The Montcalm, London themontcalmlondoncity.co.uk This listed building began life in 1750 as Samuel Whitbread’s brewery , at the edge of Georgian London. As the City evolved from producing goods to making money, the building became Whitbread’s HQ, in 1976, and is now a hotel with smart diningrooms, a gastro pub and sleek bedrooms, including suites with original fireplaces and architraves. Doubles from £240 (€285).

Factory Hotel, Münster, Germany factoryhotel-muenster.de A solid industrial look persists in this former Germania brewery, with interiors of concrete, pale wood flooring, white walls, exposed bricks and steel girders. The brewery began here in 1898 and employed generations of locals before it closed, in 1984, and architects transformed it into a 144-room hotel, in 2008. Doubles from €79.

B2 Boutique Hotel and Spa, Hürlimann- Areal, Zurich b2boutiquehotels.com The B2 still serves the Hurlimann beer it was built to produce in 1867. Production here ceased in 1997, but the hotel, which opened last year, retains industrial character, including tall windows and oak floors. Rooms are in the former brewhouse, suites are in the old cold store, and the spa and pool have emerged from the barrel-filling area. Doubles from CHF290 (€234).