The Hôtel Lutetia
Paris, France
The Set is now truly living up to its name, completing a trifecta of ultra-luxe hotels in London, Amsterdam and Paris. The 184-key Hotel Lutetia reopened last month after a comprehensive transformation, which saw architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte overhaul the interiors, with a revamped gastronomic offering to boot.
The Set is now becoming quite au fait sensitive and transformative restoration of historical properties and, in this case, the hotel was shuttered for four years before returning as the only Grand hotel on the city’s Left Bank. The opening also adds a range of new watering holes, including the Bar Joséphine, the Salon Saint-Germain, the new Orangerie – a lounge and open-air courtyard – as well as the Salon Crystal. Out of 47 suites, seven are signature suites, ranging up to 70sqm with 360-degree views of the City of Light.
Domes Miramare, a Luxury Collection Resort, Corfu
Moraitika, Greece
A high-end luxury brand sets up shop in a seminal Mediterranean destination. It’s a perfect match. The Luxury Collection has announced its first hotel on Corfu, within a building originally designed for the Onassis family in the late ‘60s. One of a trio of Domes Resorts luxury properties in Greece, Domes Miramare opens this month during Greece’s resurgent luxury hospitality landscape, cementing the Ionian island’s long-standing appeal to sophisticated global travellers.
The adults only resort (16+) offers a choice of 113 rooms, suites and villas that have been elegantly reimagined by Kristina Zanic Design Consultants, with the richness and tones of the surrounding landscape in mind – shades of cream and taupe are blended with accents of soft blue and green, alongside modern furnishings and natural materials in patterns inspired by the surrounding landscape. There’s even a nod to ancient Greek mosaics, with the spacious marble bathrooms decked out with bespoke pastel-tiled washbasins.
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
When we close our eyes and think of “KL”, we all envision the iconic Petronas Towers, which almost puts this new Four Seasons debut into the frame. Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur opens adjacent to the twin towers and Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Park in the Golden Triangle district, rising 65 storeys above the bustling streets of Malaysia’s capital.
The brand new building houses the hotel’s 209 guest rooms and suites, serviced apartments for guests looking for an extended stay, as well as Four Seasons Private Residences, and a half-dozen dining destinations, including Yun House for Cantonese specialities, CurATE with its show kitchen and Bar Trigona, “a temple of modern cocktail culture”.
To kick things off, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur has extended its Introductory Offer, with 15 percent savings on the regular room rate, as well as a variety of packages including the Stay Longer – Third Night Free offer.
University Arms, Cambridge
Cambridge, England
In a city best known for its world-class university, it seems fitting that Cambridge’s latest luxe hotel opening is intrinsically linked to its academic faculties. University Arms Cambridge first opened in 1834 as the city’s original hotel, overlooking Parker’s Piece, a 25-acre common. The hotel relaunches this month after an £80 million ($105 million) transformation, facilitated by architect John Simpson and interior designer Martin Brudnizki, one of Europe’s foremost leading interior architects whose past projects include Miami Soho Beach House, Scott’s, The Ivy and most recently the acclaimed Beekman in New York.
The building’s 1960s and ‘70s extensions are now entirely done away with, replaced by an attractive, classically designed front that is in-keeping with Cambridge’s better-known architectural heritage. Brudnizki approached the project with a self-professed vision to “try and create this hotel so it becomes the best hotel in Cambridge again”, restoring its faded glory.
