Boscolo Carlo IV

The sign outside the Hotel Carlo IV, which reads Czech Mortgage Bank (a reference to the building’s 1890 financial roots), and its lobby with marble floors and gilded stuccowork are the first indications that Hapsburg-era opulence awaits inside this Neoclassical bank building in Prague’s city center. Half of the 152 guest rooms maintain this Baroque style (original carved-wood headboards, mahogany furniture, frescoed wall panels), as does the sprawling Roman-bath-style spa, while the suites in the contemporary wing feature clean lines and a muted sage-and-green palette. Public spaces are a sleek, steel-and-glass affair, with appealingly low lights by illumination guru Adam D. Tihany. But design aside, what ultimately turns first-time visitors into repeat guests is the Boscolo brand’s patented Italian service: from bellboys to concierges, the staff warmly attends to guests’ every request—often before they’ve made it.