From http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/t-magazine/travel/boutique-hotels-new-orleans-nashville-richmond.html?_r=2

In the South, a New Crop of Boutique Hotels

By KATE DONNELLY  APRIL 26, 2016

Five one-of-a-kind boutique destinations that favor authentic, highly localized design.

Hotel Saint George

Accommodations in the arty, high desert town of Marfa, Tex. include motels, vintage trailers and teepeed campgrounds — and now, the design-savvy Hotel Saint George. Looking onto remote, dusty cowboy country, its 55 minimalist, gray-washed rooms are outfitted with soft Australian sheepskin rugs and regional art by the Texas-based artist Mark Flood. And in the lobby is the new outpost of the Marfa Book Company, which functions as a bookstore, gift shop and performance space.

Urban Cowboy

With its new East Nashville, Tenn. address, the second Urban Cowboy bed-and-breakfast is a Western update of the Brooklyn original. The renovated Victorian house has been outfitted with distressed leather, turquoise and taxidermy. And the eight suites showcase signature hipster design elements: hand-printed geometric wallpaper, Pendleton throws and signature claw-foot tubs. An on-call masseuse offers body and energy work, and in a few weeks, a rustic-luxe backyard cabin will open.

Quirk Hotel

In what was once a department store in downtown Richmond, Va.’s arts district, the Quirk Hotel retains much of the site’s original glory: grand limestone arches and vaulted ceilings. The 74 rooms, painted pink and hung with original artwork, feature beds made from reclaimed Virginia wood. There’s an on-site gallery and artist-in-residence program — and this month, local brews will be served atop the new rooftop lounge.

Henry Howard Hotel

Located in New Orleans’s leafy Garden District, and named after its iconic Crescent City architect, this 1860s Greek Revival mansion was originally built for the two daughters of a steamship owner. Now, its 18 rooms are filled with locally made iron beds and custom toile wallpaper featuring French Quarter icons and motifs, like Louis Armstrong — and alligators in Mardi Gras beads. Cocktails like the zingy Lemon-H (with homemade lemonade and bourbon) are served in the bright, airy parlor and outside — where rattan rocking chairs line the front porch.

Hotel Covington

This July in Covington, Ky., 114 plush guest rooms will open in a once-fashionable department store. In lieu of armoires, vintage free-standing clothing racks pay homage to the location’s past. The gastro pub, Coppin’s, will source local and regional ingredients and feature Southern classics including fried chicken, country ham and black-eyed peas. And this summer the spacious patio will host pop-up bars, movie nights and Sunday suppers.