"In a city of phone-battery-leeching architecture, you could easily walk past Motel One’s boxy modern façade without noticing it. Inside, however, is a riotous party with geometric textiles, high-as-a-human plants, and imaginative chandeliers—plus a huge bar that could get you swinging from them. Each of Motel One’s 71 European hotels adheres to the same philosophy: that a budget price point shouldn’t mean dreary, bland, shoebox-sized spaces in lieu of interesting design. While every bedroom has the same dimensions (so if you’ve stayed in one Motel One, you’ll know exactly what you’ll get in another). A completely average and nondescript hotel in Barcelona can easily set you back 200 euros a night in peak season. Motel One not only undercuts this, it does so with design panache—and a damn good bar." - Gemma Askham, Isabelle Kliger
