The Suite Life

Words Katie Newton

From the offbeat to the discreet, we’ve assembled a fleet of suite treats to suit every travelling aesthete.

Long gone are the days where the design-savvy traveller had to put up with the chintzy bedspreads and bad art of the chain hotel. So long gone in fact, that even solution to the problem – the “design hotel” – has had time to experience a nasty backlash of its own. Criticisms range from the gouging prices charged for the boutique-brewed spirits in the mini bar to the way comfort and service seem to have given way to provocative art or expensive toothbrush holders. It seemed to some that the proverbial pendulum had swung too far. But one can hope, with this brand new batch of design-aware hotels, we might just have reached a happy medium. There’s such a wide range of exciting projects from visionaries such as Frank Gehry, Ian Schrager and Richard Rogers, that it would seem impossible for there not to be a gem or two worth discovering from this list. None offer dedicated butlers for back-packer rates and you still might run into the odd animal suspended in formaldehyde, but when your travel plans are all about exploring the design experience, you’d be well-recommended to give them a go.

Gramercy Park Hotel
www.gramercyparkhotel.com
Hotelier extraordinaire Ian Schrager recently declared: “If you do hip, everyone else does it in five minutes. Quirky is the new hip.” He was talking about his latest venture, the Gramercy Park Hotel, which has just reopened with all the requisite hoopla and fizz we’ve come to expect when a man this lauded does something new. But those expecting a cool shrine to minimalism and stealth wealth are in for a shock – the interiors of this hotel are eccentric, flamboyant and decidedly haute-bohemian. A vivid Renaissance colour palette complements the wild mish-mash of furniture and objets d’art; with artist Julian Schnabel’s madman touch everywhere from the carved mantels and finials to the original Picasso-style canvasses. Maarten Baas has also contributed original creations, and exclusive tee shirts from the likes of Narciso Rodriguez and Alessandro Dell’Acqua and La Labo custom-blended fragrances are available to purchase. Guests are also given the much sought-after gate key to the adjoining Gramercy Park – the only private park in Manhattan. Rooms from $680.

Hotel Marqués de Riscal
www.luxurycollection.com/marquesderiscal
It’s difficult to say who will enjoy the Hotel Marqués de Riscal most: architecture fanatics or wine buffs. Frank Gehry’s latest hotly anticipated endeavour should not disappoint the fans of his visual gymnastics, with its façade made from curving titanium panels in rose, silver and gold representing the leaves and branches of a grapevine _ quite possibly the thing you’d least expect to see rearing up from the rustic Basque surrounds of the La Rioja region. For the viticulturists, the hotel is at the centre of a larger complex dubbed The City of Wine, which includes tasting rooms and century-old wine caves. The truly dedicated can even have “wine therapy” at the hotel’s in-house spa, involving soaking in a barrel-like tub while wine extracts are bubbled around you. The interiors are surprisingly subdued for Gehry, featuring just a few curvy walls and custom furniture to break up the otherwise standard urban chic. Rooms from $580.

Hotel Valley Ho
www.hotelvalleyho.com
In the ’50s it was the place to spot celebs like Humphrey Bogart, Bing Crosby and Zsa Zsa Gabor escaping the ruckus of Hollywood to sip cocktails in the Arizona sunshine. And after a $120 million refurbishment one of the best examples of mid-century hotel architecture in the US, Scottsdale’s Hotel Valley Ho, is swingin’ once again. Paying tribute to the design style of its heyday, the retro-chic fitout includes a breezy citrus colour scheme, modernist furniture and classic soda fountain in the restaurant. But don’t worry if the word “retro” makes you recoil – slick modern touches like iPod docks and over-sized bathtubs in the centre of the rooms elevate the Valley Ho from the realm of the cheesy. And it can be fun to get into the spirit of times gone by; try hiring a poolside cabana room complete with martini glasses and shaker, throw open the patio doors and host your own party. Rooms in the high season from $439.

The G
www.theghotel.com
Fun, fashion-conscious and dazzlingly colourful, The G is the latest hot hotel to spring up in the city of Galway, on Ireland’s west coast. Milliner-to-the-stars Philip Treacy was appointed to channel the spirit of glamour into every interior detail, from the eye popping hot fuchsia wall paint to the dramatic light installation in the foyer made up of more than 300 Tom Dixon mirror balls. In contrast, the Japanese-inspired spa is comfortably tranquil, and features a tepidarium, ice fountain and vitality pool, and a calming sculpture of origami birds floating overhead. With a design style that runs the spectrum from Art Deco to Baroque, Treacy’s flamboyance offers the perfect foil to the bland corporate hotel. Rooms from $420.

Hotel Omm
www.hotelomm.es
You know a hotel has real credibility when even the locals choose to hang out there. Hotel Omm, in the heart of Barcelona, is the first hotel created by renowned restaurateur/businesswoman Rosa Maria Esteva, who oversees nine restaurants around the city, in addition to the Omm’s own popular Moo Restaurant, Moo Vida Restaurant, Moodern Bar and Ommsession Club. Hotel Omm, with its extraordinary wave-like exterior was designed by up-and-coming young architect Juli Capella, and the interiors, featuring a mosaic of grey, violet, green and brown, punctuated with black leather ottomans and luminous cubes and downlights, were created by long-time interior design team Sandra Tarruella and Isabel Lopez. Multi-functionality is at the heart of the design, with the bar and restaurant areas flowing into each other, separated by fine mesh curtaining, fireplaces and pillars. The 91 suites of the hotel all differ in size due to the quirks of the original building. but follow the hotel’s theme of rich colours mixed with cool aluminium and directional lighting. With historic buildings by Antoni Gaudi and Salvatore Valeri right next door, you barely have to set foot outside for a complete design experience.

Chambers Minneapolis
www.chambersminneapolis.com
Starchitect David Rockwell’s ambitious new development connects two early 20th century buildings with a four-storey glass corridor to create the first design hotel in the “Twin Cities” of Minneapolis/St Paul. As a complement to the area’s exploding arts scene, Chambers doubles as a gallery for almost 250 original artworks, like the no-longer-quite-so ‘Young British Artists’, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume and Sam Taylor-Wood. Highlights include video installations lining the corridors and Hirst’s bulls head suspended in formaldehyde from Judas Iscariot. The minimalist suites offer comfort and luxury in their details, such as heated floors, rainshowers, deep soaking tubs and LCD TVs. And as with its sister hotel in New York City, the hotel’s restaurant is presided over by the famed Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who’s spectacular food works in harmony with the dramatic artworks on the wall. Special opening rates mean rooms are from $320.

All prices are approximate and in New Zealand dollars.