BBrightvistafield book

Field book · edition of November 2026

Notes from 13 hotels that do something different.

Brightvista is a reading guide to real hotels in four chapters. For each one we note what the place is, how the stay works, where it sits, who it suits and when to go — like pages in a traveller’s field book.

Read the notes

Recent notes

A selection from all four chapters.

Art Hotels

Hotel Anteroom Kyoto

Kyoto, Japan

A former student dormitory turned art hotel, with a ground-floor gallery and rooms decorated by Japanese contemporary artists.

When: All year; book early for spring and autumn.

Art Hotels

21c Museum Hotel Durham

Durham, United States

Inside the 1937 Art Deco Hill Building, once a bank tower, 21c Durham pairs rooms with free contemporary art galleries.

When: Spring and autumn.

Art Hotels

Charlotte Street Hotel

London, United Kingdom

A Firmdale hotel in Fitzrovia whose interiors by Kit Kemp take their cue from the Bloomsbury Group of artists.

When: All year.

Capsule Hotels

CityHub Reykjavík

Reykjavík, Iceland

CityHub's Reykjavík branch brings the brand's compact 'hubs' with large beds and app-controlled lighting to the city centre.

When: All year; winter for the aurora, summer for long days.

Capsule Hotels

izZzleep Mexico City Airport

Mexico City, Mexico

A capsule hotel inside Terminal 1 of Mexico City International Airport, with private sleeping cubicles and showers.

When: Any long layover.

Capsule Hotels

YOTELAIR Paris Charles de Gaulle

Paris, France

YOTELAIR at Charles de Gaulle offers compact cabins with adjustable beds and rain showers inside the airport.

When: Any long layover.

Casino Hotels

Montreal Casino & Hotel

Montreal, Canada

Two Expo 67 pavilions on Île Notre-Dame were joined to make this building, one of the most unusual casino venues in North America.

When: All year.

Casino Hotels

Fallsview Casino Resort

Niagara Falls, Canada

The Fallsview tower has stood on the ridge above the Horseshoe Falls since 2004.

When: All year.

Ice Hotels

Northern Lights Village Levi

Levi, Finland

Glass-roofed aurora cabins grouped in a village close to the Levi ski resort.

When: Late August to April.

Ice Hotels

Wilderness Hotel Juutua

Inari, Finland

On the banks of the Juutua river in Inari, the hotel adds aurora cabins with glass roofs to its main building.

When: September to April.

Ice Hotels

Buubble Hotel

Southern Iceland

Also called the '5 million star hotel', Buubble is a set of transparent bubble rooms placed in a forest in the south of Iceland.

When: Autumn and winter for the aurora; summer for light nights.

The four chapters, honestly

What each kind of stay does well, and what to keep in mind.

Art Hotels

Galleries you can sleep in: a converted dormitory, an Art Deco bank and a Bloomsbury-styled townhouse.

+ Art you can live with for a night

- Rooms can be pricier in central buildings

Capsule Hotels

Hubs, airport capsules and cabins for one, from Reykjavík to Mexico City and Paris.

+ Private, clean and well located

- Shared bathrooms; little room for luggage

Casino Hotels

Four Canadian resorts on islands, rivers, falls and lakes, with the casino as one part.

+ Big hotels with shows, spas and dining

- Busy at weekends; large buildings

Ice Hotels

Aurora villages, riverside cabins and bubble rooms in Lapland and Iceland.

+ Aurora and snow from your bed

- Remote; weather decides the view

By country

9 countries in this edition.

Before you book

A short checklist.

  1. Read the hotel’s own site for current rooms and seasons.
  2. For ice hotels, plan at least two nights to give the aurora a chance.
  3. For capsules, check luggage rules and whether floors are mixed or separate.
  4. For casino resorts, look at the show calendar for your dates.
  5. For art hotels, ask whether a particular room or artist can be requested.