When it opened in 1955, the Grande Hotel in the Indian Ocean city of Beira was one of the most luxurious in Africa. Photojournalist Fellipe Abreu documents the lives of the 3,500 people who now fill this long-closed hotel to capacity. (Photo by Fellipe Abreu/The Guardian)

“Business-class” cabins are seen at First Cabin hotel, which was converted from an old office building, in Tokyo, July 3, 2015. Record tourists to Japan are stretching the ability of hotels to accommodate them in a sector constrained by high costs, forcing developers to think out of the box for means to quickly increase lodging options without breaking the bank. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Grand banqueting halls, opulent lobbies and vast ballrooms; you could easily be forgiven for thinking this was a collection of photographs was documenting some of Europe’s grandest hotels. However, a closer look will reveal the majestic rooms to be engulfed in swathes of dust and moss; hotels that once hosted royals and high society abandoned to the elements. This is the latest result of urban exploration photography, going beyond “no entry” signs to capture images of dilapidated buildings across Europe. IT worker Thomas Windisch, from Graz in Austria, indulged his passion for photography by traveling across the continent, visiting over 100 abandoned hotels along the way. Here: inside a hotel in Austria. (Photo by Thomas Windisch/Caters News)

A guest poses for photographs at the infinity pool of the newly-inaugurated Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake hotel, the world's first gold-plated hotel, in Hanoi on July 2, 2020. It even has a gold-plated infinity pool on the roof. The 400-room, 25-storey property will operate under the American Wyndham Hotels brand. Prices start at $300 a night for rooms, or there are apartments to rent costing from $6400 per square metre. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)

The V8 Hotel in Stuttgart is a car-lover’s heaven, it´s a theme hotel with a design clearly inspired by the car world. The Hotel is located in an auto museum called Böblingen’s Meilenwerk in Stuttgart, Germany. The hotel features themed rooms fit for both mechanics and car enthusiasts alike, it has four single rooms, 19 double rooms, tower suite and 10 theme-based rooms designed to impress visitors.

Manhattan's most fashionable felines dressed their best to help Matilda, the famous Algonquin Hotel cat, celebrate her 15th birthday on Aug. 11, 2010. The party was held in the hotel's lobby and centered around a good ol' fashioned cat fashion show. (Photo by Katie Sokoler/Gothamist.com)