Zerotwonine

You know that 029 loves everything travel & lifestyle related. And we go weak in the knees for exceptionally designed hotels. That is why we wanted to share with you this excellent article, courtesy of The Frog & Princess - about their favourite design hotels.

Because when it comes to jet-setting around the world and staying in exquisite hotels, well Mrs. Princess and Mr. Frog have quite some expert experience under their Gucci belts, or maybe Hermès?

Without further ado…The Frog & Princess’ favourite design hotels from two very stylish individual.

My Favorite Design Boutique Hotels.

Definition: boutique hotel = a small, luxury hotel offering premium services, often located in a fashionable location.

Etymology: from boutique ’small, exclusive shop’.

Hotel Keppler

PZ loves boutique hotels. So does her Frog. I drool over the gorgeous modern designs, charming ambiance and cool high-tech facilities. The small number of rooms also mean better client attention and less likely to bump into troops of noisy children.

Boutique hotels have mushroomed all over the world, in answer to travelers looking for small, luxury, intimate accommodations, the alternative to the large mass-market chain hotels. Boutique hotels are the fastest-growing niche market in many cities with individual, chic hotels quickly ascertaining its presence as THE place to be.

They tend to be life-style focused, brand-marketed and intent on creating a dream and not just of practicality for providing a place to sleep. The origins of boutique hotel I’d say started with Blakes Hotel, London by hotelier designer Anouska Hempel. Each of the 51 rooms carries its own unique individual design, earning its reputation as “The Couture Hotel.” Although I’ve been lucky to dine there, I have stayed at the sister hotel Blakes in Amsterdam (now The Dylan) and I can most certainly say if Amsterdam wasn’t so beautiful, I’d be happy to stay in the red oriental bedroom all day.

Blakes, Amsterdam

So here I’d like to share with you some PZ favourites – old classics and new – just to spread the joy. There’s so many of course that it’s a really tough selection!! So note there will be further posts on this topic. Please do share your must-stay boutique hotels wherever it may be and I’ll add them with your mention in future posts.

Paris:

L’Hotel

- L’Hotel (Oscar Wilde’s haunt on the Left Bank). Winner of the best urban hotel in the world 2008, Harper’s Bazaar. 20 rooms individually decorated.

Hotel Keppler

- Hotel Keppler by Pierre-Yves Rochon. 39 divine rooms. New.

London:

Haymarket Hotel

-The Haymarket Hotel by Tim and Kip Kent. A landmark building by the
legendary John Nash.  50 rooms.

The Sanderson

- The Sanderson hotel by Philippe Starck.

Barcelona:

Casa Fuster

- Casa Fuster. Restored Landmark building in the modernist style (like Gaudi.)

Hotel Omm

- Hotel Omm by architect Juli Capella and interior designers Sandra Tarruella and Isabel López. 91 rooms.

Singapore:

New Majestic Hotel

- New Majestic Hotel. 30 individually designed rooms, mixing vintage and designer.

Hong Kong:

Abeo

- Abeo. 52 rooms. State of the art technology and architecture

Lang Kwai Wang Hotel

- Lang Kwai Wang Hotel. Boutique hotel style but 162 rooms (pretty typical in HK). Gorgeous though with fantastic panoramic views.

PZ.

http://frogandprincess.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/my-favorite-design-boutique-hotels/

Location: The location of the hotel is fabulous. Potsdamer Platz is very central and convenient to explore Berlin, especially if it’s your first time. It’s also an incredible location if you want to attend any movie premiers as it is right across the street from the Sony Center.

Entrance/Reception/Lobby: Automatic doors open up to a small, but stylish lobby. The staff at reception where exceptionally friendly, check in was quick and efficient and we were offered a cold towel upon arrival. We were escorted to our suite which was on the 7^th floor – room #716. The hallways were spacious and bright with minimalistic décor which was refreshing as sometime design-oriented hotels try to create a dim and moody atmosphere in their hallways – which is sexy but unnecessary at 11:00 in the morning.Nice feature: You stick your key card in the slot by the door and the door opens automatically. No need to wait for the green light.

Room: It was an incredibly spacious and quiet corner suite. Again, minimalistic décor, very bright and clean with a small,  but functional kitchen. The hotel offers complimentary shopping service for its guests and we were told that the hotel could fill our refrigerator with whatever we wanted. Nice touch – we would have actually utilised the service if we were staying longer.

Regarding the features in the room – large bed, seating area, desk, 2 balconies – one off the main room with a table and two chairs (with a surprisingly attractive view considering all of the surrounding buildings) and one off the bathroom. The windows/room had EXCELLENT insulation/soundproofing. There was construction going on outside of the room and we did not hear a SOUND until we opened up the balcony door. We had 3 closets with 24 clothes hangers in total! One closet for his clothes, one for hers and one for all the clothes that he buys her. Well that is how it worked in our case anyway – excellent shopping in Berlin.

A large assortment of magazines, predominantly Architectural Design magazine spoke to the hotel’s adherence to all things design related. We really enjoyed the CDs in the room which were played on our Phillips DVD player and the sound was disseminated via our surround sound system. From Y¦G, an independent label,  we were able to listen to either Feeling Funky, Lazy Lounge, or Heart Beat.  What my wife fell in love with, because she is crazy for all things related to social development and human rights – was the small copy of the United Nations Declaration of Humans Rights handbook on the bedside table.

Bathroom: Huge with a large bathtub and two vanity areas! Very important for those travelling with their significant other – there is no need to fight for space while beautifying yourself – there are two large marble countertops opposite each other, each with mirrors, space for toiletries, outlets and amble lighting.

Breakfast: The breakfast was served in their restaurant FACIL, from 7:00 until 12:00. The room was a small green oasis in the middle of a bustling city. Floor to ceiling windows (including the ceiling) filled the room with natural light, surrounded by trees – you felt like you were eating in a Zen-garden with the little rock gardens and large stone fountains. Breakfast buffet was a well-stocked, well-presented continental buffet with fresh breads, rolls, pastries, cheeses, sliced meats, salmon, marinated shrimps, antipasti, assorted condiments and guests could also order freshly prepared dishes from the kitchen (tip – try the bacon – for those who are hard-pressed to find tasty, crunchy bacon in Europe, this is your answer). There was a nice assortment of fresh juices, including the usual suspects – but also some unconventional ones like fresh kiwi juice and of course the mint water and lime water were a big hit in the morning with the guests.

We unfortunately didn’t have enough time to use the ONO spa on the top floor, but we did go check it out and it looked really nice. Next time. Also, their restaurant FACIL was booked out while we were there which is excellent for the hotel and speaks to the quality of the cuisine. It wasn’t a total loss as you are spoilt for restaurant choices in Berlin. We did have a cocktail at their QIU bar – excellent cocktail, chilled ambience, friendly and attentive waiters.

All in all, we were very impressed with our experience at the Mandala Hotel. We have no complaints and if we find ourselves in Berlin again, we will be making a reservation.

Martin Egerth
Deutsche Lufthansa