Socialist Hotels is Fuel Publishing’s newest study of a fast vanishing design aesthetic

Like many visual travelogues of these regions and styles, part of the fascination lies in the apparent stasis of the subjects – décor that feels unchanged in decades, along with crumbling façades and the occasional modern ruin. But many of these outfits are still in operation, fulfilling their original function as affordable palaces of the people, seaside destinations for everyday workers to enjoy.

Like all the most intriguing architecture of the period, the best works here excel in geometric invention and richness of fittings and fixtures, from elaborate chandeliers to murals and signage. The book also contains an introduction from food writer Caroline Eden, setting these structures in their social and historic context, as well as sharing her own personal experiences staying in some of these locations.

Described by the publishers as a ‘fascinating legacy of a social and cultural idiosyncrasy,’ many of the featured buildings are under threat of destruction, redevelopment or ill-considered ‘modernisation’, making Socialist Hotels another valuable study of an intersection of time, place and politics that may never again come to pass.

By Jonathan Bell