Hyper luxury infiltrates the luxury hospitality scene, as Kempinski launches a £100,000 three-day anniversary package and Six Star Cruises proposes 124 days for a cool £1 million
RETAIL
The Latest Hotels, Istanbul, Panama & Berlin
This is the featured image caption
Credit: This is the featured image credit
Over the last decade, collaborations between luxury brands and contemporary artists have gone beyond mere artistic partnerships towards a new kind of luxury branding.
PARIS – Art and fashion have always developed side by side, for fashion, like art, often gives visual expression to the cultural zeitgeist. During the 1920s, Salvador Dalí created dresses for Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiapparelli. In the 1930s, Ferragamo’s shoes commissioned designs for advertisements from Futurist painter Lucio Venna, while Gianni Versace commissioned works from artists such as Alighiero Boetti and Roy Lichtenstein for the launch of his collections. Yves Saint Laurent’s vast art collection, recently auctioned at Christie’s in Paris, testified to his great love of art and revealed the influence of a variety of artists on his own designs.
In the 1980s, relationships between luxury brands and artists were advanced when Alain Dominique Perrin created the Fondation Cartier. In the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, a book marking the foundation’s 20th anniversary, Perrin says he makes “a connection between all the different sorts of arts, and luxury goods are a kind of art. Luxury goods are handicrafts of art, applied art.”
The Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemparain building in Paris
Hyper luxury infiltrates the luxury hospitality scene, as Kempinski launches a £100,000 three-day anniversary package and Six Star Cruises proposes 124 days for a cool £1 million
The Stafford London by Kempinski has launched a £100,000 Anniversary Package to celebrate 100 years of luxury service
As the world opens itself to luxury, across new geographies, mediums and demographics, hyper luxurious products and services are back in fashion. Take for instance Hermès, and its second foray into haute bijouterie. Four different mini-handbags inspired by the brand’s iconic bags, made of intertwining chains covered in 11,000 diamonds, or a rose gold with crocodile scales and 1,160 diamonds, they hover around the €1.5 million mark.
Over at Hublot, The $5 Million is loaded with more than 1,200 diamonds and took over 14 months to create. Perhaps it is not so surprising to see these kinds of products come from luxury goods and accessories brands, given the nature of the materials, the longevity of the product and the conspicuousness of the purchase. But what is interesting is luxury hospitality brands moving towards these hyper luxury – and hyper expensive – experiences.
“ Luxury hospitality brands are moving towards hyper luxury – and hyper expensive – experiences ”
The Stafford London by Kempinski has launched a three-day, £100,000 Anniversary Package to celebrate 100 years of luxury service. The three-night all-inclusive stay in the top-tier terrace penthouse incorporates custom jewellery and bespoke fashion by London’s most coveted tailors and designers, a private photo shoot with Alistair Morrison, indulgent spa treatments and afternoon tea at exclusive venues like the Kensington Palace.
Six star cruises claims to have created the most luxurious cruise holiday in the world – a 124-day trip that takes in French Polynesia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Maldives and Los Angeles – for the cool price of £1 Million per couple. The package includes transfers via speedboat, helicopter and Rolls Royce Phantom, a butler-serviced suite, 4kg of Beluga caviar and stays in leading luxury hotels around the world.
St Regis Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has launched its first St. Regis hotel in the Middle East in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi. St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort incorporates 33 villas, 259 residences and a high-end retail and entertainment complex. Located on the pristine white natural beaches of Saadiyat and is framed by the prestigious Saadiyat Beach Golf Course designed by legendary golfer Gary Player
Website: stregissaadiyatisland.com
Source: Zawya
Palazzo Margherita, Basilicata
Film director Francis Ford Coppola, alongside French designer Jacques Grange, has launched the Palazzo Margherita hotel, located in the Basilicata region of Southern Italy. The 19th century palazzo incorporates seven large suites and two garden rooms with restored marble flooring, private gardens and a secluded swimming pool.
Website: palazzomargherita.com
Source: Elite Traveler
Hotel Indigo, Berlin
InterContinental-owned boutique chain Hotel Indigo has opened its first property in continental Europe, the 81-room Hotel Indigo Berlin not far from shopping destination Boulevard Kufuerstendamm. Rooms feature iPod docking stations and Tassimo coffee machines, while on the ground floor the hotel features Wohlfahrt’s Restaurant.
Website: hotelindigoberlin.com
Source: Luxuo
The Revere, Boston
The Revere hotel is set to launch in the heart of Boston’s vibrant theatre district. The luxury boutique hotel will boast 325 guest rooms, 30 deluxe suites and one presidential suite, as well as a nightlife concept, a film and live entertainment venue and a versatile setting for events. The vision for The Revere hotel has been orchestrated by world-renowned BBGM Interiors (W in NYC, St. Regis in NYC) and the hotel’s internal design team.
Website: revereiscoming.com
Source: Best in Travel
Intercontinental The City, Doha
InterContinental Doha The City has launched, adding 302 rooms and 58 suites – as well as 176 luxurious Residence Suites – to Qatar’s growing hospitality sector. The property also incorporates six restaurants and two lounges, including the country’s highest dining experience and an in-house chocolatier. Leisure facilities include a rooftop swimming pool overlooking Doha’s skyline, a health and fitness club, steam and sauna rooms and male and female whirlpools.
Website: ichotelsgroup.com/doha
Source: Peninsula
Vivanta by Taj Begumpet, Hyderabad
Vivanta by Taj has opened in Begumpet, Hyderabad, the region’s fifth Taj property after Taj Banjara, Taj Krishna, Taj Deccan and Taj Falaknuma Palace. The 181-room hotel features 800sqm of meeting space, natural spa treatments and facilities, several relaxation lounges, several food and beverage venues, and even an ‘in-pool’ dining experience.
h4. Website & Source: vivantabytaj.com/Begumpet-Hyderabad
Vivanta by Taj Bekal, Kerala
Spread across 25 acres, Vivanta by Taj – Bekal is set alongside the meandering Kappil River in the Kasargod district of northern Kerala. Luxurious rooms offer plunge pools, private courtyards, outdoor dining areas, rain showers and soak tubs, alongside custom-made bronze chandeliers and birdcage lanterns. Dining spaces include the Ivory Bar – a majestic dome shaped island bar surrounded by an enchanting water garden, offering poolside BBQ and gazebos for intimate dinners beside the Kappil waters.
Website & Source: vivantabytaj.com/Bekal-Kerala
InterContinental Baan Taling Ngam, Koh Samui
Koh Samui’s first ever luxury resort has re-opened as InterContinental Baan Taling Ngam, following a 10-month multimillion dollar renovation project. Set amid 22 acres of coconut plantation, the resort’s 79 guest residences include 12-signature Beachfront Pool Villas and 17 2-bedroom villas with 320-degree vistas across the famous “Five Islands” and Angthong National Park.
It is also the island’s only address to offer private transfers to guests, to and from Koh Samui International Airport by speedboat direct to its own 150-metre licensed pier.
Website: samui.intercontinental.com
Source: eTravel Blackboard
Le Méridien Etiler, Istanbul
Designed by Turkish architect Emre Arolat, Le Méridien has launched its first hotel in Turkey, Le Méridien Istanbul Etiler. 259 guestrooms and suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows and rainforest showers, providing guests with impressive views of the Bosphorus. The spa features eight treatment rooms, a Turkish Hammam, an indoor pool, an outdoor heated pool, and fitness centre. The hotel also offers more than 2000sqm of meeting space.
Website: starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien
Source: Luxury Hospitality Design
Jumeirah Port Soller, Mallorca
Reported to have cost €120 to €150 million – or approximately one million euros per room – the Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa is set atop a cliff overlooking the bay. 120 rooms and speciality suites are complimented by a 2,200sqm Talise Spa with ten treatment suites, a state of the art gymnasium, Jumeirah Ballroom, several meeting rooms, three swimming and five restaurants and bars.
Website: jumeirah.com/Mallorca
Source: Property Wire
Westin Playa Bonita, Panama
The $100 million Westin Playa Bonita has debuted as the brand’s first hotel in Panama. The luxury beach retreat comprises of 611 guestrooms and suites; six fine-dining restaurants; four bars; 5,800sqm of meeting and event space; and an open-air VIP lounge on the 19th floor, boasting panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, rainforest, and Panama Canal.
Website: starwoodhotels.com/westin
Source: Luxury Hospitality Design
W Hotel Opera, Paris
Designed jointly by W Global Brand Design and the award-winning Rockwell Group Europe, W Paris – Opéra has launched within a 19th-century building in Paris’s 9th arrondissement. Ornamented columns, vaulted ceilings, marble staircases, and fireplaces, have been partially restored, whilst original stained-glass windows and mosaic flooring on the second floor has been preserved. Additional amenities include signature restaurant Arola, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Sergi Arola; the W Lounge; a fitness centre; and meeting and event spaces.
Website & Source: wparisopera.com
For more in the series of The Latest Hotels, please see our most recent editions as follows:
– The Latest Hotels, Mumbai, Moscow & Riviera Maya
– The Latest Hotels, Kitzbühel, Tuscany & Hanoi
– The Latest Hotels, Tianjin, Beijing & Shanghai
Creative Strategist, Digital
Sophie Doran is currently Senior Creative Strategist, Digital at Karla Otto. Prior to this role, she was the Paris-based editor-in-chief of Luxury Society. Prior to joining Luxury Society, Sophie completed her MBA in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on luxury brand dynamics and leadership, whilst simultaneously working in management roles for several luxury retailers.
