Better think twice before booking that generic hotel on your summer vacation. Like your electronics, hotels are making leaps and bounds in the realms of innovation and modern aesthetics. The great thing about many of these places is their creativity, proving a great place to sleep at night is not completely derived from the cost, yuppie reputation or linens (well maybe the linens).

16. Jules Undersea Lodge

An obvious homage to the author of Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, the Jules Undersea Lodge is exactly what the name implies, a hotel 21 feet under the water. Don’t know how to dive? Hope you can hold your breath for a while. This habitat originally served as a full time research lab and to this day it still functions as one part time. It’s location in Key Largo, Florida allows visitors to observe a lagoon that is home to various fish like the barracuda, parrotfish and other snappers.

http://www.jul.com/

15. Holiday Inn Key Card Hotel

Give 200,000 key cards to the world record holder for card stacking and the result is this unique hotel made purely from plastic. Holiday Inn hired stacking guru Bryan Berg because they wanted to celebrate the re launch of 1200 locations around the world. It opened in Manhattan for five days in September 2009 while Berg entertained audiences by building objects like a 9ft replica of the Empire State Building in the lobby and displaying his knack for detail with a near flawless key card toilet in the back.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1214284/House-cards-Too-easy-Heres-hotel-key-cards-200-000-fact.html

14. Utter Inn

It looks like a floating outhouse but it is actually hiding an underwater aquarium you sleep in. Swedish artist, Mikael Genberg, sculpted the Inn in effort to promote art for the public’s viewing. There is only one room 2 meters below the exterior with two twin beds and a table. Guests are given instructions and are left to their own solitude for the entire stay. You can swim, watch fish and if you have the money, order catered dinners that are delivered by boat.

http://www.privateislandsonline.com/utter-inn.htm

13. Magic Mountain Hotel

Travel to Chile and you need to stay at the magic Mountain Hotel within the Hulio Hulio reserve. During your stay there are abundant activities to keep you occupied such as taking a hike through a snake filled forest and relaxing in a trunk hot tub (that is an actual tree trunk hollowed out to act as a spa tub).

http://www.allsouthernchile.com/southamerica/huilo-huilo-southern-chile/magic-mountain-hotel-southern-chile.html

12. The Hobbit Motel

You can find the Hobbit Motel at the Woodlyn Park in Waitomo, New Zealand, where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed. Each hobbit hole is able to accommodate 6 people comfortable with a full line of furniture and bunk beds. What’s better is the affordable price of $185/night per couple, meaning all Tolkien fans can stop by if they are in the New Zealand neighborhood.

http://www.woodlynpark.co.nz/

11. Iglu-Dorf Zugspitze

Adrian Gunter built his first igloo in 1996 and throughout the years continued to develop small “igloo villages” throughout Andorra, Switzerland and Germany. Iglu-Dorf Zugspitze is right in the middle of Germany’s famous ski resort of the same name. If for some reason you are bored with the chilly architecture of the rooms, step outside and have your breath taken away by one of the best mountain top views in the country.

http://www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com/Iglu-DorfZugspitze

10. Das Park Hotel

Equally innovative as it is plain weird, the Das Park Hotel is made from old drain pipes relocated to a public park in Austria. So you are basically living where old sewage resided, but at least it won’t charge you an arm and leg because customers are only asked to pay what want to support the project. Each room is supplied with a double bed, storage and enough power to keep any traveler busy.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/look/unusual-hotels-das-park-hotel-in-austriatelegraphcouk-075909

9. Dog Bark Inn

We are pretty sure the owners have a soft spot for beagles. This odd little bed and breakfast spot in Idaho is a local favorite and anyone who visits will also be able to browse the enormous dog carving gift shop, where each item is crafted by a chainsaw. With that in mind, you shouldn’t have trouble sleeping with a fully furnished room and knowing a full course breakfast awaits you in the morning.

http://www.dogbarkparkinn.com/

8. Hotel de Glace

Take an igloo hotel concept but make it all fancy with a touch of kitsch, and you have the Hotel de Glace. This weird hotel is made completely of thick snow walls and is designed so people actually can party and sleep here. Beds have an ice base but are equipped with normal mattresses that people sleep on with the aid of arctic sleeping bags. During your visit don’t forget to have some fun and take a few trips down the massive ice slide.

http://www.icehotel-canada.com/index.php

7. Hotel Costa Verde

One of the most exclusive hotel suites in Costa Rica allows tenants to stay in a refurbished Boeing 727. The vintage 1965 frame was originally used to travel between South Africa and Colombia and has since been fitted for the premium suite at the hotel. All the creature comforts are present in this unique getaway as long as you can cough up the $500/night bill.

http://www.costaverde.com/727.html

6. YOTEL

Here is London’s answer to the Japanese capsule hotel. These tiny hotel rooms are located right in the busy intersections of transit areas. Each room comes with a suitable bed for two, TV, WiFi and breakfast. You can book a room by the hour or for a night.

http://www.yotel.com/

5. Hotel Fox

Acclaimed artists individually designed each room for Hotel Fox. The artists have backgrounds in graphic design, urban art and illustration so the inspiration is as pragmatic as possible. There are 61 rooms from 21 artists in this unique hotel in Denmark. One of the few spots in the world you can find a Swiss inspired room next to a baby room made for an adult.

http://www.hotelfox.dk/

4. Propeller Island

No hotel list is complete without a section for this famous hotel in Berlin. Like Hotel Fox, each room is individually designed with a unique aesthetic to please tenants with an artistic bend in their life or anyone looking for a thrill while in the city. There are some downright ridiculous rooms here including a room full of green puffy leather and a vampire inspired room where you sleep in coffins.

http://www.propeller-island.com

3. Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Gamirasu is a twenty five room cave hotel found in Cappadocia, Turkey and is the recipient of numerous travel accolades making it one of the most famous cave hotels in the world. Tenants choose from a number of rooms varying in size and style from the standard double room to the superior suite that filled to the brim with luxuries. Living in a cave has its own perks, but feel free to enjoy the other activities like helping out with harvesting local vegetables and watching a whirling dervish dance.

http://www.gamirasu.com/indexen.html

2. Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren

People like their wine a lot in the Netherlands. So much in fact, the owners of Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren added special rooms made from authentic 14,500 liter wine casks. These are fully furnished hotel rooms with two beds, living room and bathroom. Don’t worry, the great thing about wine casks are their ability to seal tightly, meaning you are guaranteed to have a quiet night.

http://www.hotel-vrouwevanstavoren.nl/

1. Ariau Amazon Towers

You can live in the rainforest at the Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel. The lodge is built 35 miles from Manuas, Brazil (where the Rio Negro and Ariau Creek meet). Visitors travel between the multiple towers by navigating the 4 miles of wooden catwalks, a design that keeps the eco-system undisturbed. During your stay the concierge encourages canoe sightseeing expeditions and day trips into the local forests.

http://www.ariautowers.com/