The New Urban Inn by Ken Scrudato

Nearly no one wants to think that share their parents’ taste ('tis pity, those who do). It's a perpetually youthful impulse to want to create a comfortable distance between the cultural and ideological desires of one’s self, and of those who first gave you life. And to get nervous when your mom says, "Hey, I really like that CD you left in my car." L’horreur!

When it comes to lodgings, we imagine our parents bunking down in stuffy old luxury hotels and quaint, rustic B&Bs run by people who talk a lot about the good ol' days. Appropriately, this generation has presided over a forceful reaction to such lifeless lodging options, resulting in twenty years of blindingly brilliant innovation in hotel design, as well as a new paradigm of the hotel as social scene.

But with every revolution comes the messy aftermath, no? Now there are far too many so-called hipster hotels, and their lobbies and bars are crawling with tacky socialites, fashion assistants and hip-hop stars; and upstairs, awaits your $350-a-night pillbox, with standard issue Starck furniture. Time for another revolution.

Four new openings--Townhouse 31 and The Gray in Milan, Hotel Greulich in Zurich, Didsbury House in Manchester--point to such a revolution, the rise of the hip bed-and-breakfast, or the “urban inn.” Most have 30 rooms or less, are a uniquely stylish blend of the classic and the modern, have an air of romantic elegance, and, best of all, are free of irritating scenesterism. In fact, add these four to an already formidable list, and at least in Europe, the trend is in full swing.

But please, please don't tell the bloody Hilton sisters.