25hours Hotel Terminus Nord

Paris, France

 

The vibrant, youthful 25hours hotels have been a sensation in the German-speaking world, and have steadily expanded to the west — but it’s only now, with the advent of the 25hours Hotel Terminus Nord Paris, that they’ve finally crossed the border into France. And how did they adapt? Largely by involving the locals in the design decisions. The Augsburg-based design agency, Dreimeta, engaged Visto Images, a Parisian firm, to collaborate on the hotel’s visual identity, tailoring it to its location in the 10th Arrondissement just across from the Gare du Nord — a location that, despite its convenient rail link, is on the fringes of Paris’s traditional tourist centers.

 

25hours Hotel at MuseumsQuartier

Vienna, Austria

 

For many centuries, Vienna’s had a reputation as a creative center, and one entirely deserved. There is, however, some issue as to the volume of respect that’s paid to figures, styles and movements of the past. Which is why the mere existence of a hotel like 25hours is a welcome relief. Say what you will about Vienna’s hotels — many of them are quite extraordinary indeed — but few of them handle their aesthetic affairs with so light a touch.

 

25hours Hotel Langstrasse

Zurich, Switzerland

 

Zürich, like many a European cultural hub, is investing heavily in large-scale urban developments, mixed-use spaces with a futurist’s eye for design and an artist’s eye for the human element. Such is Europaallee, and by extension, such is 25hours Hotel Zürich Langstrasse, the boutique chain’s second establishment in the city. It’s all part of a concerted effort to transform the street-scale ambience — or rather, to reconcile the former red-light district’s seedier elements with stereotypical financier’s respectability — and it’s working.

 

You and the sea – Ericeira Hotel and Apartments

Ericeira, Portugal

 

It’s an unusual name, but it certainly paints a picture. You and the Sea pretty well sums up the experience at this stylish apartment-style boutique hotel, set within walking distance of Praia do Sul beach, in the Portuguese surf mecca of Ericeira. Sure, it’s not just you — but from within one of its 36 fully serviced apartments, which range from generously sized studios all the way up to sprawling five-bedroom family apartments, it’s not at all hard to forget about the rest of the world.

 

The Lisbonaire Apartments

Lisbon, Portugal

 

We’re not always thrilled to hear the word “apartment” — we’re hotel people, as you may have gathered — but we make an exception for the rare apartment hotel that’s as impressive as the Lisbonaire Apartments. Too many of them behave as though a kitchenette is a replacement for a memorable visual personality, but Lisbonaire remembers that the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. This mid-century modernist building’s 19 studio and one-bedroom apartments were decorated by 19 different artists, designers, and other local creative types, all of them paying particular attention to typography — among other things, this place is a typesetter’s dream.

 

RiverPlace Hotel

Portland, OR

 

Downtown Portland, all things considered, is surprisingly urban — streetcars, high-rise buildings, the works. But the RiverPlace Hotel’s having none of it. Here the views are of the waterfront park, the marina, the Hawthorne bridge, and the waters of the Willamette River. Frankly, there’s a bit of a country-house vibe about the place, or a mountain lodge — sans mountains, but with plenty of timber and stone, and a fireplace seemingly around every corner.

 

Helvetia & Bristol Firenze – Starhotels Collezione

Florence, Italy

 

Though it’s named for a pair of far-flung places, the Helvetia & Bristol is about as central as it gets in Florence — both literally, at the heart of the old city, and figuratively, as a fixture for more than a century on the local hospitality scene. And while it’s come under a new banner as a part of the Starhotels Collezione, its essential appeal remains unchanged. Inside it’s a five-star tribute to Renaissance-era grandeur, and a return to the days when Europe’s grand hotels were the envy of the world.

 

Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

Paris, France

 

It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that the Hôtel de Crillon is Paris — from its privileged position on the Place de la Concorde, the backdrop to so many of this city’s defining events, to its century-long tenure as the ultimate Parisian luxury hotel, it’s never been one to fly under the radar. And now, fresh off a massive renovation, it’s ready for the spotlight once more, under new management; it’s now officially the Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel.

 

Sofitel New York

New York City, NY

 

Maybe we just have a soft spot for all things French. Or maybe it’s the case that for a big-business hotel chain, Sofitel seems to have it pretty well figured out — the consistent quality of a corporate hotel, but with the personality too many others lack, and an aesthetic sense that we may as well just go ahead and describe as Parisian, as long as we’re not shying away from cultural stereotypes.

 

Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port

Marseille, France

 

Marseille might not be quite the rough-and-tumble port city its reputation would have you believe, but it’s closer to that than it is to, say, Dubai. Which is bad news if you want an utterly typical skyscraper-bound five-star hotel, but good news if you’re in the market for a lodging with personality. This is a city that’s overflowing with local character, a point that’s underlined by the fact that the closest thing it’s got to a contemporary luxury hotel is the Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port.

 

Colona Castle Manor House

Cape Town, South Africa

 

It’s not much of a castle, really, and not quite a manor house either — but Colona Castle’s name, in any case, puts the right sort of picture in your head. You don’t come to Cape Town for outrageous, cutting-edge design, but for the classic good life — traditional architecture, old-fashioned hospitality, and a natural setting that’s unparalleled in its beauty.

 

Casa de Campo

La Romana, Dominican Republic

 

The Dominican Republic in general is only now coming into its own as a haute-luxury hotbed, but there’s one exception that pre-dates the current boom by decades. That would be Casa de Campo, a vast resort on the island’s stunning southeastern coast, home to no fewer than three utterly transcendent golf courses, a marina full of mega-yachts, and — most relevant to our interests — a wide array of rooms, suites, and villas, all of which have been renovated, restored, even rebuilt, turning a Seventies-vintage classic into a contemporary luxury hotel of the highest caliber.

 

Corinthia Hotel Budapest

Budapest, Hungary

 

We’ve got a lot of time for modern hotels, minimal hotels, funky little small hotels — but there’s still nothing quite like a proper classic grand hotel. It’s a phenomenon that’s becoming thinner and thinner on the ground, in Western capitals at least, but in Central Europe you’ll find some gems. Among the most ornate is the Corinthia Hotel Budapest. Refurbished but not reimagined, it is, for the most part, the same as it ever was; only now, after some extensive renovation and rejuvenation, it’s in simply sparkling form.

 

Alentejo Marmoris Hotel & Spa

Vila Viçosa, Portugal

 

It seems there’s no part of Portugal that’s left out of the current travel boom. Save a spot on your itinerary for Vila Viçosa, near the Spanish border in the Alentejo region, to the east of Evora. Here you’ll find the Alentejo Marmòris Hotel & Spa, where two distinctive elements combine to create a one-of-a-kind hotel. The first is the architect Miguel Câncio Martins, who’s best known for the Buddha-Bar in Paris. And the second is the material: Vila Viçosa is known for its marble, and the family that owns the Marmòris has been in the business for generations.

 

Quinta da Palmeira – Country House Retreat & Spa

Coimbra, Portugal

 

Just when we thought life couldn’t get any mellower for travelers in Portugal, here comes Quinta da Palmeira – Country House Retreat, an airy eight-room country house in the quiet hills between Porto and Lisbon. Surrounded by orange trees and olive groves, with the peaks of the Serra do Açor just beyond, Quinta da Palmeira makes its home in a region famous for gastronomy and open-air parties known as arraiais, with song and dance as the main activities. For many travelers it will likely be just a stopover between Portugal’s main coastal cities, which is a shame, for it takes a couple days to settle into the laid-back countryside lifestyle.

 

Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

Los Angeles Area, CA

 

Plenty of Los Angeles hotels can give you that pure, unadulterated Hollywood experience, but if you prefer yours with a French accent, the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is the answer. Though the setting, across from the Beverly Center, is unmistakably SoCal, the Sofitel is straight out of Paris, from the mansard roofs and French balconies to the dramatic, moody Art Deco–inspired interiors in the public spaces — Parisian fashion and Beverly Hills glamour conspire to leave you feeling criminally under-dressed.

 

Viceroy Santa Monica

Los Angeles Area, CA

 

The green glow through translucent glass is the only clue that there’s anything out of the ordinary going on behind the discreet (and unsigned) facade of this seaside hotel. Inside, though, it’s something else entirely — the Viceroy is one of Santa Monica’s hottest spots, and the interiors are as chic as can be, a contemporary update of a century-old British country style, where clean-lined modern monochrome meets bright kelly-green antique-style furnishings, with printed wallpaper in vivid colors and ornate china where you least expect it — hanging on the walls.

 

Hotel München Palace

Munich, Germany

 

These things do tend to move in cycles, don’t they? At one point, some years ago, the classic luxury hotel was something that desperately needed rebelling against. But now, with hoteliers the world over embracing modern design at its most outré, conservatism has itself become one of the last remaining forms of rebellion. And where better to turn for an immersion in classic comfort than the Bavarian capital, and the aptly named Hotel München Palace.

 

Gild Hall

New York City, NY

 

Whether it’s an advantage or a disadvantage is somewhat in the eye of the guest, but one thing’s for sure: the most notable feature of Thompson Hotels’ Gild Hall is its location. Just a few hundred yards from Wall Street, this is deep in the heart of the financial district, a place that not too many years ago used to turn into a ghost town by about seven in the evening.