Field Notes from a Hotel Brand Director: When the Place Is the Message I almost didn’t book Twentyone. I went on the website and couldn’t feel it. No clear message. No story. No promise. And in a world where every boutique hotel sells you a narrative before you even arrive, this felt like a miss. Then I ended up in Kifisia, booked it anyway —
hotels journal BoHo Prague — when advantage goes unused Staying at BoHo Hotel, what strikes me most is not what is missing, but what is wasted. This hotel has a competitive advantage that many large lifestyle brands would envy:it is small, central, refined, and part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. And yet, it behaves as if it were trying to blend in. Across the square,
There are hotels that try to impress.And then there are places like Monsieur Didot Hotel, which do something far more difficult: they remain a house. Tucked into a narrow, busy Kolonaki street, the building doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t perform. It simply exists — an old Athenian home, reimagined into six rooms without losing its domestic rhythm. You arrive as if you were
There is something quite exquisite about staying in small boutique hotels, and if you follow my blog posts on Trends, you’ll already know how passionate I am about luxury travel, that reflects an understated experience. The question is, why should you stay in a small boutique hotel, over a luxury resort? Well, as hotelier and luxury travel guru Ian Schrager once said, you
When I was growing I was telling my peers I won't live in a normal home but in a hotel! Since I sort of designed my life like a “new Nomad”. From one city to another every year in tiny apartments that I designed like Hotel suites. I was inspired to create a business that would bridge real estate and hospitality. I created the
If you need to seal a date or are facing a gut-taking engagement proposal with a difficult princess, this is the place to go. The honeymoon suite will crack her down, or win her over, however you want to see it. No one can resist this view! It’s a bit of a fairytale place, with little corners, gorgeous views, the idyllic Greek life. It’s on a
When I first slept at the Omm Hotel Barcelona, I fell in love with the rooftop pool! There were just a few other guests and myself and the idea of a rooftop bar was not so hip yet, so we could enjoy the peace. Omm is pretty big, but it also has everything. I love the water walk at the spa, and the
This is a swim club turned Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Not an easy job! At first, you feel the disproportion of everything and it can make you feel lost, at least for someone like me that loves small and cozy places. It took me quite a while to get adjusted to the space and air of the desert so I was close
It is what it says — a magic mansion! I think Italians can be pretty tacky when it comes to creating their own boutique hotels but this takes it way beyond. About an hour and a half drive from Napoli Airport through busy streets and curvy roads, you finally arrive at Villa Magia Positano (this old mansion) located on the East side of
Cortina Hotel Munich was my home throughout the fall of 2016, truly! The Cortina Hotel Munich feels like home. Super understated reception, very spacious suites tastefully decorated so that it feels like more like a pied-a-terre apartment than a hotel room. Some have small kitchens, German-style — like, you get all of the kitchen appliances somehow in a vertical system. From the small