The fashion world’s crème de la crème are putting their iconic brand names on far more than just clothing. Fashionable and fabulous hotels and suites are cropping up around the world, making it easy for any design-driven traveller to combine luxury accommodation with designer chic.
1. Vivienne Westwood at The London West Hollywood – Los Angeles
Opening its doors to the public in 2015, The London’s new penthouse suite is the largest in Los Angeles, and it’s entirely inspired by the UK’s most beloved orange-haired fashion guru. As well as 6000 square feet of living quarters, the tenth floor penthouse has a 5000 square foot private roof terrace with panoramic city views.
There are splashes of Ms Westwood everywhere in the suite, from the specially curated rugs featuring the designer’s iconic squiggle print, to the wall hangings inspired by her past collections. Guests are also treated to a private shopping experience at the Vivienne Westwood store, with discounts on all purchases and each room contains Westwood giftbags and branded amenities.
2. Coco Chanel at the Ritz – Paris
In the 1930s Madame Chanel began calling the Ritz Paris her home, and with her she brought a few items of furniture. Her beige suede settee with its quilted cushioning and her lacquered folding screen were just enough to set the room apart and give it the tasteful personal touch only Coco could achieve. Art historians, interior specialists and designers such as Karl Lagerfeld were all brought in to recreate the room she lived in, up to the very last detail. The Coco Chanel Suite includes a living-room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a jacuzzi and a steam room, plus garden views.
3. Bulgari Hotels – Milan, Bali, Tokyo-Osaka, London, Shanghai, Beijing & Dubai
The elegant furnishings and rich décor of the Bulgari Hotels demonstrate the attention to detail for which the luxury jeweller is noted. The rooms of the Milan hotel, which includes 11 suites, are extraordinarily stylish with generous windows overlooking manicured gardens and courtyards. It’s a little slice of serenity in a bustling metropolis. The Bulgari Suite situated on the penthouse level offers sweeping cityscape views and a wrap around terrace, as well as a carved stone bathtub and its own library.
4. Christian Dior at St Regis – New York
Adore Dior? This one should do the trick. Unveiled in 2011, this House of Dior designed suite pays homage to the brand’s Montaigne headquarters in Paris. Die-hard Dior devotees will recognise the subtle nudes and grays as well as the bow details at the entrances. The furniture is white with gold accents and a watercolor designed specifically for the suite adorns its living room wall. It features four fashioned silhouettes, each displaying a signature dress from the brand’s colourful history.
5. Louis Vuitton at Cheval Blanc – Courcheval
In the Alps’ most exclusive ski resort, Courchevel 1850, lies one of the most exclusive hotels, Cheval Blanc. This haute-couture property is owned by Bernard Arnault, the chairman and chief executive of the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) group. The 34 rooms and suites have the designer at their heart, ostentatiously dripping in rich textures and fabrics. There’s faux-fur rugs, luxe wooden surfaces, ornate sculptures and artworks and photography commissioned by Karl Lagerfeld.
The Givenchy Snow Spa has an infinity pool, walls fashioned from stone and sculptures made from tree branches. And if you find the décor is showing you up, the latest fashions from Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs are available downstairs.
6. Karl Lagerfeld at Schlosshotel im Grunewald – Berlin
Situated in one of Berlin’s most exclusive suburbs, the Lagerfeld-designed Schlosshotel im Grunewald is a 54-room property that originally served as a palace. Restored under the German designer’s direction, it retains a royal atmosphere with its antiquities, opulent linens and all-marble bathrooms.
The Chanel aficionado has left his mark throughout the property, but his personal suite is a must for the fashion-forward. During the years he spent restoring the hotels interiors, Lagerfeld actually lived in the suite, thus its fabulous opulence is evident: antique furniture, lavish tapestries and art-deco furnishings adorn the space, creating the timeless elegance for which the designer is known.
7. Ralph Lauren at Round Hill Hotel and Villas – Montego Bay
The site of this Jamaican luxury resort was once an extensive sugar plantation and pineapple grove. Ralph Lauren owns his own villa here, resulting in his contribution to much of the property’s interior design. The Pineapple Oceanfront Rooms and the Grand Pineapple Suite were designed exclusively by the American fashion icon. Expect high ceilings, deep soaking tubs, rain showers, outdoor patios and of course sweeping views of majestic Montego Bay.
8. Tcherassi Hotel & Spa – Caragena de Indias
Colombian-born designer Silvia Tcherassi has loving restored this magnificent colonial mansion in the heart of Cartagena de Indias. Tcherassi’s first hotel features just seven unique and spacious rooms which offer high ceilings, private balconies and open-plan bathrooms. The hotel boasts a full service spa, a gourmet Italian restaurant, four swimming pools, an exotic vertical garden and mesmerising views of the city and sea.
9. Palazzo Versace – Gold Coast & Dubai
Palazzo Versace Hotels convey the utmost in designer luxury. Bright and spacious suites are designed with a timeless elegance and a splash of opulence you’d expect from the Italian brand. Luxury shopping awaits you in the lobby which features signature Versace boutiques. Expect the finest fabrics, rich parquetry floors, floor to ceiling windows, and lavish silks and linens from the hotel’s exclusive range.
10. Betsey Johnson at the Plaza Hotel – New York
The Eloise Suite at the Plaza New York was inspired by the hotel’s most famous fictional resident Eloise, a character created by Kay Thompson who lives in the “room on the tippy-top floor” of the Plaza Hotel in New York City with her Nanny, her pug dog Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee.
Her suite was designed in its entirety by OTT fashionista, Betsey Johnson, known for her riotously bold and colourful designs, so it’s no surprise the suite is decked out in hot pink and zebra-print, with bright floral linens and a neon sign above the bed. The suite is actually made up of two rooms, with a slightly more subdued hue provided for the grown-ups (though nobody will judge if you opt for the pink one!)
11. Badgley Mischka at The Breakers – Palm Beach
This historic beachfront hotel is positioned in the epicentre of the lively Palm Beach social scene. After an $80 million renovation the hotel reopened, unveiling its swanky new Imperial Designer Suite by couture duo Mark Badgley and James Mishka. With a sophisticated palette that reflects the hotel’s glorious surroundings, the suite was almost entirely custom-created by the fashion duo, though it also contains vintage furnishings sourced from nearby Antique Row.
12. Christian Lacroix at Le Notre Dame – Paris
After dressing up the Hotel Le Petit Moulin and Hotel Bellechasse, Christian Lacroix decided to transform the interior of the boutique Le Notre Dame, located just steps from the cathedral. Each of its 26 rooms are decorated with an eclectic mix of medieval-meets-modern fashion, with a touch of the dramatic one expects from Lacroix. There’s carpets that resemble paving stones, faux cowhide wallpaper, exposed beams, heavy silk curtains, lavish upholstery and recreations of famous artworks adorning the walls.
13. Maison Martin Margiela at Hotel La Maison Champs Elysées – Paris
Located in the utterly chic heart of the fashion capital, on the verge of the Parisian Golden Triangle, La Maison is within easy reach of the world renowned fashion houses including Dior, Chanel, and Nina Ricci. A skip hop and jump to the Louvre, Tuileries and the Grand Palais, the hotel is an icon of design. Inside you will find minimal forms, a muted colour palette ie mainly white and small details such as ghost chairs; chairs which appear to sit just above the ground, as if floating. Maison Martin Margiela has created a dramatic world where reality and make-believe blend harmoniously such as the trompe l’oeil Persian rug on the carpet that is in fact an illusion. The 17 couture rooms come strictly from the imagination of the fashion designer and offer an audacious combination of the avant-garde and elegant.
14. Salvatore Ferragamo at Portrait Firenze – Florence
The Ferragamo estate has put its iconic name on a number of projects since a thirteen-year old Salvatore opened his first shoe store, in 1911 and went on to design shoes for names such as Marilyn Monroe, Great Garbo and Audrey Hepburn. The estate’s latest offering, Portrait Firenze, overlooks the Arno River and is just steps from Florence’s world-renowned art, fashion and cuisine. Florentine architect, Michele Bönan designed its chic rooms with their dark wooden floor boards, Carrara marble bathrooms, off white walls upon which hang fashion photography, of course. This is a hotel with no restaurant so dinner reservations out are the norm.
15. Oscar De La Renta at Tortuga Bay Hotel – Punta Cana
Who said the number 13 was unlucky? If you score one of the 13 spacious villas fashioned by Dominican-born De La Renta in the Tortuga Bay Hotel you’ll be thanking your lucky stars. Travel with friends and book out the four bedroom private villa for a truly first class experience. Awash with understated elegance and decor that mirrors its natural Caribbean surroundings, this abode is nestled onto its own five kilometre stretch of private beach front. The resort features two golf courses, tennis and water sports like snorkeling and kayaking and a luxury Six Senses Spa.
16. Alice Temperley at One and Only Le Saint Géran – Mauritius
A tent isn’t something one usually gets excited about, unless of course it’s created by Alice Temperley. This five-metre high bespoke teepee was designed by the legendary London designer after a commission from the Mauritian resort. Not only is it fitted out with gold gauze interiors, wooden floors and a vintage glass chandelier, but the champagne is on tap and a butler is at hand. Though guests don’t sleep in the teepee, they can dine drink and be merry here the rest of the time. It’s little wonder it’s become a love-nest for royals and celebrity couples.
17. Armani Hotels – Milan & Dubai
The first of ten Armani properties planned around the world, the Burj Khalifa Armani Hotel opened in 2010 and its Milan counterpart in 2011. The brand is evident in every last detail of each, but not overwhelmingly so. The suites in Dubai, for example, are decked out in matte black and greys with soft creams, nudes and splashes of gold for added luxe. The 390 sqm Armani Dubai Suite takes up the entire 39th floor and there are butlers on hand at all times should you require a cocktail.
18. Missoni Hotel – Kuwait & Edinburgh
The quirky and colourful design house eventually intends to open thirty properties in total – from Brazil to Oman. But for now there are two. The Missoni Hotel in Scotland’s capital (now known as the G&V Royal Mile) is awash with the riotous colour palettes you’d expect from the brand, while the recently opened Missoni Kuwait is a vast turquoise, azure and gold-tinted masterpiece. Almost ten million multicoloured tiles were used around the property to create Missoni’s archetypal zigzag stripes.
19. Philip Treacy at G Hotel – Galway
On the picturesque west coast of Ireland sits the fun and fancy G Hotel. Anyone familiar with the Irish-born, London-based milliner, Philip Treacy, will recognise his touch immediately. Every last detail of the property is fitted out with elaborate designs – think brightly lacquered walls, pop culture references, intricate four-poster beds, animal print furniture and free-standing tubs.
You’ll want to stay in the Linda Evangelista suite for the ultimate opulence. The ornate super king bed frame is said to be the very one the supermodel refused to leave for less than $10,000, and the private terrace allows for sweeping vistas of Lough Atalia.
