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Luxury, that’s the dream. Decadent decor, fabulous room service, awe inspiring views, and private beaches, now that’s perfection. What more could you want on that fantasy trip?
From our good friends over at Luxury Travel Bible.com’ here’s a shortlist of their Hot New Hotels in 2014 that can make your dream vacation a reality. The only question you need to answer is: Which of these hot new properties gives you travel fever?
Miami Beach Edition:
Featuring 26 luxurious residences, this sizzling new Miami hotel is making a stir in 2014. At $3.00 a square foot, decadence doesn’t come cheap, but the price is worth it. Miami Beach Edition hotel is the result of a collaboration between Ian Schrager and Marriott and boasts a bowling alley and an ice skating rink, just in case you’ve had enough of the Miami sun and nightlife! Rumor has it, Schrager himself plans to buy in Miami Beach Edition, The Luxury Travel Bible reveals.
Portrait Firenze, Florence Italy:
What speaks luxury better than designer footwear? Designer hotels. Portrait Firenze located in magical Florence, Italy is the latest brainchild of Salvatore Ferragamo II, the grandson and namesake of the famed Italian shoemaker. The hotel is a part of the Lungarno collection and is likened by its creators to the founder, Ferragamo. In contrast to the ever present overriding brown of Florence, the hotel is decorated in shades of white and grey and features black and white photography on the walls. Despite the impressive decor, the location of the Portrait Firenze is its piece-de-resistance; it’s on the banks of the Arno, right next to the Ponte Vecchio and a few Ferragamo-clad steps from Piazza della Signoria. If that doesn’t get your temperature up, the luxurious privacy of the hotel sure will. “With only 34 suites and guestrooms it feels like a private house,”The Luxury Travel Bible praises.
Ham Yard Hotel, London, UK
The facade of The Ham Yard Hotel with its clean lines and modern design is suitable for London, a modern and bustling city, but the exterior is misleading. Past its austere walls guests are soothed by the “urban village feel” created by a courtyard shaded by fully grown oak trees and adorned with a bronze giant by Tony Cragg. In addition to 90 individually designed rooms, the hotel has 24 residential apartments, a theater, green rooms, and a VIP balcony. The Ham will also house a bowling alley, bar, lounge, and nightclub. With shopping right next door, this hot new property is practically a paradise that offers both a retreat from the hustle bustle of a busy metropolis and the partying anybody visiting hip and trendy London might yearn for.
Shangri-La at The Shard, London, UK:
London’s Shangri-La raises hotel standards to great heights, literally, taking up floors 34 to 52 of The Shard, which towers over the city at a whopping 1,016 feet. The much anticipated sky-high rooms are finally opening after a two year delay and London’s highest bar, GŎNG, will make its debut soon. Combining cocktails with mesmerizing views, the glamorous watering hole will make for an intoxicating experience. And if your tastes aspire even higher, you can always delight in the presidential suite, which The Luxury Travel Bible calls “a fantasy of glass and sky,” featuring enclosed ‘wintergarden’ balconies.
The Peninsula Paris, France:
Paris’s charm lies in its romantic ambience of cobblestone streets and “old-world” architecture. How else to stay in the City of Light than to be ensconced within the walls of a building which could tell the city’s story? The Peninsula is that place, situated in a magnificent 1908 historic building, formerly The Hotel Majestic. Though the building underwent major upgrades, much of the facade has remained intact and preserved, retaining the look of a palace. Its central location in the exclusive 16th arondissment, a few stiletto steps away from the Champs Elysées and Arc de Triomphe, only enhances the luxury of staying here. The Peninsula made The Luxury Travel Bible’s list last year but opening was delayed because Roman ruins were found in the building’s foundation during renovations. As if the hotel wasn’t already bursting at the seams with history!
The Knickerbocker, New York, USA:
The Knickerbocker is a recovered buried treasure. Dug up from under office chairs and cubicles, it shines again, already featured in the elite group of The Leading Hotels of the World. This New York landmark (it’s said that the martini was invented here in 1912) will have 330 guest rooms, including 40 suites, where guests will be able to satisfy their thirst at a rooftop bar overlooking Times Square, their hunger at the spacious fourth-floor restaurant by Charlie Palmer, and their sweet tooth at the ground floor boulangerie. Situated at the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, the Knickerbocker’s guests will be able to satiate any other desire merely by stepping out the front door.