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| Il Sereno, Lago di Como has two large gardens designed by French botanist Patrick Blanc. |
AccorHotels has expanded the MGallery by Sofitel brand with the opening of Hotel Paris Bastille Boutet in the French capital’s 11th district near Le Marais. Housed in Maison Boutet, a Bastille neighborhood building that was first a joinery workshop and then a chocolate factory, the hotel is the first five-star hotel in Eastern Paris.
An emphasis was placed on the renovation of mosaics and the Art Deco canopy. The building’s facade, dating back to 1926, was restored, while its industrial heritage is seen in the lobby bar’s leather sofas and in the well-being area with its white and blue glazed tiles.
The hotel has 80 guestrooms and suites. Paying homage to the hotel’s past as a place of craftsmanship, students from the École Boulle, a public school of fine arts and crafts and applied arts, were selected to produce two signature suites, each with its own atmosphere. The property also has the 1,600-square-foot Décléor Spa, which features an indoor pool with jets, steam room, sauna and two hydrotherapy showers.
The brand’s expansion will continue with the Palazzo Livorno MGallery by Sofitel in Italy’s Tuscany region, slated to open later this summer, and Leicester Square MGallery by Sofitel in London, set for a fall debut.
Another boutique hotel, Amastan Paris, opened last month at 34 rue Jean Mermoz Paris, a small street between the high-fashion rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and the Champs-Élysées, just around the corner from La Réserve. A stone’s throw from the Élysée Palace, the hotel has 24 intimate guestrooms spread out on six floors. Light and airy, they are differentiated by size — from the 150-square-foot Classic and 172-square-foot Superior to the 215-square-foot Deluxe and 323-square-foot Premier rooms. Each room is outfitted with bespoke furniture, a full-length mirror, Treca beds, Nespresso machines and Sachajuan toiletries.
The hotel’s Anouk bar serves breakfast in the morning and at night guests can enjoy cocktails and aperitifs, including a carefully curated selection of rare spirits complemented by a light menu of seasonal snacks for sharing. Extending through Anouk’s French doors is a wild and leafy internal garden surrounded by striking rock formations to sit on. The garden is home to more than 30 species of plants and framed by jasmine-covered walls.
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| The Anouk bar at Amastan Paris serves breakfast in the morning and at night guests can enjoy cocktails and aperitifs – indoors or outside in the adjacent garden. |
Il Sereno, Lago di Como, the first new-build hotel on Lake Como in decades, opened earlier this month. Designed by Milan-based Patricia Urquiola, the 30-suite hotel will have a restaurant by Michelin-starred Chef Andrea Berton, also of Milan. The hotel is adjacent to the village of Torno, surrounded by views of the lake.
The property also has two large gardens designed by French botanist Patrick Blanc. At the center of the gardens is a 60-foot-long infinity pool surrounded by a large sundeck. The hotel also has its own private docking facilities and three custom Riva boats that guests can use to visit many locations on the lake.
The latest luxury boutique property to call Palma de Mallorca home is the Nakar Hotel, a member of Design Hotels. It has 57 guestrooms, each equipped with Nespresso machines, Molton Brown bath amenities and top-notch media systems, including screen-mirroring Apple TVs. The Deluxe Rooms are kitted out with in-room Jacuzzis and private terraces.
Stand-out facilities include the spa with the only indoor pool in Palma’s old town; the eighth-floor restaurant serving traditional Mallorcan cuisine crafted with local, organic ingredients; and the rooftop sundeck and pool. During the day, the pool is reserved exclusively for hotel guests, but in the evening, it morphs into the place to see and be seen with resident DJ Toni Jimenez spinning the soundtrack.
The Ritz-Carlton made its Switzerland debut this summer following a major renovation of Hotel de la Paix, which had signed an agreement last fall to become a Ritz-Carlton Partner Hotel. The transformation into Hotel de la Paix Geneva, A Ritz-Carlton Partner Hotel included adjusting the number of rooms from 84 to an even more intimate 75. The hotel was originally built in 1865 and has housed such famous guests as Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco. Earlier this year, The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest opened on St Erzsebet Square in the Hungarian capital following a major revamping of the former Elizabeth Park Hotel.
Marriott International’s Millennial-oriented Moxy Hotels recently opened the 176-room Moxy Frankfurt Eschborn — 10 minutes from downtown Frankfurt and 15 minutes from the airport. It is the second of five hotels the brand is opening in Europe this year. Moxy Munich Airport debuted this spring, and three UK properties — in Aberdeen, Bristol and London — are expected to be up and running before the end of the year. Moxy Dusseldorf and Moxy Frankfurt Airport will be the first of a dozen more hotels that Moxy will unveil in 2017.
Also opening in Germany early next year is The Fontenay, the first ultra-luxury hotel to open in Hamburg in nearly two decades. This hotel will sit on Lake Alster within a 10-minute walk to the city center. Guestroooms will have floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies with views of the lake, which is a major selling point. The interiors will boast warm colors, parquet wood flooring and tall ceilings to maximize space and light. There will be two restaurants — one all-day option and another offering cuisine from a Michelin-starred chef — and rooftop bar with views of the city.
Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre has opened on Hverfisgata Street in Iceland’s capital. It’s close to attractions such as Laugavegur, a street known for its shopping, eateries and pubs; Harpa Concert Hall and Convention Center; and Old Reykjavik Harbor, which offers views of Mount Esja and the landmark Hallgrimskirkja church. For guests who wish to explore further, the hotel provides complimentary bicycles, and staff can recommend local routes and surrounding trails.
The hotel takes design cues from local architecture, with natural materials used throughout. Guests can enjoy Iceland’s famous Omnom chocolate on site, as well as water naturally filtered by Icelandic lava and a poets’ corner filled with local literature. There is also an LP library with records that can be played on any of the hotel’s 10 record players. From October through March, guests can watch the Northern Lights from near the hotel.
For dining, the Geiri Smart restaurant is open for dinner, where Lead Chef Enthusiast, Jóhannes Steinn Jóhannesson and Sous Chef Enthusiast, Bjarni Siguroli Jakobsson, serve locally inspired dishes. Canopy Central, the lobby area, offers complimentary breakfast, or guests can opt to have a free Canopy Breakfast Bag delivered to their room. Each evening, Canopy Central runs complimentary wine and beer tastings for guests 21 years of age and older. Quick bites are also available in the deli, coffee shop or garden.