Unless your next business trip takes you to the back of beyond, chances are
good that you'll have a variety of choices when booking a hotel. You can select
by location, preferred hotel brand, type or price point. In some cities, you can
even choose by hipness factor.
The amazing popularity of boutique and lifestyle hotels means that you can
turn a stay into an experience. I'm still thinking about a stay 15 years ago at
the Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin. The room was small, but rather than feeling cramped,
it felt cozy. The décor was a modernist take on Biedermeier, with warm wood
tones and black accents. The sheets were an unlikely combination of soft and
crisp. There was an enormous soaking tub, spacious enough for two 6-foot adults.
A separate shower stall had a rainfall showerhead, the first I'd ever seen (and
which I was eager to replicate at home). The black granite floor had radiant
heat, another detail I want in my own house. And when I opened the bedside table
drawer a crack, a night light would go on--a clever, unobtrusive energy-saver.
The same attention to detail was the genesis behind
W Hotels, whose designers
have been hugely influential not just in the hotel décor wave, but in
residential design, as well. Other, newer brands are incorporating more
cutting-edge ideas about how hotels look and function, some even at affordable
prices. Hotel Indigo, a sister brand to InterContinental and Holiday Inn, was
conceived by showroom designers, and the interiors look very much like sets: a
bold color palette of indigo blue and lime; plenty of organic materials, like
wood floors rather than carpeting, and lots of teak and glass in the bathrooms;
and chic lighting.
Andaz--Hindi for personal style--is Hyatt's version of hip. Architects and
designers are collaborating on a style that reflects the personality of the
destination, so each Andaz will feel like a boutique hotel rather than one of
many chain-hotel clones that follow a design prototype to the letter. The first
Andaz, a rebranding of the magnificent, quirky Great Eastern Hotel in London,
opened in October; in New York, an Andaz is going up directly across from the
New York Public Library; another is set
to open in Austin, Texas, in 2010. Besides providing a local design sensibility, Andaz developers
are going to great lengths to be environmentally aware. They'll offer organic
food, use biodegradable cleaning products and will be energy efficient. New
builds will incorporate green building materials and systems as well, the
company says.
While there are a few individual loft hotels doing great business, like
Loft
523 in New Orleans and The Lofts in Columbus, Ohio, two new hotel chains are
trying to replicate the slightly more industrial, edgy feel of loft apartments.
Starwood's newest brand, Aloft, will have some of the same DNA as W Hotels,
but will be located in suburbs and near airports rather than in major cities and
resort destinations. The guest rooms are meant to have a residential feel, with
nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows; bathrooms will have oversized walk-in
showers and Bliss spa amenities. Each guest room will have wireless internet
access and a way to connect PDAs, cell phones, MP3 players and laptops to the
flat-panel TV. The first Aloft hotels are expected to open in 2008 in such cities as Minneapolis, Montreal, Charleston, Chicago,
and in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.
On a budget, but like the idea of a loft space instead of a beige box? The
idea behind NYLO, a group of loft hotels now under development, is to offer chic
style and amenities at midscale rates--typically under $150 per night, according
to CEO John Russell. That means that for the same rate as a standard boring room,
guests will have space (300 square feet), air (11-foot ceilings), and light
(6-foot-by-5-foot windows). New builds will use exposed brick and polished
concrete walls as design elements. Each room also will have a flat-screen TV, CD
and DVD player and free high-speed internet. Amenities will include a 24-hour
restaurant, business center, library, gym and a special floor for allergy
sufferers. The first NYLO property will open in Plano, Texas, by the end of the
year, with
one in the Providence suburb of Warwick, Rhode Island, to follow next summer.
Even the staff's uniforms will be cool--their designer is Daniel Vosovic, of
Bravo TV's Project Runway fame.