In the enchanting Unesco town of Luang Prabang, this all-suite resort has updated what was once a colonial governor’s mansion with a modern interior design. The grounds are full of pools, landscaped gardens (some of the 23 suites have private pools and gardens) and a sandpit fire. Laotian cookery classes are available and there’s a spa.
• Opened October 2010. Doubles from US$170 per night. designhotels.com/alila_luang_prabang Photograph: PR
For Greek Cypriot art collector Dakis Joannou, New Hotel has been a labour of love. After picking apart the tired Olympic Palace Hotel, built in the heart of modern Athens in 1958, he set about restructuring it, piece by piece with the help of Brazilian interior designers Humberto and Fernando Campana – without discarding anything. Throughout the chunky modernist building, chairs and doors from the old property reappear as artworks. In the public lounges, tree-like sculptures are crafted from a jumble of different-coloured woods, while in the bedrooms, mirrors and furniture form abstract shapes. The top-floor terrace has a great view of Athens. There are 79 rooms, a fitness studio and a spa.
• Opens in May. Rooms from €180. designhotels.com/new_hotel Photograph: PR
Location is everything for this fab new hotel, bang on central Norrmalmstorg square in downtown Stockholm. Occupying two 19th-century buildings, the Nobis Hotel is a 201-room establishment done out with classic, contemporary elegance by Swedish architecture studio Claesson Koivisto Rune. It has an Italian restaurant, Caina, the large Gold Bar, and a smaller, 24‑hour bistro and bar. The 24/7 bistro has been attracting citygoers and locals as well as guests since it opened at the end of last year.
• Rooms from 3,237 kronor (£325). designhotels.com/nobis_hotel Photograph: Louise Billgert/PR
Hotel Teatro was built on the site where the revered 1859 Teatro Baquet once stood. The theatre was destroyed by fire in 1888, but now 122 years later, designer Nini Andrade Silva, has tried to recapture the spirit of Porto's former cultural hub. The decor is inspired by the stage; it relies heavily on bronze and gold colours, has big heavy curtains in the rooms and an overall look of elegance.
• Opened May 2010. Rooms from €101. designhotels.com/hotel_teatro Photograph: PR
Occupying a 1930s building that used to be the Danish Embassy, Das Stue has an imposing grey facade and sits in the leafy Tiergarten, formerly the city’s royal hunting grounds. The interior of the historic building and its modern extension were designed by German architecture studio Axthelm. There are 81 minimalist white bedrooms, many with views of the Berlin Zoo. Das Stue’s restaurant, 5 by Paco Pérez, serves avant garde Mediterranean cuisine by the Michelin-starred Catalan chef.
• Due to open in September. Rooms from €250. designhotels.com/das_stue Photograph: PR
HafenCity is one of Europe’s largest development projects, reinventing Hamburg’s harbour quarter as a hub of urban life, with restaurants, shops and the Herzog and de Meuron-designed Elbe Philharmonic Hall. Opening in the midst of it all this spring, the 25hours Hotel HafenCity will be the scheme’s first hotel. It is a radical reimagining of a traditional seamen’s club, complete with 170 cabin-style suites, a rooftop sauna, restaurant, bar, art gallery and private wharf. On the ground floor old import/export crates, planks and stacks of oriental carpets are scattered to look like the detritus of a shipping warehouse.
• Opens in May. Rooms from €105. designhotels.com/25hours_hotel_hafencity Photograph: PR
Situated at the intersection of two ancient Roman roads in the charming città alta of Bergamo, a medieval walled city close to both the Alps and Milan, the GombitHotel has turned a historic crossroads into contemporary luxury. The hotel, which opened last summer, is adjoined by a 13th-century watchtower that rises above the old town’s clustered rooftops. The interiors have hints of the surreal: bright red books adorn the ceiling leading to the library nook, while sculptures, such as bundles of rolled manuscripts, nestle within the ancient walls’ crevices. Original wooden ceilings are complemented by handmade lightweight linens in earthy tones in the 13 unique bedrooms.
• Rooms from €340. designhotels.com/gombithotel Photograph: PR
Circus, theatre and fantasy are design influences on this new hotel in Vienna’s creative neighbourhood, the seventh district, home to shopping area Neubaugasse, and the MuseumsQuartier. The 25hours Hotel Wien is part of the 25hours chain of funky city hotels, and this one uses antiques and bespoke wall paintings plus circus memorabilia. This spring, 34 suites with kitchenettes, plus a lobby lounge/bar and terrace roof deck will open and, in 2012, 187 guest rooms will be added, plus a spa, a summer garden and a restaurant.
• Opens in March. Rooms from €130. designhotels.com/25hours_hotel_wien Photograph: PR
A 300-year-old mansion in the stunning Rajasthan city of Jodhpur, RAAS claims to be the first luxury boutique hotel in the walled city. Situated right below the famous Meherangarh Fort, it has 39 rooms, all with balconies, minimalist furniture and black marble terrazo floors, and an inner courtyard with an infinity pool. A nod to ecological sustainability has been made through touches such as solar-powered cast-iron bath tubs in the bathrooms, and the floors were hand-laid by local craftsmen. Camel rides and desert picnics are available.
• Opened 2010. Rooms from £185. designhotels.com/RAAS Photograph: PR
Canada’s coolest city may not be lacking in stylish hotels, but the new Templar, in the entertainment district, is set to be a popular addition. This modern eight-storey building was custom built by local designer Del Terrelonge, and has been no less than 10 years in the making. The 27 rooms have a toned down retro style, bespoke furnishings, wooden floors and marble; there will be a rooftop bar and a Japanese-style spa with a deep pool.
Due to open this spring. Rooms from £230. designhotels.com/hotels/americas/canada/toronto/templar_hotel
The Design Hotels Book 2011 is on sale for €44 (£38) at designhotels.com/shop Photograph: PR
