That’s settled then
As the world gets moving, we profile new openings and time-tested hotels that still mean business. These stopovers are ideal settings for talking shop – and having a good kip when you're done.
85 /100
Best to court a VC in DC
Riggs, Washington DC
A new chapter has begun for the building that once housed Washington’s Riggs Bank in the Penn Quarter neighbourhood, a short walk from the Capitol. Hospitality brand Lore Group restored the building to its former decadence with a 181-room hotel that revived architectural flourishes such as Corinthian pillars and marble staircases.
Everything about the fitout is grand, from the plush lounge with its dangling art deco chandeliers to the guest rooms, many of which feature Versailles-esque chairs on faded floral rugs. On the ground floor is the Café Riggs, a colourful dining room with high ceilings, and on the terrace, Rooftop at Riggs serves Mediterranean dishes best enjoyed alfresco.
riggsdc.com
86 /100
Best to escape the city
The Ritz-Carlton Nikko
The latest Japanese offering from The Ritz-Carlton in Japan is nestled in the Nikko National Park, two-and-a-half hours’ drive north from Tokyo. The US hotel brand’s fifth outpost in the country sits on Lake Chuzenji, with a view of Mount Nantai.
If you need to recharge, the 94-room stopover has you covered, with large onsens inside and out, a hinoki cypress-wood sauna, zazen meditation sessions led by a monk from nearby Chuzen-ji temple and, of course, a spa. The interior is on the right side of homely, with Japanese artwork curated by Tokyo’s Art Front Gallery. And don’t forget to get out into the surrounding landscape, which is dotted with waterfalls, temples and shrines.
ritzcarlton.com
87 /100
Watch this space
In September, Marriott International is opening another hotel, the Tokyo Edition, in the capital’s Toranomon area. The 206-room hotel has 22 suites, a vast terrace and, hopefully, a few of the hallmarks that made the Ian Schrager- founded brand a place to be seen as well as to see. Stay tuned.
88 /100
Best for honing your holiday pitch
Soho Roc House, Mykonos
Mykonos’s livelier hotspots seem a world away from Paraga Beach, where the latest addition to the Soho House portfolio opened its doors in July. “It’s great to see that members and guests still connect with each other in an organic way as they would in our city houses,” says house manager Nikitas Toulias.
The decor is inspired by laid-back beach life, with a muted colour palette, kilim floor cushions, wicker lampshades and reclaimed wooden furniture. A restored Cycladic chapel sits in the olive-tree-shaded courtyard and, of the 45 bedrooms, many offer balconies with rattan loungers for afternoon siestas.
Executive chef Athinagoras Kostakos has dreamt up a sunny dinner menu, featuring dishes from across Southern Europe. Yet the poolside breakfast is a surprisingly non-Mediterranean affair, with Shoreditch Grind coffee, porridge and bacon sandwiches hinting at the group’s UK origins.
sohohouse.com
89 /100
Best for a business lunch
Hotel Barrière Le Majestic, Cannes
It would take an awfully long time to compile the names of all the film-industry A-listers who have walked through the grand entrance hall of Cannes’ Le Majestic. For 12 days in May, the hotel hosts the opening and closing festivities of the Cannes Film Festival, making it the pied-à-terre of choice for attendees. That’s in a normal year, of course; not in 2020, when the festival was cancelled.
Although Le Majestic is back in business since the easing of lockdown measures, it has had to shift its focus from champagne events to domestic holidaymakers and business visitors, whom the hotel can accommodate for small workshops and client gatherings in its 17 meeting rooms. The reach might not be as big as during the annual Mipim property fair or tfwa travel retail summit but the Majestic is primed for when more glamorous times return – and international business sails back into town.
hotelsbarriere.com
Images: Jennifer Hughes, Soho Roc House Mykonos, Fabián Martínez
