The Dwell Hotel

While hoteliers in New York and Los Angeles strain mightily against sky-high real-estate prices, smaller regional cities like Chattanooga, Tennessee are flourishing like never before. This highly livable town has long been popular among outdoor types, and lately it’s been redeveloping its downtown district as well — and now, in the form of the Dwell Hotel, it’s got its first proper boutique hotel.

It’s a renovation of the century-old Stone Fort Inn, and its new owner, first-time hotelier Seija Ojanpera, has outfitted it with vintage furniture and modern artworks, and redecorated it in a bold and colorful mid-century modernist style. Every room is different, and each one’s style is fully realized. Some have balconies, and every one comes with a rain shower and a separate soaking tub, while the suites, in addition to spreading out a bit, add fireplaces.

The bar, Matilda Midnight, goes all in on the mid-century vibe, featuring craft cocktails and inventive small bites, a refreshing departure from the New South comfort food that’s all the rage (mostly outside of the South) at the moment. It’s nothing if not sociable — that famous Southern hospitality is no myth.