From the sun-baked beaches of Sri Lanka to the Saigon watering hole adored by Graham Greene, the world’s greatest hotels had to have the world’s greatest luggage labels – and AbeBooks has now brought together the most beautiful examples
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Grand Hotel Paris, France
This famous hotel was opened in 1862 by Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. A Paris landmark loved by royalty and celebrities, it is one of Europe’s finest hotels and offers views of the Palais Garnier opera house. Over the years, it has hosted kings, queens and countless stars of stage and screen. All labels courtesy of AbeBooks
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Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s oldest hotel, built in 1928, today it boasts two helipads. The 1930s design of this label mixes old and new forms of transport.
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Continental Palace Hotel, Vietnam
Now called Hôtel Continental, this establishment is in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, next to the opera house. It was built in 1880, in French colonial style. It featured in The Quiet American, a novel by long-term guest Graham Greene.
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Milano Touring Hotel, Italy
The Milano Touring Hotel opened in 1926, next to the Italian city’s historic park and gardens, Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli.
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Hotel Pension Noordzee, Netherlands
This Netherlands hotel was destroyed during the second world war but reopened in 1953. This eye-catching label may have been inspired by the work of Japanese artist Hokusai.
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Savoy Hotel, London
A stately design from Britain’s first luxury hotel, built with profits from Gilbert and Sullivan operas. How many hotels have their own coat of arms?
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Grand Hotel Union, Slovenia
When it opened in 1905, this was the first modern hotel in Ljubljana. Inspired by Viennese architecture, its art nouveau design included a 100-metre facade and a complex iron roof.
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Galle Face Hotel, Sri Lanka
A legendary establishment in Colombo, this hotel, in a beautiful seaside location, opened in 1864, in what was then Ceylon. This label was issued in the 1940s.
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Hotel Suisse Montreux, Switzerland
This old-school luxury hotel was built in 1870 in front of the railway station in the heart of Montreux. This 1937 label hardly does justice to its amazing views of Lake Geneva and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
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Grand Hotel Peking, China
Now stiuated in Beijing, this hotel was once an imperial palace and borders the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Modern guests range from David Beckham to Tony Blair. This 1930s label focuses on the serenity of this ceremonial part of the city.
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Jasper Park Lodge, Canada
Located in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, Jasper Park Lodge is a 700-acre luxury resort – easily the most upmarket log cabin you could ever stay in. Visitors have ranged from Bing Crosby to Queen Elizabeth. This label dates from the 1930s.
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Hotel Bristol Wien, Austria
Vienna’s Hotel Bristol is still running: it opened in 1892. The Vienna State Opera is next door and the Hofburg Palace, residence of the Habsburg dynasty, is nearby.
