RAILWAY fans can live out their dream by staying in a hotel that used to be a huge train station.
From ex-espionage routes to stunning Art Deco designs, here are five of the best around the world.
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Canfranc Estación, Spain
The former train station, found in the Aragonese Pyrenees in Spain was built in 1928 to manage the rail traffic between the French and Spanish boarder.
However, it was abandoned when a train derailed in 1970 and destroyed a nearby bridge.
The station has since been converted into a 5-star hotel, opening in 2023 after 53 years of closure.
The decor leans into its 1920s heritage, from the tile flooring to the ticket booth and clock.
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Outside you will find the 1928 French restaurant which is in a restored train with an art deco interior.
If you need to kick back, you can do so at the Wellness Centre where there’s an indoor spa, heated pool and tea station.
The station even played a key part in World War II including espionage and gold trafficking,
Now, one of the former rail tunnels is even used as a science lab.
Former guests have been left impressed with the hotel, with one saying it was like “something from a movie”.
The room rate starts from £170 per night.
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The Crawford, Colorado
In Denver, Colorado is The Crawford, built into a train station that first opened it’s doors in 1914.
After being used a train station for years, the demand for rail travel eventually fell and it consequently closed.
The building went through a major renovation and 100 years on, in 2014, it finally opened as a hotel, and went through a further upgrade last year.
Now, the hotel has 112 suites and lofts that are beautifully decorated, light and airy.
The hotel has kept the huge entrance that used to be the ticket hall for travellers, albeit with a much more glamorous makeover.
The hall is bright with a white domed ceiling and chandeliers which all add to its grandeur.
The waiting area has been turned into a hub filled with bars, a coffee shop, seafood and oyster bar and boutique.
Room rates start from $299 (£242.63).
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St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Missouri
The St. Louis Union Station Hotel in Missouri still looks very much like a working train station particularly with it’s clock tower.
The original station first opened in 1894 and saw as many as 100,000 passengers a day during its peak in the 1930s.
The station was converted into a hotel in the 1970s and underwent a refresh in 2007.
The green ticket hall still has it’s terrazzo floor, brickwork, and stained-glass windows.
For an extra special stay, you cab book to stay in the 230ft tall clock tower.
There’s a lot to see outside the hotel too; it is attached to the local aquarium and big wheel, and a few streets away are the museum and city centre.
Rooms prices begin at $101 (£81.99) per night.
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Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel Scranton, Pennsylvania
Originally built as the Lackawanna and Western Railroad Station, the Radisson hotel has kept many of its original features, from clocks to doors, stairs, ceilings, walls and the entrance hall fountain.
The station was built in 1908, closed in 1970 and seven years later it was listed on the US National Register of Historic places.
In 1983, it opened as a hotel with 146 rooms, some of which are dog-friendly, and an on-site cafe and restaurant.
Guests raved about the “beautiful historical spaces” and “jaw-dropping marble lobby”.
Room rates start from £88.
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Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown Union Station, Indianapolis
The original station in Indianapolis, where the Crowne Plaza hotel now stands, first opened in 1853 and was America’s very first Union Station.
What’s unique about this hotel is that trains still run to the new station around the back – so this might not be the hotel for you if you value a good night’s sleep.
But most didn’t mind the noise, saying the “rumblings brought the experience to life.”
For train enthusiasts, this hotel also offers guests the chance to stay in one of 26 converted train carriages, with two rooms in each.
Room rates start from $123 (£99.32).
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