STAYS & WAYS

FAIRMONT CHÂTEAU LAURIER, OTTAWA The Château Laurier has been Ottawa’s most splendid hotel since Sir Wilfrid himself declared it open in 1912, a place where royalty, politicians and the rich and famous have long mixed. Built at the city’s former rail junction a stone’s throw from Parliament Hill, the château’s castle-esque shape recalls a grand bygone era, but recent renovations have added a stylish modern sparkle to its rooms and luxury suites — and to Zoe’s Lounge, where cocktails or afternoon tea complete any capital experience. fairmont.com/laurier-ottawa

TOKYO STATION HOTEL, JAPAN Look out on the Imperial Palace and down the ginkgo tree-lined avenues of Tokyo’s Marunouchi district from your two-floor guestroom in the Tokyo Station Hotel ( below). Restoration of the enormous 1915-built redbrick railway building, which lost much of its top during Second World War bombings, was completed a few years ago, and the result combines an “Important Culture Property of Japan” designation with historic common spaces, chic high-vaulted rooms and, should you want to extend your rail-exploration of Japan, a direct connection to the JR Tokyo Station Marunouchi. thetokyostationhotel.jp

THE CALEDONIAN, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND When Edinburgh’s old Princes Street Railway Station was demolished in 1970, the red sandstone Caledonian (the Waldorf-astoria Hotel Edinburgh) was left standing at the street’s end. And like so many great railway hotels, she’s a grand old dame — especially since spare-no-expense renovations were completed in 2012. The station’s concourse and ticket offices were transformed into the luxurious Peacock Alley restaurant, and many of the guest rooms ( above) offer views of Edinburgh Castle, which like the Royal Mile is but a short walk away. waldorfastoria3.hilton.com