W Hotel – London
The W Hotel has opened a new flagship hotel in London, it was opened on February 14 2011. The W London is the chain’s 40th location and is based in the West End near Leicester Square. It will no doubt brining some design-led luxury to the heart of Soho. The building is brand new, standing some 10 stories tall with 192 rooms. The facade is totally covered in translucent glass, with the very cool ability to change colour depending on the time of the day and the atmosphere within the area. The hotel is the epitome of modern design luxury, featuring a rooftop fitness facility with views across the West End and Soho. There is also the Spice Market restaurant, a signature restaurant by three-Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
W Hotel is the luxury brand of Starwood Hotels, a conglomerate which is truly international. After the opening of the W Hotel London the conglomerate announced that it also plans to open six new hotels around the world, with locations including St. Petersburg, Bali, Paris and Guangzhou China.
St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel
The St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel was officially opened on May 5 after undergoing extensive renovation to bring the building back to its former glory. The building was in such a bad state that it was almost torn down in 1960 and had to be closed due to health and safety concerns in the 80s.
The new St. Pancras Hotel couldn’t be further from its former dilapidated state. The redevelopment was spear-headed by the successful business man Harry Hadelsman who funded a large portion of the £200million redevelopment price tag through his property development company Manhattan Lofts Corporation. The project was undertaken in conjunction with Continental Railways and Marriott Hotels. The architects behind the project were Richard Griffiths Architects, who are known for their expertise in heritage projects. The interior design was by GA Design and several of the private apartments across the top floors were done by RHWL.
Trump Tower – Chicago
The Trump Tower Chicago is a 98-story skyscraper in down-town Chicago. The building reaches a height of 1,389ft and was designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Ownings and Merill. When finished in 2009 the building was the second tallest sky-scrapper in the United States, with first place going to the Willis Tower also in Chicago. The tower houses a 339 room hotel, a restaurant on the 16th floor and a mixture of retail and residential space. Until the Burj Khalifa was finished in October 2009, the Tower held the record for the highest residence above ground level. A very prestigious record indeed!
It is also well known for the fact that the winner of the first season of The Apprentice, a highly successful American reality show, was chosen to manage its construction.
Immersive Tree Hotel – Sweden
The Tree Hotel is located in the small Village of Harads, which is roughly 60km away from the Arctic Circle. The owners sought to create a hotel which was a “well designed hotel which allows visitors to live in harmony with nature amongst the trees”.
Essentially, the Tree Hotel is a series of tree houses high atop the Boreal forest, offering visitors the best of both worlds – the ability to stay within impeccably designed accommodation that offers all creature comforts, while at the same time being totally immersed within the beauty of the forest. We especially love the one clad in mirrors, making one feel truly immersed in the splendours of nature!
nhow Hotel – Berlin
nhow Berlin is the new brand of the Spanish NH Hotel chain. According to the hotel, nhow is all about being ‘unconventional, life affirmative, constantly in movement, locally rooted while at home anywhere in the world — an idea, in other words, corresponding to lifestyle of the new creative class.’
The hotel opened in November 2010 and placed design, art and music at the heart of what it wanted to achieve. Therefore, in essence the hotel seeks to be the lifestyle hotel of choice among the burgeoning music scene in Berlin. So much so that the hotel even features its very own nhow Music Sound Floor, which is run by Hansa Studios – a place where singers such as U2, REM and David Bowie have recorded!
The architecture is by Sergei Tchoban, and has a striking presence compared to its surroundings. The interior is by the internationally known Karim Rashid, whose signature style is Pop Art – as you can clearly see from the interior! We absolutely love this hotel, it has strong principals and looks to die for, who wouldn’t want to stay at such a top class hotel?
The Palazzina Grassi Hotel – Venice
The Palazzina Grassi was once an aristocratic Venetian home which has now been converted into a luxury hotel , one which is no less stunning or grand. The conversion was headed by Philippe Starck, a well known French designer, who attempted to marry the ancient and the contemporary throughout the building. This is often difficult to pull off, but the Palazzina Grassi achieves this with flying colours. There is a playful interplay between old and new, all wrapped up into a romantic setting which is to be expect from the likes of Venice!
Lastly, for the champagne lovers amongst us, the hotel features the first Maison de Champagne Krug lounge in Italy. Needless to say this lounge is extremely luxurious and exclusive, only accessible to guests of the hotel or members of the lounge. The lounge is elegant and stylish, a perfect setting in which to enjoy the various delectables they no doubt serve. We particularly like the rather ironic leather seats which are formed into the shapes of various animals.
The Shard – London Bridge
The Shard London Bridge, which is currently under construction, will be located in Southwark central London. It is due to be finished some time in 2012. Upon completion the Shard will be the tallest skyscraper in the EU, and the 45th tallest in the world.
The Shard is replacing the 1970’s Southwark Tower. It is the creation of the Italian architect Renzo Piano, who worked in conjunction with the architectural firm Broadway Malyan when planning the project. Piano’s vision for the building was to create a vertical ‘City in the Sky’. The development will be a mix of office space, residential accommodation, a hotel, several restaurants and a viewing platform. The Hotel will be the first ever Shangri-La Hotel in the United Kingdom, and will be located between the 34 and 52 floors.
Yas Marina Abu Dhabi
Yas Marina Circuit will be the venue for the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It was designed by Asymptone Architecture, and is situated on the 2,500-hectare man-made Yas Island. The cost of the project has not been disclosed, but experts estimate it in the billions. The track length is 3.452 miles, with 21 corners and an estimated top speed of 197mph. The location is roughly 30 minutes away from Abu Dhabi the capital of the UAE. Apart from the race track the Island also houses several world class golf courses and seven new hotels, including the breathtaking Yas Hotel. Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly said that the standard of this circuit and the surrounding area has surpassed his expectations, even claiming it has the potential to eclipse the sacred quay of Monte Carlo.
The Island will also feature the world’s first Ferrari World theme park, which is supposedly the world’s biggest park of its kind. The Park offers more than 20 Ferrari-inspired rides and attractions, including a diverse array of rides for adults and children, a wide variety of Italian delicacies, and unique shopping experiences.
Marina Bay Sands Building in Singapore
Marina Bay Sands is a multi use resort complex fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. The complex is supposedly the world’s most expensive standalone casino property, costing a staggering S$8 billion (Roughly 3.8 billion pounds). Apart from the casino, the resort also boasts a 2,560 room hotel, a 120,000 sqm convention centre, a 74,000 sqm retail arcade, and an Art & Science museum. The complex is topped by a 340m SkyPark, which has the capacity to accommodate 3,900 people. Lastly, there is the 150m infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world’s largest public cantilevered platform.
Marina Bay Sands has been designed by Boston-based internationally renowned architect Moshe Safdie. Safdie was invited by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation to develop a competitive design proposal for Marina Bay which would be presented to the Government of Singapore. According to Safdie “our challenge was to create a vital public place at the district-urban scale, in other words, to address the issue of mega scale and invent an urban landscape that would work at the human scale.”
Furthermore, Safdie selected five international artists to create eight monumental large-scale public art installations for Marina Bay Sands. The artists worked closely with Safdie to ensure that the site-specific commissions complement the architecture and energized the public spaces.
The Wellbeing Hotel
A hotel concept by Well-Tech based on innovative sensorial technology designed to create an optimal feeling of well-being throughout a visitor’s stay. This futuristic concept of hospitality includes textile walls in the guest rooms that light up to reveal a forest, photovoltaic panels on the top floor restaurant and a wellness area with a focus on solar energy.
[ Article Source: MocoLoco ]