The Merchant Baku

For proof that the boutique-hotel revolution has conquered the world, you need look no further than this: a proper luxury boutique hotel in the Azerbaijani capital, the Merchant Baku makes its home in a stately 19th-century building that was once the headquarters of the Caspian Shipping Company, at the heart of the city’s historic district and just a couple of streets over from Baku Boulevard, the seaside promenade.

Guest rooms are genuinely spacious, with high ceilings, plentiful sunlight, and the full complement of modern hotel comforts, from rain showers and separate bathtubs to digital newspapers via Press Reader. Suites add balconies with city views, and in all categories the style is a handsome one, unmistakably Azerbaijani but thoroughly contemporary.

The Merchant’s restaurant makes much of the city’s Silk Road associations, and serves a modern local cuisine informed by disparate influences from both East and West, while the bar features a thoughtfully composed cocktail menu and an expert staff of bartenders; in summer, the bar’s terrace just might be the hotel’s most pleasant space. And while the immediate neighborhood, the UNESCO-listed Old Town, is rich with history, you’re never far from the ultra-modern side (and the ultra-modern skyline) of this thriving regional capital.