The Five Best Extended-Stay Hotels

Longer-term lodgings that you may never want to leave.

Though they’ve traditionally been the domain of traveling business consultants and in-the-doghouse husbands, a new breed of longer-term lodgings has arrived—ones with rooms that are more like a luxe pied-à-terre than a motel. And this means you’ll actually feel comfortable getting cozy on the couch.

Aka Hotels
More like deluxe condos than Residence Inns, the eight locations of this swank chain are ideal for playing host. Penthouses are outfitted with wood-burning outdoor fireplaces, mid-century-inspired furniture, and wet bars. And to help you make the most of your locale, the concierge can arrange in-suite wine tastings or classes from star chefs. New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., White Plains, N.Y., and Arlington, Va., 866-AKA-9999, hotelaka.com; weekly rates from $190 per night

Palihouse Holloway
This West Hollywood hotel’s loftlike quarters will likely make your own apartment feel a bit underdesigned. With Chesterfield sofas, Saarinen tables, Bertoia chairs, and Noguchi lamps, the 36 spaces—ranging from 750 to a sprawling 1,900 square feet—are showy in a way your real home shouldn’t be. Soon, the spot’s growing army of loyalists will be torn between this site and a Hollywood spin-off, Palihouse Vine. 8465 Holloway Dr., West Hollywood, 323-656-4100, palihouse.com; weekly rates from $300 per night

Element
If you’re looking for someplace green to hang your (hemp) hat, the seven locations of Starwood’s new project have energy-efficient bulbs, water-saving bathroom appliances, and saline (i.e., unchlorinated) swimming pools. Plus, cooking a meal in-room doesn’t require scoping out a local Trader Joe’s, thanks to a lobby pantry stocked with wine, artisanal meats, and pasta—all organic, of course. Baltimore, Denver, Boston, Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, and Ewing, N.J., 877-353-6368, starwoodhotels.com/element; weekly rates from $112 per night

No. 5 Maddox Street
This serene 12-suite hotel, set in a townhouse in London’s Mayfair, delivers the requisite amenities (Frette linens, REN skin-care products) and design accents (mirrored fireplaces, limestone tiles) of a luxury hotel—without the trying “May I get the door, sir?” service. When you tire of Bond Street shopping (and of the exchange rate), settle into your terrace with your drink of choice—the staff will stock your fridge—and take in the rooftops of central London. Mayfair, 44 (0) 20 7647 0200, no5maddoxst.com; weekly rates from $346 per night