By Charles Kulander
The greatest hotels–those places that summon up the culture, history, and character of a destinationare the modern equivalent of a muse, inspiring writers and guests alike to look at the world from a new perspective. Whether you’re writing a postcard or the Great American Novel, here are eight hotels with a proven track record when it comes to jump-starting the imagination.
Strater Hotel: Durango, Colorado
Louis L’Amour wrote many of his Sackett novels in Room 222 ($219-$279), inspired by the honky-tonk noise of the Diamond Belle saloon rising up through the floorboards (a “noise issue” since remedied with soundproofing.) The saloon still has plenty of the same rollicking Wild West energy, not to mention a redemptive Sunday Gospel Brunch.
Mabel Dodge Luhan House: Taos, New Mexico
This adobe pueblo-styled retreatonce home to the Gertrude Stein of New Mexicohas hosted plenty of literati: Willa Cather, Robinson Jeffers, Aldous Huxley, and most notably, D.H. Lawrence,