Abstract

Some hotels undergo a distinct process of “musealization” that links a “representative” hotel history with a wider regional and national context. Furthermore, this article explores how and to what effect select hotels integrate museums into their premises, thereby combining two semi-public spaces; one of which—the hotel—is by its very nature a place of transit. Examples include the Peace Hotel in Shanghai (China), the Savoy in London (England), and the Krone in Assmannshausen (Germany). It will be argued that hotel-based museums can enhance understanding of a particular history in which the setting itself adds meaning to displays. At the same time, hotels with museums become more firmly embedded in regional or urban cultural maps.