Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Mon April 20, 2026
WHY IT RATES: Several historic buildings in Israel have been transformed into luxury hotels, preserving their rich history while offering modern hospitality. These include the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem, Pereh in the Golan Heights, a boutique hotel in Tel Aviv’s Beit Brenner, and The Setai near Jaffa’s Clock Tower. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing Editor
There are places where history is not just a story told to visitors, but an integral part of the hospitality experience itself. Several of the country's most intriguing buildings—constructed in different eras and witnesses to significant moments in the land's history—have been given new life as luxury hotels. These are not simply five-star properties, but places where every corridor is a chapter in an ongoing story, and every window looks toward both the past and the future.
Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
The hotel stands on the foundations of the historic Palace Hotel, widely considered the first luxury hotel in the Middle East, built in the heart of Jerusalem. After its closure in 1935, the building served the British administration during the Mandate period in the Land of Israel until 1948. Notably, it also housed the Peel Commission, the British Royal Commission of Inquiry established in response to the events of 1936. In 2014, the structure reopened as the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem, bringing this historic landmark back to life.
Pereh Hotel
Part of this hotel complex is situated within preserved historic buildings dating back to 1919. Built during the French Mandate, the site originally served as a customs house on the international border established in 1923 between the British and French Mandates. This line remained the border between Israel and Syria until 1967. Given its strategic location in the Golan Heights, the site was a pivotal crossing point throughout many historical events. Today, the hotel includes a museum housed in an ancient Syrian basalt building—formerly the customs house kitchen—where artifacts and photographs tell the site’s story. Pereh opened in 2021 as a luxury boutique hotel set against the Golan's lush, green landscape.
Hotel 1935
In the heart of Tel Aviv stands Beit Brenner, a building that once served as the headquarters for the Tel Aviv Workers' Council. The cornerstone was laid on May 1, 1934 (International Workers' Day), funded by donations from local workers who contributed between one and three days' worth of wages to its construction. Inaugurated in 1935, it served as a central employment bureau and a hub for labor unions. Every May Day, thousands gathered in its courtyards to raise the national and labor flags, and over the years, it also functioned as an active cultural center.
Today, it operates as a boutique hotel, seamlessly connecting labor heritage with the modern pulse of Tel Aviv.
The Setai Tel Aviv
Located near Jaffa’s iconic Clock Tower, The Setai is housed in a historic building that served as a police station and detention center during the late Ottoman period. Built in the late 19th century along the city’s original fortifications, remnants of Jaffa’s walls are still visible within the hotel today. The building continued to serve as a police compound through the British Mandate and after the establishment of the State of Israel until 2005. Most notably, it was the site where Adolf Eichmann was held during his trial after being captured and brought to Israel. In 2018, the compound was transformed from a police station into a premier luxury destination.
SOURCE: Israel Ministry of Tourism press release
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