As luxury hotels strive to differentiate themselves as destinations, design hotels assume an ever grander purpose. With this in mind we present a list of the top luxury hotels opening just in time for summer season.
Fairmont Hotel Sirru Fen Fushi, Maldives
Designed by Hirsch Bedner Associations, this new luxury hotel is a 120-villa resort on the Shaviyani Atoll in North Maldives. The atoll possesses a great lagoon, lots of marine life, and an undersea art installation by Jason deCaires Taylor that is also the Maldives’ first coral rehabilitation project. The resort’s design was inspired by things observed on the island.
Capella Ubud, Keliki, Indonesia
This camp-style resort designed by Bill Bensley nestles within the rainforest, the river, and the paddy areas in a Balinese center called Keliki. Twenty-two tented retreats with sitting outside decks and indoor and outdoor showers are graciously furnished with antiques gathered and curated by the owner, Suwito Gunawan.
Montage, Los Cabos, Mexico
With an emphasis on Mexican contemporary and sophisticated architecture, Montage Los Cabos matches a sheltered bungalow community. The theme of water echoes everywhere in the 122 rooms and 52 residences, and the design, done by Bernardi + Peschard, draws influence from Mexican and pre-Hispanic communities with tones of gold, beige, and taupe.
Fauchon, Paris
Designed by Richard Martinet in collaboration with Atelier Paluel Marmont, the luxury hotel is clad in macaroon-like colors and has herringbone grounds and sweeping French doors and decks. Customizable connoisseur bars can be seen in each room, and guests can experience a 150-seat restaurant that will also serve signature afternoon teas.
The Fontenay, Hamburg, Germany
The Fontenay opened its doors in March and is poised to receive guests this summer with its take on modern classicism. The 130-room “hotel in the park” is the idea of architect Jan Störmer, who envisioned its amorphous, fluid-like form with porcelain façade boards.
Hotel Revival, Baltimore
Hotel Revival has an elegant history as the private palace of Mary Elizabeth Garrett. It also served as the city’s first municipal art museum. To maintain this history, 30 different artists’ work has gained a lasting home in this 14-story building, with rooms done by SLDesign that highlight custom pads decorated with the map of Chesapeake Bay.
Al Bait, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Established in a beautiful part of the country invested by seawater and mangrove forests, Al Bait is a combination of four heritage houses once held by local families. Suites have living rooms inspired by ancestral majlis (Arabic for “place of sitting”) filled with dallahs (coffee jugs), carpets, pillows, and lamps. Steps away from the luxury hotel is the Souq Al Arsah bazaar, the oldest in the UAE.
Lora, Stillwater, Minnesota
Established outside Twin Cities on the river, this luxury hotel, which opens in June, continues in a former factory built in 1886. The 40-room hotel maintains much of the characteristics of a brewery, including caverns, stone walls, and a carriageway changed into spacious, livable places by ESG Architecture & Design.
Cadillac Hotel, Miami
The 70-year-old luxury hotel, formerly created by Art Deco architect Roy France in 1940, opens its doors this summer, with contemporary design details done by Bill Rooney. While the hotel will retain strong elements of its original classic stylings, guests can find contemporary details such as crisp white stone floors and smoky blue accents.
Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, Champagne, France
The Relais & Châteaux property is in an original 19th-century post house, with interiors conceived by designer Sybille de Margerie. The center of the luxury hotel is the wellness center that is a partnership with Biologique Recherche; it emphasizes a wood-lined yoga studio and a hammam.
