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Quality Time: Where to Travel with Family and Friends
From finding appropriately sized guestrooms to destinations that spark everyone’s interests, planning travel with family or a group of friends can be a dauting task; but it doesn’t have to be. Offering spacious rooms, suites, and villas, a variety of culturally oriented programs, and child-friendly spaces, several of our member hotels are created specifically with groups in mind. These six properties—located around the world, from London’s East End to the Maldives—are dreamily equipped for friends planning a luxe group getaway or families in search of the next spot to create lasting memories. Focused on creating intimate experiences rooted in Greek heritage is the new property Pnoēs Tinos, nestled in a…
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Channeling Earth, Wind, and Water at Pnoēs Tinos
With only three private villas and a comprehensive concept overseen entirely by Aristides Dallas, one of Greece’s most famed architects, Pnoēs Tinos is a luxury destination opening this month. Here, guests are encouraged to not only relax and indulge but to also actively create their own experiences. Villas are equipped with exclusively bespoke furnishings spread across two bedrooms, private pools, organic gardens, cooking and living areas, and expansive outdoor lounge spaces. The local products delivered in breakfast baskets can be combined by guests with fresh produce picked straight from their garden, and experiences are offered to visit nearby farms or bring in educators to learn about the local cuisine and…
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Eight Hotels that Think Beyond “Sustainability”
It’s time to move beyond just this one keyword and consider how travel can become a regenerative force for good, and how hotels can be places that not only respect but also actively contribute to their surroundings. From the Jamaican coast to an Alpine resort to a Tokyo neighborhood, here we highlight eight of our Member Hotels around the world that are pioneering this way of operating; that take extra steps to embody a range of ecological principles and apply the concept of circular thinking to their hospitality philosophies. On the border of Umbria and Tuscany, Rastrello is locally rooted in every sense of the term. The palazzo in which…
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Hotelito Takes Community- and Sustainably Oriented Hospitality to the Next Level
Located near the Mexican coastal town of Zihuatanejo, Hotelito is an integral part of the new, sprawling MUSA development: a utopian vision by Mexico City-born designer Andrés Saavedra and Canadian entrepreneur Tara Medina. The hotel offers access to everything MUSA has onsite, from a bio-pool to organic farms and a destination dining outlet, but it is also a hideaway in its own right. The 13-room beachfront hotel is characterized by clean lines and a natural approach to minimal design, where panoramic ocean views are backdropped by a labyrinthine jungle and dancing palms; where private plunge pools are complemented by saltwater stargazing tubs; and where conscious travel is defined by understated…
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Mid-century Modernism Meets Mountain Refuge at The Cōmodo
The Cōmodo, a newly opened property in Bad Gastein, a picturesque town in the Austrian Alps, strikes a perfect balance between creativity, rejuvenation, and nature. The year-round destination is framed by forested cliffs and gaping valleys, with an overarching design vision to echo the beauty of the surroundings and honor the timeless aesthetics of 1960s and 70s. Vintage mid-century modern furnishings are thus expertly curated among bespoke pieces, unique artworks, and site-specific lighting installations. The hotel’s 70 rooms come in a range of sizes to meet every guest’s needs, while the onsite farm-to-table restaurant, spa, boutique cinema, and summer garden round out the luxe offerings. Throughout history, Bad Gastein, a town…
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Somewhere Lombok: A Striking New Property on an Indonesian Isle
Tucked away on a hillside along the south coast of Lombok, Indonesia, Somewhere Lombok is an unspoiled retreat conceived, designed, and run by sisters Valia and Claire Gontard. Communal areas open to unparalleled views of Are Guling Bay, a world-renowned surf spot, and 20 standalone villas feature mini plunge pools overlooking the lush greenery of the valley and village below. Everything from the building materials to the décor is regionally sourced and produced, with the Gontard sisters’ overarching ethos being that of creating a sustainable and responsible destination for modern travelers. When sisters Valia and Claire Gontard joined forces in 2014 to rebrand the restaurant affiliated with their father’s boutique…
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Where to Go in 2023
In 2023, Design Hotels celebrates its 30th anniversary, and with it, we want to bring a sense of unabashed joy to travel again. To inspire bright-eyed wonder, we’ve selected a list of destinations for travelers to dream about, with a crop of new hotels that create the ideal environs for such dreams to become realities. These beautiful, forward-looking spaces have inspiring missions and strong local connections that encourage the discovery of the surrounding cultures, communities, and landscapes. East coast, Mauritius A gem near Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, this African island echoes with calls of exotic birds, bats, and insects, reverberating with the sound of its tropical choir. Called “the…
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Introducing Six New Members of Design Hotels
Historic and heritage-laden sites in Berlin, Tbilisi, and Kota Kinabalu are enlivened with new creative spirits. A sense of serenity is evoked in South Tyrol, where a property offers bespoke “awake consciousness” sessions. Italian modernist masters are celebrated in the picturesque seaside village of Laigueglia, and the warmth of the Mediterranean is brought to a small German city. Here, we introduce six of the newest members of Design Hotels. In Lana, South Tyrol, Italy, Hotel Schwarzschmied reflects the serene beauty of its surroundings through spacious rooms and an emphasis on wellness that includes a spa, yoga and meditation sessions, and its own vineyard. Originally built in 1981, the hotel was…
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Architectural Wonders from Around the World
Tadao Ando sparks inspiration with a minimalist masterwork in the Japanese countryside. Marcio Kogan redefines the essence of a contemporary Maldivian resort. Peter Pichler Architecture questions what traditional Alpine sensibilities mean today. And Saulius Mikštas reinvigorates a 15th-century palace. From modern masterpieces to the revival of treasured gems, these eight properties and their architects take guests on unrivaled architectural journeys. Created for travelers with an attraction to the natural elements, Hotel Terrestre in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, is a Brutalist-inspired villa-only property that invites guests to connect directly with the Oaxacan coast. Designed by architect Alberto Kalach of Taller de Arquitectura X (TAX), the independent villas were created by adhering to…
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Preview the Design Hotels Opening in 2023
From conscious resorts and intimate bungalows on unobstructed Mexican and Indonesian coastlines to properties revitalizing historic buildings across Europe, there’s a lot in the works for the year to come. Here we offer a sneak peek at the Design Hotels properties opening in the winter and spring of 2023. Offering an intimate cluster of seven beach houses designed by acclaimed Indonesian architect Andra Martin in collaboration with Gregorius Supie Yolodi, Innit Lombok is set to open in early 2023. Situated on a peninsula on the southeast side of the island—which is an easy 30-minute flight east from Bali—the two-bedroom standalone structures are a modern take on the traditional Lombok Lumbung-style…
