Autograph Collection Hotels are Designed for the Destination

Products of passion, Autograph Collection Hotels have curated a distinct collection of boutique hotels that surprise and intrigue, telling rich stories through carefully curated details and cutting-edge modern design and amenities.

Here are some of the newest Autograph Collection Hotels, each one of which marries thoughtful design with a strong sense of place—making for a stay that is exactly like nothing else. 

Hotel Distil, Autograph Collection: Louisville, Kentucky

Bourbon’s all the buzz at the Hotel Distil, located on Louisville’s iconic Whiskey Row, the one-block stretch downtown that was once home to the area’s famed bourbon industry. And the hotel’s in the original location and barrel house for J.T.S. Brown and Sons, a name still prominentialy displayed above one of the entrances. Step through the original 1860s-era façade and be transported, thanks to the hotel’s subtle homage to bourbon culture, displayed through design cues like wood tones, black metal accents, and copper fixtues. 

The idea is simple: to provide its guests with a stylish and luxurious stay, curated with the rich culture of Kentucky bourbon. One example is the on-staff “Bourbon Ambassadors,” who can craft a drink from your in-room private bourbon cart. Choose one of the 10 premium bourbons neat, or ask them to work their magic on one of the four signature Old Fashioned cocktails—made even better by the hotel’s private single-barrel bourbons. The bourbon-centric restaurant, Repeal, features an oak-fired grill stoked throughout the day with used barrel staves from nearby distilleries. Order selectively sourced American Wagyu steaks and sample the 100+ curated bourbons, and look up through the large skylight to experience the historic façade. There’s also a rooftop bar called Bitters End, where you’ll find a custom, housemade bitters program and craft cocktails made with, well, you know.

Glass Light Hotel & Gallery, Autograph Collection: Norfolk, Virginia

On a quiet corner in the heart of Norfolk’s historic district, the boutique Glass Light Hotel & Gallery, in the newly renovated 1913 Royster building, lives up to its name. The hotel’s reception desk is made of a cool, green glass; the nearby rabbit sculpture is also made of glass by a world renowned artist. There’s an atrium to sit and admire the carefully curated hand-picked collection of glass art all around you, and you’ll find works by famous glass artists.

There’s more than just glass art, of course. Rooms, designed to be reminiscent of an artists’ studio, come packed with premium amenities. Glass Light, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, serves French inspired, local cuisine. And the mixologists at the lobby bar craft beautiful and inspired cocktails. Raise a glass.

The Draftsman, Autograph Collection: Charlottesville, Virginia

With its casual chic decorative style and welcoming ambience, The Draftsman has managed to curate hard-to-capture Southern charm and hospitality and combine it with cutting-edge sophistication—all while showcasing a sense of place. You’ll find pencil drawings of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello hanging next to modern, local art.

You will delight in mountain views from around the hotel, including from some of the rooms, where mini bars come stocked with locally made wine and artisanal chocolate. You’ll also want to check out the seasonal menu at hotel’s restaurant, Renewal, where farm-to-table is the name of the game. The Draftsman gets “Southern” right—from its impeccable manners to its casual elegance. It’s all in the details, right down to the blue-and-white seersucker robes in the rooms.

The Sinclair, Autograph Collection: Fort Worth, Texas

When the Sinclair building was commissioned in 1930 to house the Sinclair Oil headquarters in downtown Fort Worth, the Texas oil boom was at its height. The 15-story structure—one of the finest examples of Art Deco “Zigzag Moderne” style— radiated hope and confidence.

Today, The Sinclair does so once again. The landmark building has been restored to its original splendor, with 164 guest rooms that feature custom-made, Italian furniture, as well as millwork in the public spaces, handcrafted and installed by Italian craftsmen from Venice. Also eye-catching is the hotel’s high-tech wizardry, which was embedded to massively reduce the building’s energy consumption. All of the lights, for example, use energy-saving POE (or “Power Over Ethernet”) technology. And instead of generators, The Sinclair is the first hotel to run on a lithium-ion battery pack as a backup power source, which can power the building for up to three hours. The result is a geeky coolness: In the rooms, savvy electric touchscreen mirrors allow you to call for your car or order room service, while in-room network presence-sensing technology automates things like the lighting and shades to make them “uniquely you.”