We’re most intrigued by hotels that have distinguishing features — some set of singular traits that separates them from all the rest. A hotel like the Saint James, then, really gets us excited. It’s the only hotel of its kind. The only hotel in Paris that fits the definition of a classic, country-style chateau.
It’s ironic, isn’t it? Deserts are synonymous with emptiness, isolation, hostility. Yet some of the world’s most beautiful, most desirable hotels overlook its barren landscapes. There’s an inherent drama to all that nothingness.
Nestled in Oaxaca, Mexico’s history-soaked Valley of Xaaga, El Silencio is a lauded mezcal maker that believed it was time their product ascended to the natural next plane. Wineries have hotels on the vineyards — why not mezcal?
How would you make love in this space? Emerson Skeens believed the answer to that question was central to the experience at his creations in Zanzibar — two hotels that have been turning up the heat on Tanzania’s Spice Island.
The Chicago Athletic Association has had an illustrious and sometimes sordid history that dates back to 1893, when it wasn’t quite a hotel. A lot has changed since then, but the ghosts of the past are never far away.
In gathering together some of the most stunning beach hotels in Southeast Asia, we were reminded of Anthony Bourdain’s love of the region and the influence he’s had on the world’s changing attitudes toward travel.