and orange walls are painted in the San Marcos suite (which is recommended for couples) and has a balcony that overlooks the sunset.BOOK NOW AT EXPEDIABOOK NOW AT BOOKING.COM
Igor DembaHOTELEl Fenn$$ | GOLD LIST 2021, 2024 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022To truly experience Marrakech, one must deep dive into the city’s artisanal heritage. Nicknamed the “Red City” for its walls that glow in the afternoon sun, the interior and exterior design at El Fenn shows off the saturated and pastel colors of the city. With wide open spaces and heaps of natural light, the salmon pink, dusty green, and deeper yellow tones of Marrakech are intense, yet balanced. No two rooms here are the same, but they are similar in their mid-century European-meets-traditional design. The property offers small, medium, large, and “cozy” rooms—some are peach and light orange, others are green and yellow, and even more are hot pink and teal. There’s always somewhere to look here, and the Moroccan design details include hand-carved plasterwork and cedar wood ceilings.BOOK NOW AT SKYLARKBOOK NOW AT AGODA
READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021Vibrant colors are an innate part of 
GOLD LIST 2021, 2024 
- Marco Bottigelli/GettyHOTELGalleria Vik Milano READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2022Located in the heart of Milan inside the historic, iconic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Galleria Vik Milano acts as both a hotel and a private museum. The South American art-loving import, Vik Retreats, claimed the former TownHouse Galleria and transformed it into this creative and forward-looking space. The hallways have been transformed into art galleries, and each suite is created as a site-specific art installation by Italian, Uruguayan, and international artists. The walls in each guest room are finished in the Italian design technique, “stucco Veneziano,” with twenty different color variations that compliment its decor—reflecting Milan’s rich artistic heritage. Even VIK Pellico Otto, their inspirational art gallery restaurant which overlooks the famous bull in the Galleria, is adorned with colorful marble tables and showcases work from many of the artists represented throughout the suites. From the Grand Terrace rooms to their Courtyard Suites, you’ll find pops of blue, red, and green, as well as a range of themes from surrealism to abstract. The space is an ode to Milan’s core charms: art, fashion, and style.BOOK NOW AT EXPEDIABOOK NOW AT BOOKING.COM
HOTELByblos Art Hotel Villa Amistà$$Just a few miles outside of Verona, the Byblos Art Hotel is a 16th-century villa in the alluring wine district of Valpolicella. Architect Michele Sanmichelo transformed the property from ruins of a Roman “casa forte” to a Venetian villa—and with the help of famous architect and designer Alessandro Mendini, the space was also converted into a captivating museum of contemporary art. Home to various works of world-famous artists including Marina Abramovic, Sandro Chia, and Sol Lewitt, the space is a magnet for colors to work and play together. The hallway, for example, is a stimulating art installation in and of itself created by artist Mariangela Levita. Here, bright splashes of pink, yellow, orange, and blue all bounce off each other playfully. Each suite is also filled with vibrant colors of various shades. Combined with plastic shapes and marble elements from the 17th century, the suites have a vivid and transformative style that is incomparable.
