Rude Hotels by Vir Sanghvi: The keys to an epic stay
Tokyo, Bangkok, Venice, Paris, Cairo. Top hotels everywhere are levelling up rooms, views, service and experiences. This is where to check in on your next trip
Rare is the hotel that has the power to surprise you. Most of the time, you get what you pay for. But very occasionally, you get a little bit more, and the experience stays with you. I try not to judge Indian and Indian-owned hotels abroad too much because I am recognised at many of them and have nothing like the average guest experience. So, here is a list of hotels with no obvious Indian ownership, where I’ve had memorable stays and would gladly go back.
St. Regis, Cairo. My most recent surprise. Egypt takes a little getting used to and is not unlike the India of the 1970s. The people are friendly, but everything does not always go smoothly. So, it was a surprise to find that I enjoyed my stay at The St. Regis, Cairo so much. The hotel is glossy and classy, but what makes it special is the level of service: Thoughtful, hyper-efficient and flawless. Not easy to achieve in Egypt but they make it seem effortless.
Atlantis the Royal, Dubai. You may expect not to like the new Atlantis because it is so big, so swish and so over-hyped. But even the most sceptical guest will have to concede that it is a surprisingly good hotel: Lovely rooms, terrific restaurants, amazing views, very good service. So, forget about the hype and just enjoy the experience. It will both enthral and relax you.
Park Hyatt, Tokyo. I may be a little out of date with this one because I went in 2016, with memories of the movie Lost In Translation (shot here) still fresh in my mind. The hotel has since been renovated, but even in those days it was a super-refined environment with elegant, gracious service that epitomised the best of Japan.
The Edition, Tokyo. The Edition hotels were launched in 2013 as a collaboration between Ian Schrager, the man who invented the hip hotel, and Marriott, probably because Marriott wanted to take on W. (W was a corporate cookie-cutter rip-off of Schrager’s concept but it has since been bought by Marriott anyway.) I’m not sure that the Marriott-Schrager collaboration was entirely successful everywhere. The obvious exception is this gleaming, sparkling hotel in Tokyo’s Toranomon Hills. When I stayed, the hotel benefited from an outstanding general manager in Anshul Kaul. It was trendy and modern, which is part of the Schrager model. But it was also luxurious and timeless in its elegance.
Four Seasons, Italy. I am going to combine two remarkable hotels. The Four Seasons in Taormina, Sicily, is the grand old San Domenico hotel renovated, refreshed and run to Four Seasons standards. You don’t have to take my word for how exceptional it is: Watch Season 2 of The White Lotus, which was shot there and turned the hotel into a global phenomenon. I went after The White Lotus had finished shooting but before it was released, so I found it expensiv,e but not inordinately so. Now it is hard to even get a room, never mind the rates.
The Four Seasons in Florence may be the loveliest city hotel in the world. I stayed in a room that was centuries old and was decorated with the original frescoes. It is one of the few hotels in the world where you feel that every moment you spend in your room is a privilege. The downside is that you might not want to go out and explore Florence because the hotel is so beautiful!
Four Seasons, Koh Samui. It has now been officially confirmed that the third season of The White Lotus will be set here. No doubt, rates will skyrocket. So, try to book before February, when the show is set to be released. It is one of the best resorts I have stayed in, with beautiful villas designed by Bill Bensley. It is not a traditional beach resort because the villas are scattered across cliffs with magnificent views of the beach and the sea.
Le Grand Controle, Versailles. I often wonder: Did I actually stay here or was it all a dream? I reckon that this is one of the world’s best hotels, a tiny property (13 rooms), located in a period building on the grounds of the palace of Versailles. The conceit – that you are living in the palace, so the staff wear period costumes and the furniture is authentically antique – could be corny. But the French know how to make these things work. Guests have access to the palace after visiting hours are over, and that alone is worth the rate. The food is by Alain Ducasse, so even a room-service breakfast turns into a memorable occasion. And, of course, the hotel’s restaurant is Michelin-starred.
Gritti Palace, Venice. There are many excellent hotels in Venice, but none of the ones I have stayed in lives up to the high standards of the Gritti. Located on the Grand Canal, with breathtaking views of Venice, it has only 82 historical rooms of which 22 are suites. The structure dates back to the 15th century and was once the residence of the Doge, Venice’s version of a monarch. It is run to the highest standards of discreet Italian luxury. And because most of us will only go to Venice once in our lives, it is worth splashing out on.
Le Bristol, Paris. Paris’s grand hotels are eye-wateringly expensive. I have only stayed in four of them, but of those, I love the Bristol the most because while it has all the attributes of a grand hotel – a sense of luxury, excellent concierges, a great location, a three Michelin star restaurant, etc – it does not take itself too seriously. There is a friendly quality to the service, symbolised by the cuddly cat that the hotel keeps off the lobby as its mascot.
Amanpuri, Phuket. The original. It invented the idea of a luxury resort, where regulars can own villas (and decorate them to their own taste) and then allow the hotel to rent them out when the owners are away. The idea has been widely imitated, but the original may still be the best. When I went, my villa had its own staff, including a cook who would make whatever I wanted, and only charge for the cost of the ingredients.
Anantara, Bangkok. I have been staying here since it was a Four Seasons. Bangkok now has an excellent new Four Seasons, but the Anantara is still my preferred option. It is old-fashioned (it was built as a Peninsula in the 1980s) and some might find it not slick enough. Yes, it could do with some refurbishing, but I like it the way it is. It reminds me of a gentler, classier and warmer Bangkok. It is owned by Bill Heinecke’s Minor group, which owns the Anantara chain as well as the Four Seasons, Samui which is also on this list.
Maldives. I won’t say much about the Maldives because I wrote about the islands recently. There are many, very expensive, new hotels that have come up and I have not been to most of them. But for me, it always comes down to one of two properties: Soneva Fushi , which keeps winning awards for being the best beach resort in the world nearly 30 years after it was built, and Cheval Blanc, the classiest and most elegant hotel in the Maldives. It’s hard to choose between them.
From HT Brunch, December 07, 2024
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