There’s something magical about walking into a hotel where you can almost hear the echoes of childhood laughter and the scratch of chalk on blackboards. Across the globe, creative hoteliers have transformed abandoned schools into some of the world’s most charming boutique accommodations. These architectural time capsules offer guests the chance to sleep where students once learned, often preserving original features such as high ceilings, large windows, and that unmistakable institutional character that feels both nostalgic and surprisingly luxurious.
From elementary schools to grand Victorian academies, these conversions prove that great bones make great hotels. Here is a list of 20 remarkable former schools that traded textbooks for thread counts.
Hotel Grinnell, Iowa
The front desk sits exactly where the principal’s office once was, and honestly, checking in feels a lot more pleasant than reporting to the head of school ever did. This Classical Revival building served as Grinnell’s junior high from 1921 until 1978, and now it’s a modern eco-conscious boutique hotel where former classrooms have become stylish guest rooms with original maple floors and soaring ceilings.
The old theater, complete with its restored coffered ceiling, now hosts events instead of school plays.
Washington School House, Park City, Utah
Built in 1889 as one of Park City’s three original schools, this limestone beauty now ranks among the area’s most exclusive stays. The 12 luxurious rooms feel like a masterclass in mountain chic, blending historic architecture with contemporary luxury that would make any interior design student jealous.
Guests love the heated year-round pool and the fact that they’re just steps from Main Street and the ski slopes.
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Kennedy School, Portland, Oregon
Since 1915, this red-brick building has been a neighborhood fixture, but now it’s way cooler than any school you attended. The former classrooms still have original chalkboards and cloakrooms, while the old auditorium screens second-run movies nightly.
The cafeteria became a restaurant, and perhaps most cleverly, the boiler room is now a multilevel bar where you can grab a pale ale from the on-site brewery.
The Conservatorium Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
This wasn’t just any school – it was a music conservatory, which explains why this hotel has such perfect acoustics and style. Located between Vondelpark and the Van Gogh Museum, the building’s 129 rooms now attract guests who come as much for the award-winning spa as for the accommodations.
The Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre offers yoga and Pilates classes that are the complete opposite of the dreaded gym class.
Whitley Hall, Yorkshire, England
Local legend claims Mary, Queen of Scots, once slept here in the 1580s when it was a private residence, but its school days came later in the 18th century as a boys’ boarding school. Now this Tudor manor offers 32 rooms with four-poster beds and none of the uncomfortable dormitory furniture you’d expect.
The rolling Yorkshire countryside provides a much more pleasant view than any classroom window ever could.
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School House Inn, Bisbee, Arizona
This historic elementary school building from the Wild West era now features guest rooms with academic themes that make learning a fun experience. The Art Room features oil paintings, the History Room displays a letter from Abraham Lincoln, and there’s even a two-bedroom Principal’s Office suite that’s far more comfortable than any detention ever was.
The rectangular brick building sits perfectly in this former copper mining town that’s about 90 miles southeast of Tucson.
Miss Clara, Stockholm, Sweden
Named after its first headmistress, Clara Stromberg, this Art Nouveau building was a girls’ boarding school before becoming one of Stockholm’s most refined boutique hotels. The airy rooms showcase Scandinavian design at its finest, with dark parquet floors and enormous windows that are perfect for daydreaming — except now there’s no threat of detention.
The original 1910 staircase in the lobby serves as a stunning reminder of the building’s educational past.
Wanderlust Hotel, Singapore
In Little India, this former school building embraces the weird and wonderful, with rooms that resemble a creative art student’s fever dream. Giant typewriters double as couches, there are lofted bunk beds for grown-ups, and one floor features rooms rendered in different Pantone colors.
It’s hard to imagine this playful space was once a traditional school, but that’s exactly what makes it so charming.
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Hotel Peter & Paul, New Orleans, Louisiana
This massive project transformed not just a school but an entire Catholic complex, including a church, rectory, and convent built between 1860 and 1900. Most of the 71 guest rooms are located in the former schoolhouse, where oral histories from locals who attended before it closed in 1993 add a personal touch to each stay.
The former church now serves as an event space with stunning stained-glass windows, while the rectory houses the Elysian Bar.
Lostvilla Qinyong Primary School Hotel, China
Built in the 1970s during a complete village reconstruction, this rural school’s 18 classrooms became 22 guest bedrooms in one of the most thoughtful conversions you’ll find. Wooden ‘wash boxes’ contain modern amenities while never touching the original ceilings, creating a sense that they could be removed to restore the school at any time.
Each room features a sunken stone garden carved from the original flooring, making guests feel as though they are archaeologists discovering the building’s history.
The Schoolhouse Hotel, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
When White Sulphur Springs High School first opened in 1912, supporters called it a project that ‘elevates the tone of a community,’ and that’s exactly what it’s doing again as the town’s first full-service boutique hotel. The 30 guest rooms each reference different school subjects, the Varsity Club restaurant occupies prime real estate, and there’s a rooftop bar with sweeping views.
Every space exceeds ADA standards, making this the world’s first fully accessible boutique hotel conversion.
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Schoolhouse Hotel, Dublin, Ireland
Built as St. Stephen’s Parochial School in 1861, this building witnessed some of Dublin’s most significant historical events, including the 1916 Rising. Now, the 31 rooms are named after influential Irish figures, and the beautiful arched wooden ceiling in the restaurant showcases the kind of craftsmanship that is no longer built.
The hotel sits quietly in Ballsbridge, just a 10-minute walk from Trinity College and Grafton Street.
Zoar School Inn, Ohio
This 1836 schoolhouse sits in one of America’s most unique villages, founded by German separatists who created a thriving commune for over 80 years. The building’s four guest suites retain original wood beam ceilings from when it was a working school, and breakfast menus are written on chalkboards as a playful nod to its educational past.
Zoar itself is like stepping back in time, making this conversion feel perfectly natural.
Santa Theresa’s Mission, Taos, New Mexico
This mid-19th-century schoolhouse retains its spare Southwestern charm, featuring exposed beams, adobe walls, and small windows that face the sacred Taos Pueblo land. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the restored building offers modern amenities while preserving the contemplative atmosphere that made it perfect for learning.
Guests can paint or write in the open-air courtyard or take a quick five-minute walk to downtown Taos.
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Canongate Venture, Edinburgh, Scotland
One of Edinburgh’s last remaining ‘School Board’ designs from the late Victorian era, this C-listed red sandstone building was designed in 1901 as an infant school. The conversion into 21 luxury apartments preserves the spectacular central galleried hall, with its glass atrium, which has remained unchanged for over a century.
Located next to the Royal Mile, it perfectly bridges Edinburgh’s educational heritage with modern luxury accommodation.
Penn School, Buckinghamshire, England
This Grade II-listed school, vacant since 2015, is undergoing a £90 million transformation into a 33-room luxury boutique hotel and spa. The conversion will include a gym, treatment rooms, a swimming pool, a fine dining restaurant, and a cookery school, proving that some schools do get better with age.
Construction is underway in 2025, and the project reflects the kind of grand educational architecture that makes the best hotel conversions.
Wennington Hall, Lancashire, England
This Grade II listed former school in the Lune Valley will operate under the James’ Places brand with 37 bedrooms and facilities for luxury retreats, spas, and exclusive weddings. The extensive collection of buildings that once served the school’s various functions provides endless possibilities for creative reuse.
The project will create up to 60 jobs and breathe new life into this impressive educational facility.
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Brenham Schoolhouse Hotel, Texas
Claiming to be among the first public schools in Texas, this 1880s building has lived many lives — first as a school where children studied German and the classics, then as a Dominican convent starting in 1909. The recent conversion preserved the building’s incredible bones while adding contemporary comfort, and every room tells part of the story through carefully curated antiques and school-themed decor.
The owners spent five years navigating the complex process of bringing this historical gem up to modern standards.
Hillside Schoolhouse, New York
Dating from 1893, this white clapboard one-room schoolhouse in the Catskills represents the quintessential American school experience. The downstairs communal area features leather couches, cowhide rugs, and slate chalkboards for guests to doodle on, while the upstairs rooms include one located directly under the original bell tower.
It’s just 90 minutes north of Manhattan, making it a perfect retreat for city dwellers seeking a taste of rural school nostalgia.
Schoolhouse Restaurant & Hotel, Wiltshire, England
Built in 1859 by the National Society and the St. John family as the Lydiard Tregoze village school, this Victorian building served local children until 1965. The conversion began as a restaurant in the 1980s before hotel accommodation was added in 1989, creating a charming countryside retreat between Swindon and Royal Wootton Bassett.
The peaceful hamlet setting surrounded by countryside makes it an ideal stop for travelers heading to Wales or exploring the historic attractions of the area.
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From Blackboards to Luxury Linens
These remarkable transformations prove that the best adaptive reuse projects honor the past while embracing the future. Many of these former schools maintain original features like high ceilings, large windows, and impressive staircases that were designed to inspire young minds – and now they inspire travelers instead.
The front desk was the principal’s office in 1921, and guestrooms are the building’s former classrooms, with original Maplewood floors and high ceilings, as seen at Hotel Grinnell, where the connection between past and present feels almost magical. Whether you’re seeking a luxury retreat or a quirky adventure, these educational conversions offer lessons in how to transform institutional architecture into something truly special.
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