Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana, Cuba
Kempinski has opened its first property in Cuba. Located on the site of a former 19th century shopping arcade in Old Havana, the hotel has 246 rooms and suites, six restaurants and bars, plus a spa, infinity pool and gym. The hotel’s Evocacion Tobacco lounge houses a selection of fine rums, cigars and spirits, while the pool terrace and bar serves tapas and locally-inspired cocktails. Rooms start at 38 sqm for the Patio rooms, going up to 150 sqm for the Presidential suite, with modern furnishings, a work desk, coffee and tea making facilities and views of the old town in many.
Hotel Indigo Warsaw Nowy Swiat
A new Hotel Indigo has opened in the Polish capital. Located near Warsaw’s Old Town, the property has 60 rooms with modern furnishings and high ceilings, a fusion restaurant serving Middle Eastern and North African cuisine, plus a lounge bar offering a range of whiskeys. Rooms come with a work desk, HD TV and spa-like bathrooms.
Hyatt House Mexico City Santa Fe
Hyatt has launched its first Hyatt House extended stay property in Latin America. Situated in the upmarket neighbourhood of Sante Fe in Mexico City, the hotel has 119 residences ranging in size from studios to one-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens. There is a restaurant, serving sandwiches, salads and snacks, a 24-hour convenience store plus an outdoor heated pool, a gym and three meeting rooms.
Country Inns and Suites by Carlson, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Carlson Rezidor has completed a US$5.5 million renovation of its Country Inns and Suites property at Seattle airport. The 18-month refurbishment includes an upgrade of its 120 rooms, business centre, gym and lobby. For easy access to the airport, guests can use a complimentary 24-hour shuttle, while a separate shuttle runs to Angle Lake station on the Light Rail service for those who need to get to downtown Seattle.
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London
The hotel has unveiled the first phase of its room renovations with the reopening of the Knightsbridge-facing rooms and suites. A new lobby entrance and reception were unveiled in January, while the newly refreshed rooms, designed by Hong Kong-based interior designer Joyce Wang, are inspired by the building’s Edwardian heritage and park surroundings.
Featuring hand-gilded mirror artwork, panelled walls and art deco-inspired features, the rooms either overlook Knightsbridge or an inner courtyard within the hotel. All rooms come with Bower and Wilkins music players, Nespresso coffee machines and a pillow menu, with Volakas marble-clad bathrooms, Miller Harris and Jo Hansford toiletries.
W Barcelona
W Hotels has unveiled a multimillion euro renovation of its Barcelona property’s 473 rooms and suites, plus the brand’s first W Sound Suite in Europe. Working with London-based design studio Bowler James Brindley, the new room design draws on elements from the city and sea featuring a blue, teal and rose gold palette, floor-to-ceiling windows and modular furniture which reflects Spanish tapas culture. Rooms come with 49-inch screen TVs, Bose sound systems and Bliss toiletries. The W Sound Suite is soundproofed and equipped with studio technology.
Coming soon
Rosewood Vienna
Rosewood will be launching the brand’s fifth European property in Vienna. Scheduled to open in 2021, the hotel will be housed in an 18th century former bank headquarters on Petersplatz, in Vienna’s Old Town. With 99 rooms and suites, it will have a spa, meeting space and a number of dining options, including a rooftop bar and a garden restaurant serving European cuisine.
One and Only Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Rwanda
Set to open in Q4 this year, the lodge will offer 22 rooms and suites, set within one of Africa’s oldest forests and the natural habitat of 20 per cent of apes on the continent. Rooms and suites will feature contemporary furnishings with traditional African touches, each with a private deck and open fire place. Al fresco yoga and open-air spa treatments will be on offer, plus guided tours of the National Park, home to chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys alongside 275 species of bird.
