Art Deco tips

Manhattan’s Lower East Side has always been known for its gritty edge. This is the place where immigrants, arriving from Ellis Island and typically holed up in a tenement apartment, had their first view of New York, and indeed of their version of the ‘Great American Dream’. As a consequence, there is still a strong presence felt of a wide variety of different communities and cultures – from Jewish to Italian. In fact, at the crossroads with China Town, Little Italy and SoHo, you still feel as if you are in the heart of the city’s infamous melting pot which makes this city so diverse and exhilarating.

It’s curious how banks – those establishments of buttoned-up seriousness – are often reimagined as glamorous hotels. In fact, some of the world’s most famous hospitality properties have been carved out of former financial institutions, including Hotel de Rome, A Rocco Forte Hotel in Berlin, The Woodward in Geneva and the recently opened Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh.

Seen from Paris’s Pont de la Tournelle, the eight-story facade of the landmark restaurant La Tour d’Argent looks about the same as it did when its third-generation owner André Terrail grew up there in the 1980s, deploying toy parachutists into quayside traffic. But the interior is no longer indifferent to the 21st century: Late last month, La Tour d’Argent reopened its doors after a yearlong renovation led by the Paris-based architect Franklin Azzi. “It’s my Tour,” says Terrail, who took over following his father’s death in 2006. “The same, but more exacting, more thoughtful.” The new look draws on the outsize history of the classically French fine-dining institution, which has been serving diners since 1582, taking particular inspiration from the streamlined motifs of its Art Deco era. On the seventh floor, the redesigned restaurant — overseen since 2020 by executive chef Yannick Franques — functions more than ever as a theater. The airy dining room, in shades of indigo and silver, looks onto an open-plan kitchen and an elevated platform where the restaurant’s signature pressed-duck dish is prepared nightly. Upstairs and downstairs are new bars suited to less formal occasions: Le Bar des Maillets d’Argent, an all-day lounge with a fireplace, andLe Toit de la Tour, a rooftop terrace. Given that it has the welcoming air of a boutique hotel, it’s no wonder that the building can now host overnight visitors in a private apartment on the fifth floor, complete with a touch of Scandinavian-style minimalism attributable, in part, to Terrail’s Finnish mother.

Shanghai is known for its forest of skyscrapers with the world’s third-largest megatower leading the charge. Travelers wary of heights will find a medley of things to do at ground level including the historic waterfront, trendy Xintiandi, and the ancient Yu Garden. In terms of where to stay in Shanghai, the city is a playground of high-rise luxury hotels with infinity pools, rooftop bars, and awesome skyline views. The best hotels in Shanghai, China, are near or within eyesight of The Bund.

Summer in New York City means outdoor festivals, al fresco dining, and day-long picnics in the park. But it also means mystery street smells, sidewalks so hot they could melt diamonds, and the dreaded subway car with a broken AC. Even die-hard New Yorkers need a weekend away from the mayhem, and when the weather is warm, there’s no better place to escape than the beaches near New York City.

Although the mythical “Grand Budapest Hotel” isn’t an option when deciding where to stay in Budapest, there are countless hotels in Hungary’s vibrant capital that earn the Gustave H. stamp of approval. Widely considered one of the coolest cities in Europe, days in Budapest are spent encountering landmarks, meandering along the riverside, and curing all ailments by “taking the waters” at a thermal bathhouse. Evenings start with rooftop sundowners and end in buzzing ruin bars. Fusing golden-age hospitality with bohemian charm, these luxury Budapest hotels give you the grandest experience.

Miami needs no introduction. From beautiful parks and beaches in the day and a lively bar and club scene at night, to incredible Latin and Michelin-star restaurants and tourist attractions even locals love, there’s no shortage of draws to the Magic City and its 250-or-so days of sunshine a year.

One of Manhattan’s most celebrated restaurants is reopening after a years long closure. Café Boulud is on its way back to Manhattan, with a new location in Midtown East. The original restaurant temporarily closed in early 2020 due to the pandemic and never reopened.

The opening of Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis brings world‑class hospitality and unforgettable experiences to the vibrant city of Cairo.

Bill Bensley strives to press all the right buttons when designing hotels and resorts. The New York-based architect, landscape architect, and interior designer is well known for being a “maximalist” — or “more is more” — aesthetic. The “Bensley look” for hotels sits in the sweet spot of what many guests say they crave today.

It’s trendy for hotels to try to create a live-like-a-local experience for travelers, but Sommerro House in Oslo, which launched in September 2022, will prompt its rivals to level up their games.

Ennismore, the lifestyle hospitality group, said on Thursday it’s in exclusive talks for “a long-term partnership” with Cain, a privately held investment firm, to scale the hotel brand Delano worldwide.

It seems hard to believe now, but not so long ago most visitors to Miami bypassed the showrooms and studios of the Design District for South Beach or downtown. The roots of the neighborhood's current cachet lie in the 1990s, when local developer Craig Robins, seeing potential in the area—a former pineapple plantation—began buying up its rundown storefronts and leasing them to top-tier designers. Eventually he partnered with L Catterton Real Estate to shape it into what it is today: an inviting and eclectic hub of cutting-edge art, scene-y restaurants, and high-end shops, all presented in a distinctively vibrant South Florida style. True to form, the Design District continues to evolve: Opening soon is a major renovation of The Moore, a landmark building sure to become a neighborhood anchor. Come for the colorful people-watching, which is always guaranteed—and stick around for everything else.

If wellness is defined as “a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, fueling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit” then you could say Italy is the ultimate wellness destination. With its alluringly slow pace of life, seasonal cuisine, strong family ties and the importance of balance in all things, there’s a reason Italians have one of the longest lifespans on earth. It is a destination that celebrates beauty and pleasure, while favoring balance in all things. Work hard, and then indulge in a well-earned vacation. Work out, and then enjoy a bowl of spaghetti by the sea.

While you might have heard of North Dakota’s largest city, Fargo, from the Coen Brothers' 90s hit movie Fargo or the recent television series with the same title, the Midwestern city attracts hockey enthusiasts, college football fans, and those in love with the Great Plains to the Peace Garden State. With new hotel openings, the renovation of a Radisson Blu, and the opening of a community square—all taking place within the past two years, the city is reimagining its downtown area.

Art Deco mirrors, plus desks and tables designed by Queen Elizabeth II’s nephew David Linley, now the Earl of Snowdon. Bespoke furniture, china and lighting. All are up for sale in a series of ground-breaking auctions this August taking place in London (but also online).

The first thing that strikes me about Kalma Saun is that there is nowhere to hide. Brilliant white tiles stretch from floor to ceiling and buffed steel faucets reflect the glare from fluorescent lights—as if I am standing in an interrogation room rather than Tallinn’s oldest public sauna.

You’ve been booking hotels through travel search site Kayak.com for years, but soon you’ll be able to stay in an actual KAYAK hotel. The search engine brand is opening its first hotel (in partnership with hospitality company Life House) in Miami, Florida this April.

The carpet is deep and squidgy, the striped wallpaper has a cheery jauntiness about it and you can almost smell the fresh paint emanating from the baby-blue walls, lined with an eclectic mix of art. The corridor that leads to The Dorchester’s newly renovated guest rooms surely puts a spring in your step.

Most visitors to Miami head to the southern Florida city to bask in the sun, relax on the beach, visit national parks, and enjoy daytime activities like kayaking or evening activities like dinners and drinks overlooking the ocean.

One of South America’s most cosmopolitan and culturally rich cities, Buenos Aires sits on the western bank of the River Plate, a 78-square-mile block divided into 48 barrios or neighbourhoods.