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The Latest Hotels: Jaipur, Casablanca & Vienna
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Sofitel fetes its second property in Morocco, as Four Seasons launch in Guangzhou, Grand Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur and Ritz-Carlton in Vienna The Hotel at Monteverdi, nestled in the historic…
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
Sofitel fetes its second property in Morocco, as Four Seasons launch in Guangzhou, Grand Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur and Ritz-Carlton in Vienna
The Hotel at Monteverdi, nestled in the historic heart of the Val d’Orcia region, in the village of Castiglioncello del Trinoro, Siena
The travel industry has endured radical change at the hands of the digital revolution. Where once hotels were booked on merit of brand name or reputation, the Internet now exposes consumers to the world of social feedback, allows them to compare pricing globally, and book an entire trip without the consultation of a travel agent.
Therefore it was somewhat unsurprising to find that consumers are overwhelmingly choosing digital channels when it comes to booking last-minute hotels. A recent survey by hotel price comparison website Trivago revealed that 85 per cent of 4000+ participants, across eight different countries, preferred to book on the Internet or via a smartphone app.
Only 15 per cent indicated that they would use traditional methods of booking through a travel agent or calling the hotel directly. On the rise is bookings from mobiles and tablets, where App’s accounted for 11 per cent of all reservations internationally. With more and more apps from airlines, travel agents, hotels and search-aggregates, it is difficult to imagine the future of travel without the Internet.
Sofitel, Casablanca
Accor’s Sofitel has opened its second hotel in Morocco in 2012, bringing the number of hotels in the Kingdom to eight. Belgian architect Patrick Guénard designed the Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche, with interiors by Frenchmen Marc Hertrich and Nicolas Adnet. The 24-story hotel is situated in the heart of the business district, comprising of 141 bedrooms and 30 suites with views of the white city.
Website: sofitel.com/casablanca
Source: HSyndicate
Four Seasons, Guangzhou
Four Seasons has announced its 88th property, located in the top third of the 103-storey Guangzhou IFC. From the ground floor, guests of Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou take dedicated express elevators to the 70th floor lobby, to access the 302 guest rooms and 42 suites with interiors created by Hirsch Bednerand Associates.
Website: fourseasons.com/guangzhou
Interior Architect: Hirsch Bednerand Associates
Source: Hospitality.net
Fairmont, Jaipur
Jaipur is home to the latest Fairmont Hotel, where the group have created a property from the ground up, to be a sensitive re-imaging of the traditional Mughal palace. 255 guestrooms and suites reflect a modern, sophisticated style alongside the rich, cultural characteristics of the famed “Pink City” of Jaipur.
Website: fairmont.com/Jaipur
Source: Drinks Media Wire
Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur
Situated in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Grand Hyatt has launched its first property in Malaysia. The 370 guestroom and 42 suite hotel was designed by Bilkey Llinas Design, where guests are whisked to the highest level of the building to check-in at the sky lobby, strategically positioned to view the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.
Website: kualalumpur.grand.hyatt.com
Architect: Bilkey Llinas Design
Source: BusinessWire
ME by Meliá, London
ME London is the fifth location in the ME by Meliá portfolio, marking the first UK hotel project for Foster + Partners’, for which they have designed all of the interiors and exteriors. Situated in the original London home of BBC radio, the hotel offers a luxe collection of 141 rooms, 16 suites, and the ultra-luxurious Suite ME, a two-floor penthouse in the turret of the building.
Website: melondonuk.com
Architect: Foster + Partners
Source: Elite Traveler
Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, Maldives
Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, the first Banyan Tree hotel in the Maldives, has re-opened after renovations to improve each villa experience, introducing an outdoor pool and jet pool, a day bed in the private garden of each villa and enhancements to the interiors, garden, yoga pavilion and decking area.
Website & Source: banyantree.com
The Hotel at Monteverdi, Tuscany
Nestled in the heart of the Val d’Orcia region, the seven-bedroom Hotel Monteverdi offers spectacular vistas
of the verdant valley below, alongside an adjoining outdoor swimming pool. Under the direction of Italian interior designer Ilaria Miani, and Ernesto Bartolini of DA. Studio as principal architect, the property enlisted regional artisans, stone masons and builders, to craft each individual space from local woods, Tuscan flagstone, granite and Carrara marble.
Website & Source: monteverdituscany.com
Ritz-Carlton, Vienna
The Ritz-Carlton has opened its first hotel in Austria and its ninth in Europe with the new Ritz-Carlton Vienna. The 202-room property comprises of four historic palaces dating back to the 19th century, and features a restored marble staircase, rooftop bar, restaurant serving Austrian cuisine, private concierge service, indoor swimming pool and Guerlain spa.
Website: ritzcarlton.com/Vienna
Source: Luxuo
For more in the series of The Latest Hotels, please see our most recent editions as follows:
– The Latest Hotels: London, Seville & Saint-Tropez
– The Latest Hotels: Jakarta, Hyderabad & Bangkok
– The Latest Hotels: Kyiv, Abu Dhabi & Western Australia
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.
