Daily Tablet Hotel

The Liaison Capitol Hill, an Affinia Hotel : Washington, DC, USA

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:11 GMT

The contrast between the grandeur of Washington’s public face and the relative shabbiness of its functional spaces has long been a common observation. And until fairly recently, its hotels only strengthened the stereotype. But The Liason Capital Hill, an Affinia Hotel belongs to a new, more style-conscious D.C., where the nightlife is on the upswing, the restaurant scene is booming, and the hotels, increasingly, live up to their greater architectural setting.

Of course from the outside The Liaison isn’t exactly the Capitol, but once you’re through its doors you’re treated to hotel interiors that leave the old drab D.C. in the dust. The bedrooms are simple and modern, stylish but quietly so, understated enough that they’re still palatable for more conservative audiences.

Bolder still are the public spaces, from the lobby bar with its almost Pop Art portraits of world leaders to the rooftop lounge, a warm-weather gem, and Art and Soul, a restaurant where the visual style, however impressive, takes a back seat: chef Art Smith won a James Beard Award for his inventive upscale take on traditional soul food.

Business travelers, as ever in this town, are certain to be well looked after, but the Liaison sets its sights equally on leisure guests — and nobody minds thoughtful details like the seasonal rooftop pool.

Hotel Muse Bangkok : Bangkok, Thailand

Tue, 15 May 2012 04:00:17 GMT

Some of the most successful hotels play against type. Given Bangkok’s image as some sort of latter-day Sin City, there’s a real shortage of old-fashioned elegance. This is where the Hotel Muse Bangkok comes in. It’s a member of Accor’s MGallery sub-label, and it inherits some of its French colonial style from its European ownership, but it doesn’t stop there: the Muse’s lines are clean and contemporary, but its design is full of homages to the Bangkok of a century ago, rendered with a level of detail that’s almost baroque in its ornateness.

High marks for personality, then. The appeal, however, is more than skin deep, as the Muse’s facilities and comforts place it squarely in luxury-hotel territory. Even the most basic rooms have space for sofas and work desks, and in the bathrooms roll-top tubs and separate showers are standard throughout. Corner rooms make the most of the views, looking out over Bangkok’s upscale Langsuan district, and the top six floors are reserved for the Muse Residence King rooms, which are outfitted for long stays but make for perfectly plush short ones as well.

A business center and masses of event space mean the Muse is well suited to business travel, but it’s by no means solely a business hotel. The rooftop pool has an impressive view of the skyline, and is accompanied by a spa and fitness center. Meanwhile a Thai restaurant is joined by an Italian kitchen, and the nightlife is headlined by the Speakeasy, which isn’t quite what it sounds like — rather than some basement hole-in-the-wall, it’s a multi-room bar and lounge spanning two levels at the top of the Muse.

Domina Home Piccolo : Portofino, Genoa, Italy

Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:23 GMT

The sheltered seaside village of Portofino is probably the highlight of the Ligurian coast, and in a setting like this, where a jumble of picturesque little villas clings to the rocky hillside, there’s no need for a hotel to go too far out of its way to make big waves. So the piccolo in Domina Home Piccolo isn’t necessarily a reference to the raw size of the place — the rooms are actually quite spacious by the standards of a hotel in an Italian seaside town — but it perfectly describes the atmosphere: this 22-room boutique does a pretty convincing impression of a private villa.

And while the exterior is pure classic Portofino, the interiors have been thoroughly renovated, the rooms presenting a minimalist aspect, with modern furniture and large expanses of sunshine-intensifying white. The best-positioned rooms face out to sea, but there’s not a bad room in the house — and everyone’s entitled to a front-row view of the water from the restaurant’s terrace or from the hotel’s private beach. Anyway, you’ll want to sample as many of Portofino’s other views as you possibly can. Domina Home Piccolo isn’t the sort of hotel where you’ll pass an entire stay on the premises; but as a home base from which to explore this storied seaside town, it’d be difficult to top.

How to get there:
Domina Home Piccolo is located approximately 18 miles (30 Km) from Genoa airport and 6 miles (10 km) from the Rapallo exit off the A12 motorway. Santa Margherita Ligure railway station is 3 miles (5 Km) from the hotel. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Down Town Mexico : México D.F., Mexico

Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:21 GMT

The Habita group, over the past decade or so, has amassed an impressive collection of boutique hotels, an empire that spans more or less all of Mexico, from the cities to the countryside to the beaches of Playa del Carmen. And even as their holdings expand to include their first foreign property, New York’s Hotel Americano, the brand-new Down Town Mexico is proof that they aren’t letting their imperial ambitions loosen their hold on the capital’s boutique-hotel business.

Architecturally it’s a bit of a departure, occupying a brick-fronted 17th-century palace a short walk from the Plaza de la Constitución, as central a location as a Mexico City hotel could ask for. Once inside, though, that signature Habita architectural flair returns with a vengeance: the original high ceilings remain intact, among other charmingly weathered period details, but the prevailing atmosphere is that of a very clean, very contemporary modern boutique style. Simple forms highlight rich textures, from the dark tiled floors to the raw wood furnishings to the screens, almost Moorish in style, that set the bathrooms apart from the bedrooms.

Where the Habita group goes, a certain stylish crowd is sure to follow, and that’ll be the case before long at Down Town’s restaurant and its roof terrace lounge. For boutique hotel enthusiasts, it’s another Mexico City neighborhood added to the recommended itinerary.

How to get there:
Down Town Mexico is located 6km from the Mexico City International Airport. Transfers can be arranged for US$250 for up to 2 guests in a private car or US$350 for 4-6 guests in a private van. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Tosen Goshobo : Kobe, Japan

Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:18 GMT

The perennial tradeoff in ryokan hotels is getting the right balance of seclusion and accessibility. Tosen Goshobo, however, manages to get away with a pretty impressive combination. It’s only twenty minutes’ drive from the Kobe rail station, which means relatively easy access from most any of Japan’s major cities — but its position in the mountain village of Arima, one of the oldest hot springs in the country, means that the stresses of city life, once you’re within its walls, are little more than a memory.

A ryokan in one form or another has stood on this spot for centuries, though in its current incarnation it only dates back a little less than a hundred years. Goshobo is no nostalgia trip, though — even at mid-century, its owners kept pace with developments in modern architecture, and the result is a ryokan that’s quietly contemporary, blending traditional tatami interiors with some of the finer currents in Western residential design.

Along with the hotel’s design credentials, the healing waters of the Arima springs are well known across Japan, and they probably account for their fair share of the business. So too does the cuisine: it’s worth booking in advance to get yourself a seat at Goshobo’s table.

Casa La Siesta : Vejer de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain

Sun, 13 May 2012 04:00:05 GMT

In Spain, where mass tourism is at its most massive, the best travel experiences are very often found in the smallest places. On that score Casa La Siesta certainly qualifies. It’s far enough off the beaten path, a few miles outside of Vejer, near the Andalusian coast. And it’s a mere speck of a place, a seven-room house isolated on a hill facing out toward the sea, a new build with a rustic edge, a luxe and stylish little boutique hotel.

Rough timbers and raw wooden furniture contrast with rain showers and plush king beds, while the suites add elegant freestanding tubs, and there’s more than a touch of Moorish or Moroccan tile work, as befits Casa La Siesta’s Andalusian heritage. All are expansive enough, with impressive views from private terraces, but for an added measure of space and privacy there’s always the Casita La Siesta, a separate two-bedroom house with its own gardens and pool.

It’s a simple life, where the nightly highlight is a prix-fixe dinner prepared by the Casa’s private chef. From here it’s a short drive to Vejer, which has a few fine restaurants of its own, or a little longer to the beach or the golf course, and a little longer than that to Cadiz, if you’re dying for some city life — though the possibility, after a taste of Casa La Siesta’s pastoral atmosphere, does seem remote.

Trump International Hotel Las Vegas : Las Vegas, NV, USA

Sat, 12 May 2012 04:00:07 GMT

It’s about experience. There are smaller hotels, hipper hotels, certainly less ostentatious hotels than this gleaming gold tower, but if you’re looking to do Sin City the way it’s meant to be done, there are few hotels better suited to the purpose than the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. The views are impressive, the rooms suitably flashy, and there’s no in-house casino — some find this last fact a drawback, but to be able to shut out the chaos of the gaming floor at will is, in this town, one of the most useful luxuries there is.

The interiors aren’t short of marble or crystal, but in Las Vegas that signature Trump look comes off looking tastefully conservative. In fact, perhaps unsurprisingly, the style is more Manhattan residential than Vegas theatrical. The studio suites pack in luxuries like king beds, marble baths well-equipped kitchenettes and HD televisions, and things only spread out from there, through one-bedroom suites to two- and three-bedroom penthouses.

And there are places where the Trump shows peculiar strengths. The spa covers eleven thousand square feet, all of it put to good use, and the hotel welcomes children and dogs with what seems like genuine enthusiasm. There’s a fine-dining restaurant named for Donald J. himself, as well as a health-focused poolside eatery. And the Trump’s location provides entree to the best Las Vegas has to offer, from the Fashion Show mall to the Strip and beyond.

Hotel Endemico : Ensenada , Mexico

Fri, 11 May 2012 04:00:25 GMT

Now that they’ve got the urban boutique hotel more or less down to a science, the Mexico-based Habita group is on to the next challenge. Hotel Endémico is a major departure: on a hillside overlooking the Valle de Guadalupe in the Baja wine country, the Endémico is hardly a hotel at all. Gone is the traditional luxury lodge, replaced by twenty hyper-modern freestanding "EcoLofts," pod-like villas elevated on stilts a few feet above the desert floor. From the outside they’re almost comically minimal, simple wooden boxes with rakishly angled roofs.

But that’s from the outside. From the inside they’re impeccably styled, compact luxury bedrooms with dramatic views: the valley is framed through floor-to-ceiling windows, with your neighbors cleverly placed outside the edges of the picture. At 215 square feet they’re not overly large, but a certain coziness is what’s called for here. The interiors look sharp in black, white and raw concrete and there’s some semi-private exterior space as well: each one comes with a furnished private deck, complete with an enclosed firepit.

And the Endémico, for all its privacy, isn’t entirely an exercise in solitude. There’s an infinity pool and jacuzzi that share the same valley-spanning view, as well as a restaurant that takes a local, handmade approach to the cuisine of Baja California, under the direction of the Culinary Arts School in nearby Tijuana.

How to get there:
Hotel Endemico is located 113 km (1h:30min) from General Abelardo L. Salinas airport in Tijuana. Transfers can be organized upon request. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Jinya Ryokan : Hadano-shi, Kanagawa

Thu, 10 May 2012 04:00:15 GMT

The first reason to consider Jinya Ryokan might be convenience — it’s an hour by train from Shinjuku Station, which means Tokyo residents can swap city for country in no time at all. Foreign visitors might find it even easier — there’s a regular shuttle straight to Jinya from Narita. But the appeal of its location is much more than simply a matter of travel time.

Tsurumaki Onsen, in Kanagawa, is the very picture of the archetypal Japanese country resort, and it’s no coincidence that the celebrated animator Hayao Miyazaki spent time at Jinya Ryokan during his childhood — anyone who’s seen films like Spirited Away will recognize a certain almost supernatural aspect to the beauty of Jinya’s setting.

And then of course there’s the ryokan itself. A selection of totally traditional tatami-style rooms is complemented by a handful of hybrid Japanese/Western rooms, and if you’re in the market for a slightly more indulgent ryokan experience there’s Matsukaze, a freestanding residence with its own outdoor cypress tub.

The hot springs’s waters are, naturally, are open to all, and the Tsurumaki spring is noted for its particularly high calcium content — and the spring water is also purportedly key to the flavors of the ryokan’s locally sourced cooking.

L'Hotel Palermo : Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Wed, 09 May 2012 04:00:16 GMT

Even an extrovert needs an occasional moment of quiet, and that’s where L’Hotel Palermo comes in. Located in the center of Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires’s answer to all the other Sohos you know, this hotel hides in plain sight. Of course such a modish neighborhood offers plenty of places to lay your head among its cafes, clubs, shops, and art galleries, but perhaps none is so secretive as this one.

From the outside, this small boutique hotel resembles the many mini-manses you’ll find on the cobblestone streets. It reveals nothing. The fact is, if it’s an overdose of design you want, from minimalism to maximalism, from riots of color to chi-chi monochrome, you can get it — elsewhere. Ditto bar scenes and hob-nobbing with art dealers or doñas, or a night pretending to be a sexy tango expert or carnivorous gaucho. Instead, the hotel offers a friendly fantasy in green, a respite from the frenetic pace of the neighborhood’s trendiness, which increases exponentially by the minute. The owners spliced together two actual houses, ensuring the idiosyncrasy of each room as well as a lived-in feel.

Some rooms have private terraces that face the street, but others face a hidden garden, a square of grass, a sunken pool, and practically sky-high walls of flora. Antique tables, antique mirrors, antique patio furniture — ah, so this hotel offers a trend after all. Whether these things are actually old matters not, as they effect a bucolic elegance, more Provence than metropolitan, despite the urban (and South American) address.

How to get there:
L'Hotel Palermo is located 4km (15 min) from the Jorge Newberry Airport and 22km (45 min) from Ezeiza Airport.

The Restoration on King : Charleston, SC, USA

Tue, 08 May 2012 04:00:13 GMT

While there must have been a few Who’s On First moments during construction — “yes, exactly, the Restoration on King, but what’s it going to be?” — now that it’s open it’s dealing in restoration of a different kind. If you’re reading this then you’re well aware of the restorative effects of a comfortable night in a stylish suite, complete with luxe bathrooms and well-equipped kitchens. And of course the Restoration’s setting in the heart of the old downtown district places guests right in the thick of Charleston’s booming restauration scene.

The fifteen suites deal in a contemporary urban-reclamation style, all exposed brick and original hardwood floors, adding a welcome industrial edge to Charleston’s classic elegance. Well-chosen antiques and artworks liven the spaces, and the creature comforts are legion, right down to washers, dryers and kitchens that probably rival what you’ve got at home.

And while the feeling is residential, the Restoration comes with its share of services. Breakfast arrives in a picnic basket each morning, there’s an evening wine and cheese reception, and cookies and milk make an appearance a little later on. They’ll send out for groceries in case you’re planning on dining in, and the lobby is the site of a 24-hour coffee and tea service.

The Restoration on King : Charleston, SC, USA

Tue, 08 May 2012 04:00:08 GMT

Helvetia & Bristol Hotel : Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:24 GMT

On the outside, this building—despite having been built in the 19th century—blends in comfortably with the surrounding architecture, with its white walls, gray stone arches reminiscent of Brunelleschi’s churches. But while the exterior is reminiscent of the Florentine Renaissance, inside is firmly turn-of-the-century (though recently restored). The bedroom windows are covered with swaths of ornate drapery and the walls are papered in brocade. The public rooms are cozy with period furniture, heavy drapes, and lived-in velvet sofas. The dining room is like a gentleman’s club with its rich brown wall coverings, 15th-century Italian oil paintings and plush red velvet chairs. And on winter evenings, an open wood fire crackles in the lounge. The Helvetia & Bristol Hotel is situated in the ideal location where you can get to know Florence and is within walking distance of all the city’s famous monuments.

Though the restaurant prides itself on recreating ancient Tuscan recipes such as risotto with pigeon and cavelo, there are better restaurants nearby—you should only eat here the one night your feet will carry you no further, and all you want is a trouble-free meal. On the other hand, you really shouldn’t miss the Winter Garden bar. In the 1920s, it was quite the intellectual hub—Pirandello, Stravinsky, De Chirico, D’Annunzio and his mistress Eleonora Duse, even Bertrand Russell. Now, while we can’t guarantee you the same level of stimulating interaction, we can promise you a delightfully airy environment, perfect for summer evenings, and the possibility of catching some phantom whispers of brilliance from times past.

Even if intellectual activity is not your idea of a holiday at all, the Helvetia and Bristol may still be your place to stay. Besides super TVs with endless cable channels in the bedroom, it’s also the best base to shop-till-you-drop in all of Florence. You’re just a few steps away from the Via Tornabuoni, the smartest shopping street in town; so Gucci, Trusssardi and the Armani boutique are within easy reach. Of course, it’s also nearby the Duomo and other Florentine treasures. And unlike other hotels, you have to walk past shops on the way. And as we all know, purchasing a pair of Prada shoes is absolutely necessary before Caravaggios at the Uffizi and a post-modern Pirandello play.

Castle on the Hudson : Tarrytown, NY, USA

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:21 GMT

This is another fine example of a hotel whose name pretty much says it all. As castles on the Hudson go, this one is perhaps second in grandeur only to West Point, with the decided advantage that you can check in to the Castle on the Hudson without becoming an Army officer in the process. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; but New Yorkers will be cheered by a chance at some luxe castle living, a half hour’s drive from the city, which doesn’t require a four-year commitment or a letter from one’s Senator.

It was built a century ago as a private residence, and it was an impressive one — today it comfortably contains thirty-one bedrooms, all of them thoroughly modernized, the equal of just about any contemporary luxury hotel. Of course they’re helped along considerably in the personality department by the rest of the castle, which is never short of atmosphere, and by some judiciously chosen antique furniture, including some grand old four-poster beds.

The public spaces are where you’ll get a heavier dose of the old stone walls, especially in Equus, the restaurant, with its timbered ceilings and massive stone hearth. The cuisine tempts many a dinner guest up from the city for the night, and in the fairer months the terrace is tempting; the views from the Castle’s hilltop estate are nothing short of extraordinary.

How to get there:
Castle on the Hudson is located only 30 minutes north of Manhattan (by car). For specific driving instructions or assistance with airport transfers, please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com.

Niki Club : Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, Tochigi-Ken, Japan

Sun, 06 May 2012 04:00:24 GMT

The world of Japanese country inns can seem an impenetrable thicket to foreign visitors, thanks to the language barrier, the obscure locations, and the arcane traditions. Even the traditional Japanese architecture gives little guidance to Westerners not schooled in deciphering the buildings’ spatial grammar. The Niki Club & Spa tackles that last problem, cracking the code with a key that’s familiar to boutique hotel devotees the world over: modernist architecture.

At its inception in 1986 Niki Club spanned a mere six rooms, but it’s the recent addition of a 24-room Sir Terence Conran–designed wing that’s put the resort on the map for international travelers — though the contrast between the two phases is, in the end, a subtle one. Standard rooms in the Conran wing are laid out like studio apartments, while the Maisonette rooms are split-level, with the bedroom in a lofted upper floor. Meanwhile the cozier 1986 wing features three twin and three double rooms, and its original six Japanese-style rooms are undergoing a renovation.

The dining room and the library bar are housed in the original wing, while the new expansion is home the Garden restaurant and the international-style spa; onsen aficionados find the traditional baths in the old wing, and the woodland baths, the outdoor hot springs alongside the river, are not to be missed. Viewed on its own, it’s a unique take on the Japanese onsen resort experience; or as an introduction to Japan’s country inns, it’s a perfectly accessible hybrid.

Niki Club : Nasu-machi, Nasu-gun, Tochigi-Ken, Japan

Sun, 06 May 2012 04:00:20 GMT

Playa Viva : Juluchuca, Guerrero, Mexico

Sat, 05 May 2012 04:01:13 GMT

Take everything that annoys you about mass tourism on the Mexican coasts and put it out of your mind. Whatever your mental image, Playa Viva is more or less the opposite of that. A mere eight casitas, for starters, is about as far as it gets from mass tourism in the first place. And this location, on protected land a half hour outside of Zihuatanejo, has a long, long way to go before it could be considered developed, much less overdeveloped.

The accommodations are perhaps more reminiscent of something you’d expect to find in Bali, or at least St. Lucia: these thatched-roof villas are open to the air, their walls absent in order to maximize the sea views. It’s all very low-tech, and it’s no surprise that Playa Viva is about as green as they come, its low-impact approach perfectly suited to the hotel’s low-key charms.

This means morning yoga, spa services and meditation classes, as well as a wide variety of outdoor explorations, on land and on the water. For a bit more human contact you’ll have to venture as far as Zihua, if not farther — there are any number of resorts elsewhere on this coast where a party atmosphere is easy to come by, but Playa Viva is where you go to get away from all that.

How to get there:
Playa Viva is located 35 minutes from the Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa International Airport. Transfers are included in regular room rates. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel : London, England, UK

Sat, 05 May 2012 04:01:11 GMT

The great Gothic grand hotel at St. Pancras station lay in neglect for the better part of a century, but after a heroic decade-long restoration the St. Pancras Renaissance is back in business. Gone are the dull and utilitarian British Rail offices that once filled the space, replaced by lavish reconstructions of the original Victorian rooms and suites.

It’s not a value proposition, exactly — no expense was spared in restoring the hotel to its former glory, and if anything it’s a reaction against the economizing tendency which has done so much to put the grand-hotel era to an end. But it’s worth it just for the chance to see this magnificent building looking its best. When you’re splashing out for one of the extravagant, period-styled Chambers rooms and suites you’re treated to a state-of-the-art luxury hotel experience.

These days that necessarily includes such extras as a gym, spa and indoor pool, more conference and business facilities than you could possibly use, and a couple of big-time restaurants. Among them is The Gilbert Scott, named for the building’s original architect and operated by Marcus Wareing, one of London’s biggest culinary names. It’s only right that the Renaissance would go out of its way to represent Britain at its best; this hotel’s fortunes were surely linked to those of St. Pancras Station itself, the Eurostar’s new home, and will be the first stop for quite a few travelers from the Continent.

Playa Viva : Juluchuca, Guerrero, Mexico

Sat, 05 May 2012 04:01:07 GMT

Gosoku no Kutsu : Amakusa-shi, Kumamoto, Japan

Fri, 04 May 2012 04:00:05 GMT

Japan’s ryokans offer one of the most unique hospitality experiences available anywhere in the world, and for that they’re quite rightly sought after. But the genre in its most historically correct form can, for an outsider, present obstacles. For anyone who’s not yet ready for total immersion in tatami-style tradition, entrée comes in the form of one of several hybrid-style, Western-influenced ryokans, of which Gosoku no Kutsu is a leading representative.

The location, on the west coast of Amakusa, today feels splendidly secluded, far as it is from Honshu’s big coastal cities. But back in the 16th century, when Japan was making tentative steps towards contact with the West, Amakusa was one of the first ports of call. And with its three European-influenced villas, it’s this legacy which Gosoku no Kutsu consciously recalls.

They’re split up into fifteen units, and if the style is somewhat restrained, the comforts are legion. All of them are to some degree or another open to the lush greenery on the surrounding hillside, and if it’s a bit of oneness with nature you’re after, you’ve come to the right place. Add the obligatory hot-spring baths, an included dinner and breakfast, and a thoroughly old-fashioned approach to service, and you’ve got yourself a very fine introduction to traditional — but not too traditional — Japanese country life.

How to get there:
A complimentary shuttle bus to/from Hondo port, Hondo bus terminal or Amakusa airport can be arranged with at least three days advance notice. Approximate transfer time is 45 minutes.

Transfer-In Schedule: anytime after 14:30 Transfer-Out Schedule: 08:45, 10:45, *Guests should keep in mind the shuttle may pick up other guests at various locations.

Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.

Excelsior Hotel Berlin : Berlin, Germany

Thu, 03 May 2012 04:00:16 GMT

Behind the mid-century facade of what at first appears to be a fairly standard business hotel in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district, there’s a surprise or two to be found. The Excelsior Hotel has seen the design-hotel light, and in its new incarnation it’s looking as good as new, decked out in angular modern furniture and a monochrome color scheme. In today’s Berlin, of course, this counts as a sort of conservatism, an opportunity for travelers to reset their aesthetic sensibilities, avoiding the twin extremes of the city’s riotously eccentric boutiques and its impossibly opulent grand hotels. The Excelsior happily charts a middle path.

The rooms are stylish but far from overbearing, dominated by large-scale photo works and quite variable in terms of conveniences, from the very simple standard rooms to the rather swanky deluxes on up to junior suites, each with a private balcony, and the sunny split-level deluxe suites. The ground-level brasserie serves as the interface between the hotel and the city, bringing locals in and ushering guests out into the streets. And about those streets: the Excelsior is, like so many Berlin hotels, a short distance from the Kurfürstendamm, the city’s main commercial drag — so whether you’re here on business or on holiday, you’re never far from the action.

Excelsior Hotel Berlin : Berlin, Germany

Thu, 03 May 2012 04:00:12 GMT

La Cabro d’Or : Les Baux de Provence, France

Wed, 02 May 2012 04:00:16 GMT

Though just up the road from the stunning Oustau de Baumanière, La Cabro d’Or isn’t competition, exactly. More like a complement. This is the second venue in Les Baux de Provence from Geneviève and Jean-André Charial, and while the Oustau may be better known, it’s not because La Cabro d’Or is any less impressive a hotel. It’s meant to keep a lower profile, a touch more private and casual than its older sibling, but when it comes to the style, the comforts and the cuisine, it’s very much in the same league.

The décor is a contemporary take on the classic Provençal country house, and these 18th- and 19th-century buildings have personality to spare. The hotel gardens make for tranquil surroundings, and the terraces take in views of Les Baux that are sublime in the strictest sense: beautiful with a slight edge of menace.

Meanwhile the Spa Baumanière is perhaps a touch more elaborate than you’d expect from a hotel of this size, which is no bad thing. And the restaurant, as well, is much more than just a hotel kitchen — much of the custom comes from non-guests, whose first impression of La Cabro d’Or is formed at the table of chef Michel Hulin, who trained with the likes of Gérard Boyer and Michel Guérard.

Les Baux de Provence is 30 kilometers from Avignon and 20 kilometers from Arles.
Nearest train stations: Avignon and Arles
Nearest Airport: Nîmes Arles Camargue Airport

La Cabro d’Or : Les Baux de Provence, France

Wed, 02 May 2012 04:00:13 GMT

Les Baux de Provence is 30 kilometers from Avignon and 20 kilometers from Arles.
Nearest train stations: Avignon and Arles
Nearest Airport: Nîmes Arles Camargue Airport

The Lowell : New York City, NY, USA

Tue, 01 May 2012 04:00:12 GMT

There’s plenty of flashy, ostentatious luxury to be found in New York, if that’s your style, but the Lowell, on Manhattan’s posh Upper East Side, presents an alternative vision. Around here there’s still some affection for an understated sort of luxury, and anyone who’s nonplussed by the Lowell’s lobby — where’s the soaring atrium, the million-dollar art installation? — need only bear this fact in mind.

For once you’ve stepped off the elevator — an equally humble affair — and into your room or suite, you’ll grasp the point. The Lowell saves the best for where it counts. These spaces are stylish updates on the classic prewar Upper East Side residential template, plush but always dignified, full of creature comforts and steeped in Gotham romance. Suites far outnumber rooms, contributing to the Lowell’s residential aspect, and more than a few of them have original wood-burning fireplaces, long gone from the vast majority of New York hotels.

The Post House serves a well-regarded menu of steaks and chops, and the Pembroke Room’s tea service is an Upper East Side institution. And from there you’re close to more than a few of Manhattan’s most desirable destinations, from Central Park to the Museum Mile to the shopping and entertainment of Midtown.

Armani Hotel Milano : Milan, Italy

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:08 GMT

Some hotels need to be seen to be properly understood. Other hotel concepts, though, more or less speak for themselves. Simply at the mention of the Armani Hotel Milan one knows what one’s going to get: a bold and tasteful elegance, a certain richness in texture and materials, and of course an imposing silhouette — and one, incidentally, that’s suitable both for business and for pleasure.

In one sense it’s almost a living showroom for the Armani Casa shop across the road. But it’s more than that — a hotel, for a fashion chain, is a showroom for an entire lifestyle, and these interiors, modern Milanese to a tee, will have you checking yourself in the mirror to make sure you’re measuring up. And like the best in fashion, they’re more than surface deep, with a remarkable amount of attention paid to the physical luxuries that don’t show up on film.

Ninety-five rooms isn’t enormous, but without question the Armani joins the Milanese big league, competing directly against the town’s top luxury hotels. The spa and the restaurants see to these high-flying guests’ needs in the manner to which they’re accustomed, and the location is tough to beat, with walking access to what’s arguably the world’s finest shopping district. As branding, it’s a stroke of genius — and it’s no less impressive as a hotel.

Hotel Habita : Mexico City, Mexico

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 04:00:29 GMT

Mexico City’s Hotel Habita is the very face of urban boutique cool, wrapped in an outer layer of frosted glass, extending the old apartment block’s volume out into space, making corridors of the old balconies, keeping the cool air in and the street noise out. From outside, the silhouettes of the well-heeled hotel guests can be spied moving from room to room, inside what in daylight resembles a block of ice, and at night an outsize paper lantern. Archi-tourists will be charmed, while traditionalists may ask when the construction is scheduled to finish—in any case, it’s a radical departure from the stately residential buildings of the upscale Polanco neighborhood.

The interiors are, of course, just as startling, with the Mexico City colonial style nowhere in evidence, replaced by a sparkling white minimalism, with hardwood floors and an almost Scandinavian coolness—corridors are painted a calming sea-foam green that adds an icy tint to the daytime exterior. Rooms are stark and stylish, with Eames or Jacobsen-style chairs and another plane of glass as a desk.

Hotel Habita is a place to see and be seen, playing host to well-off locals as well as actors, musicians and media types—as such, it’s the public spaces that truly sparkle. AREA, the rooftop bar, is one of Mexico City’s hottest nightspots, with sweeping city views and appropriately theatrical setting, and a single-lane lap pool and jacuzzi occupy the lower terrace. The lobby is home to a self-service margarita bar, as well as AURA, an Asian fusion restaurant decorated in the same icy-cool style. As for the location, it’s hard to find fault; the Polanco district is home to many of the city’s best shops and restaurants, while the hotel itself is tucked down a quieter side street for maximum quiet and privacy.

How to get there:

Hotel Habita is approximately a 30 minute drive from Benito Juarez International Airport. Transfers are available for USD57 for up to 2 guests, each way and USD65 for 4-7 guests. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.

La Suite Hotel & Spa Procida : Procida, Italy

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:00:09 GMT

Please note: A three night minimum is required over weekends in the high season.

Though it’s Capri and the Amalfi Coast that get the most column inches, there’s plenty else to love about coastal Campania. Up around the other end of the crescent-shaped Bay of Naples is the island of Procida, a little speck of a place, which, while you may find it lacks some of Capri’s geographic drama, if you’re at a point in life where Italian islands seem anything less than extraordinary, then it’s time to start asking some hard questions.

Anyway, even if somehow the jumbled rainbow-hued buildings of Procida aren’t filling you with aesthetic admiration, you’ll find La Suite itself quite difficult to resist. Its contemporary forms are in striking contrast to the rustic old town, as is its setting, in five thousand square meters of private garden. Every luxury hotel claims to be a private oasis, and every modern minimalist hotel presents itself as a little slice of Zen; in La Suite’s case both turn out to be true.

The rooms and suites are stylish in monochrome, more contemporary than classic, and luxe in fittings and furnishings, with an urbane mod-baroque vibe. There’s a spa that’s quite a lot more extensive than you’d perhaps expect from a fifteen-room hotel, an outdoor pool, and a café serving a range of Italian food and wine in a striking white-on-white setting. All in all, a remarkably urbane hotel experience, on an island that’s anything but urban.

Beach Access: La Suite is situated directly on the beach “Il Postino”. Guests enjoy complimentary oversize beach chairs; umbrellas are available at a fee.

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Bali : Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:00:14 GMT

How do you follow up a hotel like the Bulgari in Milan, where the architecture, the design, and the stunning, secluded city-center ex-monastery location conspire to produce one of Europe’s finest modern hotels. Rather than hope to work the same magic twice, they’ve set out for the other side of the world — namely Bali, where the second Bulgari resort stands on a bluff overlooking the island’s rough south coast.

It’s essentially a cross between a traditional Balinese village and a modern luxury resort. Villas cascade down the terraced hillside, topped by thatched roofs, their interiors decorated in a style that’s at once traditional-Indonesian and modern-Milanese. The same Antonio Citterio is responsible for the bulk of the design, and his clean lines practically define contemporary elegance. And for dramatic edge-of-the-world landscape you could do a lot worse than southern Bali.

Of course the visuals are only half the package. As you’d expect from a hotel group that is, after all, a partnership between the high-end jeweler and the Ritz-Carlton concern, classic luxury values are very much in evidence. Even the most basic of villas is lavish to the extreme, and the signature Bulgari villa is breathtaking in its decadence. From the spa to the cliffside infinity pool to the helicopter shuttle, it’s a hotel that’s not at all shy about flexing its luxe muscles.

Sivory Punta Cana : Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:00:17 GMT

It’s not about the Dominican Republic so much as it is about a beach at the end of the earth. Sivory Punta Cana may as well be on its own desert island, so focused is it on the sand, the surf, and the horizon. And if you wanted to get away from everything else, it’s hard to imagine a more gorgeous place to do it.

The accommodations are almost equal to the setting. Neither aggressively modern nor patronizingly island-kitsch, they’re soothing, contemporary, and subtly quite luxe. You won’t be blown away by bachelor-pad gadgetry, but you also certainly won’t mind the deep two-person soaking tub, the all-pervasive wireless internet, or the dedicated wine fridge. There’s more space than you’ll know what to do with, and the views are extraordinary, especially in the waterfront suites — it’s like living inside a postcard.

They’re more than luxurious enough to hole up in, and some do. Honeymooners might not even know about the spa, expansive though it is, and the restaurants go far beyond the odd bit of room service — for just a hundred-odd guests the Sivory provides no fewer than three restaurants, and, in the cellar, eight thousand bottles of wine.

Please note:
GENERAL HURRICANE POLICY Guests holding confirmed reservations from June 1st to November 30th will be able to cancel without penalty and offered full refunds of any advance deposits, or will be allowed to reschedule a vacation, with the same room rate, if they are unable to travel to the property due to severe weather conditions – with no cancellation damages at the same hotel for reservations within the next 12 months. The replacement must be used within one year from the date of the hurricane, and the claim must be made within 90 days of the original vacation or once the property is back up and running. Guests already in the hotel will not be penalized for any early departure and any unused portion of a guest’s deposit will be refunded. In the event that guests are unable to leave the hotel due to airport closure or cancellation of outbound flights because of a hurricane warning, those customers will receive up to three additional nights accommodation at no cost. Any additional nights are at contracted rates. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance.