Top 3 luxury hotel re-openings of 2018
We brought you the 10 luxury hotel openings we were most excited about in 2018, but not every hotel opening we’re excited about is a new one. Below are the top 3 most anticipated luxury hotel re-openings following extensive closure:
A Paris boutique elite, the hotel that was once Pablo Picasso’s and Ernest Hemingway’s favourite re-opens after four years of closure. First opened in 1920 and one of the city’s most famous hotels on the Left Bank, the hotel was built as an accompaniment to the Bon Marche department store, decorated initially in Art Nouveau style which was popular of its time, and later in the Art Deco style that was emerging. Re-opening in Spring 2018,t he modern hotel will be designed for contemporary living (including all the amenities and bells and whistles) with the ambiance expected of a palace hotel, featuring 184 rooms, including 47 suites. Five signature suites will include two penthouse suites with private terraces (upto 70 sqm) with 360-degree views of Paris.
2. The Oberoi, New Delhi, India
Historic hotels seem to be the theme here. This one is a little newer than the other grand dames that grace this list, but the property, originally designed by Sir Edward Lutyens, was an exemplary sample of modernism when the iconic hotel opened in the 1960s. This is the very property that really catapulted local Indian hotel brand Oberoi into the local and international luxury space, and as a result also helped bring about the revival of the Taj Hotel Group to newer heights – a win-win for Indians and luxury travelers to India! The hotel has always had its charm, but its rooms were dated (if very well maintained). USD 100m was spent on the refurbishment by Adam D. Tihany, which resulted in chicer rooms, cleaner designs, with a nod to Indian overtones and little touches Oberoi loyalists will find familiar, such as polished teak floors and gilded gold accents. The room count has also been reduced by 50 keys, now with 220 spacious rooms (Premier Rooms starting at 55 sqm) and 50 suites, framing the views out to Humayun’s Tomb, all under the wonderful leadership of General Manager Jay Rathore.
1. The Datai Langkawi, Langkawi, Malaysia
Opened in 1993, The Datai has led the way in Southeast Asia for jungle-beach resorts. Ensconced within a jungle but fringing the beach overlooking Datai Bay, the architect behind the hotel, Kerry Hill, made the brave decision then to not build a beachfront resort but 300 metres back from the beach, in the midst of the jungle. Didier Lefort of DL2A, who worked on the original design with Kerry Hill, will be in charge of the re-design, bringing the comfortably luxe and timeless villas to modern standards, glimpses of which can be seen in the new beach collection accommodation. The hotel will re-open to much anticipation in July 2018.
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