boutique hotel

InterContinental Launches Luxury Boutique Brand in Asia-Pacific

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHC) has opened a Hotel Indigo, its upscale boutique brand, in downtown Shanghai, China.

"The decision to introduce Hotel Indigo into China demonstrates our commitment to the booming hotel industry here while taking our leadership position to the next level," says Keith Barr, managing director of IHG Greater China.

Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund, is first Hotel Indigo to open thus far in the region. Centrally located at the southern end of the Bund, sitting directly on the Huangpu River front, Hotel Indigo offers a unique space that adds to the local neighborhood and culture in a creative, sustainable fashion. The 184-room property on waterfront property features spectacular views of the historic Bund, Yu Gardens and the ultra modern Pudong new area, all first-class dining, entertainment and shopping destinations.

Gallery: Hotel Indigo opens in Shanghai

Tags: boutique hotel, China, Hotel Indigo, intercontinental, intercontinental hotels group, luxury hotels, Shanghai, travel

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Spend Halloween at The Surrey Hotel in New York

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The gracious lobby of The Surrey Hotel, the boutique hotel in New York City.

This Halloween, travelers visiting New York City don't have to miss out on all the fun events surrounding the spooky holiday.

Families staying at The Surrey Hotel, the gorgeous boutique hotel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on Halloween will get to experience all the usual tricks and treats, with fun and festive offerings for both children and parents alike.

Upon checking in to The Surrey, guests will be greeted with a decadent treat of gourmet salted caramels. As the children get ready for a night of spooks and sweets, Moms are invited to escape to The Spa at The Surrey, the luxurious day spa (see video below), where they will receive a special Halloween offer of 20% off any 60-minute spa treatment. Feeling relaxed and refreshed, they will be ready to join their children for some good old-fashioned trick-or-treating, beginning in the hotel's lobby, where The Surrey's Bellmen and Front Desk staff will be giving out an array of delicious treats to guests and local trick-or-treaters throughout the evening. Pets are invited to join in on the fun too, where they can nosh on special doggie treats and mingle with Bentley, the hotel's adorably irresistible Havanese puppy.

Gallery: The Surrey Hotel

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Hotel Design: Comfort versus Boredom at Grupo Habita Hotels

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Would you rather be entirely bored but very comfortable in a luxury hotel, or slightly less comfortable while having a unique hotel experience?

To me, this is the central question that Grupo Habita's hotels raise, and it's a good one.

Habita is a Mexico-based boutique hotel company owns nine properties in Mexico, from its namesake Habita in Mexico City, to the ultra-sceney Condesa df, also in Mexico City, to its latest hotel, Boca Chica, in Acapulco. Its Monterrey Hotel, Habita MTY won a 2010 *Wallpaper Design award, which you don't get for being fusty or forgettable.

None of these adjectives can be used in connection with Habita's properties. In an interview on Hotel Management Network, co-owners Carlos Couturier and Moises Micha said "Our mission is to impose a certain philosophy on society. We are not here only to create hotels, we are here to make people understand that creativity is good for society. We don't only build hotels. We build experiences."

I've stayed at Habita's property in Puebla, La Purificadora, and I also stayed at Condesa df, and I'm glad I read that interview, because I can now evaluate the properties on their own terms. Condesa is a fun, trendy neighborhood in D.F., and the hotel is just that -- the qualities that I'd count as strikes against in a traditional hotel -- smallish rooms, slightly noisy -- are actually part of the experience of being in that neighborhood. You don't go there for a retreat, you go there to be in the middle of things. As I mentioned in my review of La Purificadora, I thought that form sometimes trumped function, but I never once forgot that I was in a hotel that was making use of its space in a former water purification factory.

Gallery: Condesa DF and Boca Chica

Condesa df Rooftop Bar, Around the Corner

Tags: acapulco, boutique hotel, grupo habita hotels, habita hotel, mexican hotels, Mexico, Mexico City, mexico hotels, monterrey

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Stay In Color At The Pantone Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Like a little color with your hotel room? Then perhaps there could be no better spot for you than the Pantone Hotel. The experts behind those annual color pronouncements have created the Pantone Hotel in Brussels, Belgium. The hotel was designed by Belgian interior designer Michel Penneman and Belgian architect Olivier Hannaert and each of the hotel's seven floors is given over to a different color palettes to complement guests' emotions with distinctive hues from tranquil blues to fiery reds. Guest rooms have white walls and bedding enlivened by saturated pops of vibrant color. Rooms feature photographic installations by Belgian photographer Victor Levy. There is meeting space as well as a rooftop terrace with a bar.

The hotel also offers selections from the Pantone Universe a line of colorful, design-inspired products that includes mugs inspired by the Pantone color chips. Pantone color consultants are also available by appointment for informal color consultations or to present educational seminars on color psychology and trends. Room rates start around 130 euros.

Tags: boutique hotel, brussels, luxury hotel, pantone, pantone hotel

Chamberlain West Hollywood, A Stylish 1980s Redux

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Too often boutique can mean boring but that isn't the case at the Chamberlain in West Hollywood, California. The 114-room property, part of the Viceroy Hotel Group's premier Urban Retreats portfolio, is in the midst of a design renovation set for completion this summer. The hotel's redesign is its first since its opening in 2005 and encompasses a remodel of all guestrooms, suites, bathrooms, and the roof-top outdoor pool deck, which offers views of the Hollywood Hills, city skyline, and Pacific Ocean. The new aesthetic vision is a modern-day interpretation of 1970s and 1980s-era glamour with a use of graphic patterns like grids, checkerboards and chevrons to add interest.

Tags: boutique hotel, california, los angeles hotels, luxury hotel, viceroy, viceroy hotel, west hollywood

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New Boutique Hotel Opens in Cartagena

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Yesterday, while browsing at the incomparable Idelwild, a travel book store in New York's Union Square, I learned that the store is having trouble keeping South American guide books in stock -- the weather starts to get super nice down around those parts just as North American weather takes a nose dive.

If you're looking for a good South American destination to aim for, try Cartagena -- which has been called the next Buenos Aires. There's a new place to stay, too: The Tcherassi, a boutique hotel owned and designed by Latin fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi. She restored and renovated a 250 year old colonial mansion in the heart of the old city for the project, creating a hotel with just seven rooms, each named after a fabric she works with. The result seems a decidedly happy marriage of the old with sleek contemporary lines. (The roof pool is pictured here, see the gallery below for other images.) If The Tcherassi lives up to its promise, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it become a regular on hot design hotel lists.

Gallery: The Tcherassi Hotel in Cartagena

Entrance to Hotel Tcherassi Restaurant VERA

Tags: boutique hotel, BoutiqueHotel, cartagena, hotel, southamerica, wintertravel, wintertravel-pedia

The Marcel at Gramercy Gets Set for Summer

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Manhattan's The Marcel at Gramercy, which unveiled a luxe new makeover a few months back transforming the quaint 3 star hotel into a chic and stylish 4 star standout, is putting the finishing touches on its much-awaited rooftop bar in preparation for the warmer weather. We hear it's going to be open by June, and while the chic watering hole with a stunning view of the Empire State Building will officially only be open to hotel guests, we're told a select number of civilians will be allowed to pass the portals each evening as well. It should make a welcome respite from the extremely over-the-top Gramercy Park Hotel nearby.

Meanwhile, a new restaurant / bar has opened in the hotel's ground floor space with its massive windows affording a great view of the street scene. It now houses a branch of hip Lower East Side fave 'inoteca, the prized panini-and-vino specialist, with fresh-squeezed juice at the bar. The vibe is very Milan Fashion Week, and the wine list has over 600 selections representing every wine making region in Italy. Now housing 135 rooms, the Marcel's new amenities include Frette linens, marble bathrooms, iPod docking stations and LCD TVs. A spa and gym are also in the works.

Gallery: The Marcel at Gramercy

Tags: bar, boutique hotel, BoutiqueHotel, Frette, Gramercy Park, GramercyPark, inoteca, Manhattan, New York, NewYork

Sacramento's New Boutique Hotel, The Citizen, Opens

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The capital of California, Sacramento, finally has a downtown luxury boutique hotel. The Citizen is part of the Joie de Vivre chain and is located in a restored 1920s high-rise located two blocks from the State Capitol. The 198-room hotel includes a Governor's Suite with views of the Capitol while the Mayor's Suite offers views of City hall. In keeping with the political theme each room has one of 40 classic political cartoons and bedside lampshades inscribed with text from the California constitution. The Grange restaurant serves local, seasonally-driven food. Because so many people come to Sacramento for business weekend rates are cheaper, weekday rates start at $249 while weekend rates start at $149.

[via News 10]

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Tags: boutique hotel, BoutiqueHotel, hotel, sacramento, the citizen

Hotel Renew, Boutique Style in Honolulu

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Hotel Renew bills itself as Honolulu's first luxury designer boutique hotel. Designed by Jiun Ho, the small hotel is located near Waikiki Beach and offers just 72 rooms. The rooms use Shoji screens, natural rock, wave patterns in the bedding and carpet and the customized spa-inspired robes and lifestyle amenities to create an air of tranquility. Each room includes an 80" projection television or 32" LCD HDTV, CD/DVD player, iPod compatibility, and WiFi access. The hotel is also dog-friendly ( up to 20 pounds with a security deposit of $50 and a fee of $25 per night) and smoke free.

Hotel Renew is also home to Lounge Renew which offers breakfast and coffee in the morning, healthy treats and smoothies in the middle of the day and signature cocktails and libations in the evening. Rooms start at $175 per night. Reviews on Trip Advisor look great, this hotel is rated top in their reviews of Honolulu hotels.

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Tags: boutique hotel, honolulu, hotel renew, HotelRenew

Schrager's Marriott Hotel Gets a Name

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Around six months ago, lifestyle entrepreneur Ian Schrager and hotel magnate Bill Marriott announced that they would be collaborating on a hotel brand. Now we've got a few more details. Following the popular trend of one-word rather bland names for chains, here comes "Edition." The pair plans to eventually have more than 100 Edition hotels in markets around the globe. The first nine hotels are slated for Paris, Madrid, Costa Rica, Miami, Washington, Chicago and Scottsdale, Ariz. and two in Los Angeles. The hotels will all have 150 to 200 rooms and each will have an individual style. Th partners have also promised to be environmentally responsible. Schrager will be the mastermind behind the concept, design, marketing, branding and food and beverages while Marriott will do the grunt work of development and operations.

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Tags: bill marriott, boutique hotel, edition, expire-images:2009-1-29, hotels, ian schrager, IanSchrager

Hotel Unique in South America's New Glamour Capital

by Jaime El-Helw (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Holiday Guides

Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo, Brazil is a breathtaking achievement by local architect Ruy Ohtake. It is easily recognizable as it resembles a big slice of watermelon; with dramatically sloping sides and flat-topped roof and round, port-hole-style windows for the seeds. It is a sleek, cutting-edge structure and so attracts a lively clientele; it is the IN place to stay if ever in the "helicopter-capital of the world". The average room price here is approximately $360 USD. They have all the amenities that one comes to expect of a luxury boutique hotel and is the perfect spot for the young and hip traveler or the newly-wedded-- this place will let you get to know someone in a hurry. This hotel features guest rooms with bathroom walls which disappear with a push of the button and one of the chicest bars in the city -- don't even show up unless you're a perfect ten. If you're traveling solo, you are sure to meet at least one someone special in the lobby. It has an informal, chill vibe with the requisite Brazilian trip-hop music and a few lounge chairs grouped around low tables. A chilled bottle of champagne greets the incoming guests, great for breaking-the-ice. And check out the crimson-red pool on the roof -- I don't know what to think here; probably something you have to experience before you decide, wonderful for a sultry late-night swim or just wildly unnatural?

Gallery: Hotel Unique

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Boca de Iguanas Hotel Opens

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Last year I wrote about the Boca de Iguanas project in Mexico which includes both residences and a hotel. Now the small boutique hotel is open for business. The 12-room Costalegre beach boutique hotel has rooms which are named for nature but also reflect their unique characteristics: the "Selva Suite" (meaning jungle) has an outdoor soaking Jacuzzi tub next to a mangrove estuary, "Palmas" overlooks a stand of coconut palms, "Agua" has an oversized Jacuzzi tub and "Noche" features a spiral wooden staircase leading to a terrace and bed for sleeping under the stars. There is also a beach club with an infinity edge swimming pool, and an al fresco restaurant and bar. Future pans include rustic cabanas hidden in the hills and a holistic wellness spa. Also, each Thursday night features a bonfire with full bar service and canvas folding chairs with blankets. Guests can also join the onsite biologist during turtle season (October to March) during her nightly patrols of the Boca de Iguanas beach to help recover and relocate sea turtle eggs to the turtle camp. The resort also has a wine cave, an organic fruit and vegetable garden and a community herb garden. Rates start at $240 per night and include breakfast each day and happy hour cocktails.

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Tags: boca de iguanas, BocaDeIguanas, boutique hotel, hotel, mexico, resort, vacation

Historic Hotels Upgrading to Attract New Customers

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

In many large cities, you will find beautiful historic hotel properties situated on prime real estate. Some have been abandoned and risk being demolished while others are still operating, but lack the amenities necessary to attract luxury customers. Rather than tear them down and start from scratch, a new trend sees hoteliers renovating and upgrading their properties to offer the best of both worlds - first class accommodations along with historic charm.

One such property is the Book-Cadillac Hotel in Detroit. Built in 1924, the hotel was once a destination for presidents and movie stars, but fell into decline in the 1980's. Having stood vacant for more than twenty years, it is now being reincarnated as the 455-room Westin Book Cadillac Detroit. Scheduled to open in late 2008, the property will feature condominiums, retail and restaurant space and provide full-time employment for more than 450 workers.

Even those with less illustrious histories are getting a new lease on life. In 1946, The Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta was the site of the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history, but after undergoing a $28 million renovation has reopened as the 4-star Ellis Hotel on Atlanta's famed Peachtree Street. Oklahoma City's Skirvin Hotel has benefited from a $55 million renovation and is now the Skirvin Hilton.

Visitors to Boston can enjoy an unusual experience staying at the Liberty Hotel, formerly the Charles Street Jail. Once considered "unfit for human living", the renovated property celebrates its roots by retaining some of the jail cells amid the luxury accommodations. And after a $10 million renovation, Seattle's century-old Alexis Hotel is now a luxury destination in the heart of downtown, offering modern amenities in an art-filled atmosphere.

Gallery: Historic Hotels Upgrading to Attract New Customers

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Ka'ana Boutique Resort & Spa

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

A new boutique hotel has had a soft open in the Cayo district of Belize. The Ka'ana Boutique Resort & Spa has an official grand opening on September 22. There are 15 cottages with quiet verandas each with a sitting area, private bath, air conditioning, ceiling fan, LCD TV, mini-bar and internet facilities. The resort also includes a small spa which offers massages, scrubs, and other therapies. There is also a restaurant and the resort offers tours of the local area that includes many Mayan ruins and nature-based activities such as kayaking, canoeing and hiking. Rates start at $175 per night and the resort is currently offering a special that includes four nights with the fourth night free, bottle of wine, fruit basket and 60-minute massage for two.

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Tags: belize, boutique hotel, BoutiqueHotel, ka'ana, resort, spa, vacation

Inn at Chicago Magnificent Mile Tries To Shed Its Past

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The 357-room Inn of Chicago, formerly under management by Best Western, has reopened after a renovation, as an independent boutique hotel. The hotel is now known as the rather cumbersome Inn of Chicago Magnificent Mile. New features include a poshed-up lobby, InnBar lounge, reappointed guest rooms and bathrooms, and the creation of 58 executive guest rooms, There is also Lavazza Café downstairs for coffee and snacks. The hotel's 1980s-style teal and pink rooms have been given a more muted brown and green color scheme and the bathrooms are now all white and spa-ed out. And there are penthouse rooms with a Queen size bed and bathroom with separate stall shower and sunken tub, and an oversized living room with refrigerator. Rates are low currently, they start at $159 a night. Will this be enough to help out a hotel with a decidedly two-star reputation?

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Tags: boutique hotel, chicago, hotel, inn of chicago, InnOfChicago, vacation