Hotel Puerta America

Sure, it’s a Metro ride away from the sights of central Madrid, the Royal Palace, the opera house, the museums; but for the sort of travelers who’ll stay here, the Hotel Puerta America is a sight unto itself. It’s practically a museum of modern architecture and design, from John Pawson’s lobby and Christian Liaigre’s restaurant up through floors by Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Marc Newson and Ron Arad, to name just a few.

And of course what makes the Hotel Puerta America better than any design museum is the fact that you get to live, at least temporarily, inside the exhibits. Zaha Hadid’s rooms, for example, are molded from black, white or orange plastic, and their flowing forms recall anything from ice caves to sci-fi film sets — anything, that is, except the traditional square hotel room.

The same goes for the higher floors; though some of the architects and designers are ever so slightly more traditional, all the work is completely fresh, and these rooms look like no hotel interiors you’ve ever seen. And while the demands of form require some adjustments in function there’s really very little for even the most pampered luxury traveler to miss — business facilities are plentiful, the top-floor “attic” contains a fitness center and a rooftop bar with an inspiring view, and the hotel’s ground-floor bar and restaurant are stunning and successful spaces.