Hotel Ulysses

A century-old Mount Vernon apartment-turned-office tower has become Baltimore's most maximalist hotel opening in years. Hotel Ulysses packs four bars, a Design Hotels pedigree and a John Waters-adjacent sensibility into 116 rooms, restoring a long-vacant landmark to daily use.

The place

Hotel Ulysses occupies The Latrobe, a nine-story 1912 Italian Renaissance Revival tower at 2 East Read Street in Mount Vernon, Baltimore's museum and arts district, steps from the Walters Art Museum and the Basilica of the Assumption.

The concept

Developed by New York firm Ash, Hotel Ulysses is a conversion of a building that had never operated as a hotel: built in 1912 as luxury bachelor apartments, it was converted to offices by the 1960s and stood largely vacant after a foreclosure before Ash acquired it in 2017. The design leans fully into maximalism — a self-described 'eccentric world of discovery' mixing John Waters-esque Baltimore camp with Indian textile and lampshade motifs, canopy beds and hand-picked artwork throughout the 116 rooms and suites. It is a member of Design Hotels, signaling an independent, design-first positioning rather than a chain-branded stay.

Dining & wellness

Four distinct food-and-drink venues anchor the ground floor and basement: Ash—Bar, a daytime café and aperitivo bar; Bar Dalí, serving shareable plates with vermouth and beer; Bloom's, a plush nightly cocktail lounge; and Coral Wig, a 1980s Manila-club-inspired cocktail bar open Monday through Saturday. No spa is documented.