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TRAVELLER AWARDS: STYLE & DESIGN
From an 1881 merchant’s house transformed into a boutique hotel in Athens, to Mondrian’s entry into Australia on the Gold Coast, we celebrate the brands getting creative and banishing bland. Read on for more winners in the Style & Design category.
BROADWICK SOHO, LONDON
It’s surprisingly easy to miss Broadwick Soho – my taxi drove straight past. The hotel’s discreet townhouse-style entrance (the front door mostly closed) totally belies the playful aesthetic within. Founder Noel Hayden engaged interior architect Martin Brudnizki to create joyous interiors that pay tribute to Noel’s childhood memories of his family’s flamboyant Bournemouth hotel. It’s a masterclass in maximalist design, with an art collection of more than 300 original works (including Andy Warhol shoe sketches that were part of David Bowie’s estate) complemented by bespoke pieces sourced from across Europe and India. Murano chandeliers, intricate wallpapers, minibars housed in handcrafted brass elephants, even an English oak staircase built in situ perfectly capture Soho’s history of creative energy and eccentricity. See broadwicksoho.com
MONDRIAN, GOLD COAST
The first five-star hotel in the once sleepy Burleigh Heads, home to a renowned surf break and distinctive headland, heralds Mondrian’s entry into Australia. Fronting the Pacific the handsome and undulating exterior of the 24-storey hotel by Melbourne architects Fraser and Partners reflects the surrounding coastline. Interiors by California-based Studio Carter and Sydney-based Alexander and Co offer an “easy tactility”. Bathed in light, suites and rooms feature leather banquettes and pink marble vanities; breezy restaurants include Mediterranean-focused Lito and seafood-first Haven. Live the coastal dream either at the pool club of loungers and private breeze-block cabanas or the beach, via scissor stairs, just steps away. See mondrianhotels.com
MONUMENT HOTEL, ATHENS
Monument is only 10 minutes by foot from touristy Monastiraki square in Athens but it’s so discrete you might walk straight past it. Built for a wealthy merchant in 1881, the mansion was designed by German architect Ernst Ziller, who co-designed the city’s National Archaeological Museum. Designated a preserved monument by the Ministry of Culture, it was transformed into a gorgeous nine-room hotel by Santorini hotelier Grigoris Tolkas in 2023. Original frescoes and decorative details have been painstakingly preserved, but it’s light, airy and modern inside, with an elegant guesthouse feel. The hero suites have large terraces and views of the Acropolis. A grand staircase winds through the floors (note, no elevator) and the street-level lounge with honour bar is a true sanctuary. See monumenthotelathens.com
THE OKURA TOKYO
Exuding James Bond cool, Tokyo’s Okura Hotel was founded by Baron Kishichiro Okura, the son of businessman Kihachiro Okura who established Japan’s first private art museum, the Okura Museum of Art, in 1917. The hotel opened across the courtyard from the museum in 1962. Designed by architect Yoshiro Taniguchi, it was considered a masterpiece of mid-century architecture, especially the lobby. When the original building was pulled down to create two towers in 2015, Yoshiro’s son, Yoshio, who was known for his design of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, was engaged to respect the original style of his father’s work. The famous lobby is thankfully preserved, and the more intimate, traditional-style Heritage Wing is the place to stay. See lhw.com
CATHAY PACIFIC ARIA SUITES
In the latest business-class “sky wars”, all the buzz is about the brand-new sliding door cabins on Cathay Pacific. This Hong Kong-based carrier has always been synonymous with style, so when it debuted its Aria Suites, the question on the runway was “could they be any more stylish?” Yes, its design and tech gurus should take a bow – a glow-up of cappuccino tones and innovative technology steal the show. Game changers include Bluetooth-enabled headphones and a screen app for checking lavatory status, while its foundations of excellence in food, service and urban-cool lounges remain. Bonus points for prioritising Australians – Sydney was the second long-haul route to receive Aria Suites after January’s London-Hong Kong launch. See cathaypacific.com
ISLAND HOUSE, LORD HOWE ISLAND
Beautiful, unique, ancient. Lord Howe Island throws out a challenge to those who dare build on her – match me if you can. Tim Maxwell and his father, Michael, took up this gauntlet in 2016, vowing to transform their 1970s flats into a property worthy of this coral-ringed isle, half-way between Australia and New Zealand. The result is architect-designed Island House, built to last thanks to its hardwood and copper construction, oak-lined interiors, Italian marble, wide floorboards, Cheminees Philippe fireplaces, copper baths and four-metre ceilings. Yet this light-filled property, comprising two pavilion-style, two-bedroom houses with gourmet kitchens, curated art and bookshelves, plus extensive decks where groups can mingle, manages to appear as if it has grown alongside the ancient banyans. See islandhouse.com.au
QT SINGAPORE
Last year QT Hotels made its Asian debut with an impressive property in the former Eastern Extension Telegraph building in Singapore’s financial district. With its soaring ionic stone columns, graceful archways and intricate masonry, the building is a gorgeous reminder of the workmanship that was lavished on corporate headquarters in the early 1900s. There are subtle references to Singapore’s history in everything from the wrought iron arches to the lift’s wraparound artworks, plus numerous contemporary flourishes, such as QT’s trademark flamboyant staff outfits (patterned trousers and flat caps for the men; hot-pink floral jumpsuits for the women). Other notable facilities include a stunning 30-metre rooftop pool and a Manhattan-style steakhouse by executive chef Sean Connolly. See qtsingapore.com
TREEHOTEL, SWEDEN
Who would expect to find a cluster of architect-designed treehouses concealed within a pine forest in Swedish Lapland? Located an hour north of Lulea, the property combines a heritage-listed guesthouse with eight audaciously designed treehouses, ranging from a UFO and a bird’s nest to an entirely mirrored cube. For sheer wow-factor, it’s hard to beat the most recent addition, Biosphere, which was designed by Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group. A glass-panelled cube suspended among the trees and covered with 350 bird boxes, the futuristic two-level structure has an inbuilt sauna, a high-tech water-recycling shower and a 360-degree treetop roof terrace. It’s like waking up in a Swedish fairy tale. See treehotel.se
ART’OTEL LONDON HOXTON
Every art’otel collaborates with a signature artist and this property’s chosen creative is Londoner Dean Stockton (aka D*Face), a well-known street artist whose satirical comic strip-style murals can be found all over the world. He was involved in every aspect of the hotel’s eye-catching aesthetic, from the two-storey video installation in the foyer to a blinged-up Triumph motorbike in the guest lounge. Either side of the hotel entrance are two original Banksy murals and a large subterranean gallery features the work of up-and-coming local artists. Located in the once-gritty but now hipster-cool London suburb of Hoxton, the property has a buzzy ground-floor brasserie, a rooftop cocktail bar and is steps from Shoreditch’s funky galleries, boutiques and restaurants. See artotellondonhoxton.com
ETIHAD AIRWAYS
Giorgio Armani luxury duvets, pillows, pyjamas and slippers, softly-lit Arabian-style matte gold lamps, chocolate-and-black colour-palette accents throughout, outstanding a la carte dining. No, you haven’t checked into some chic boutique hotel but rather Etihad Airways’ rather dreamy Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner business class (and aboard Airbus A350s from December). Emirates and Qatar, with a combined fleet size of 523 aircraft compared to Etihad’s mere 106, garner virtually all of the attention among Middle Eastern carriers and beyond. Yet Etihad, which has a near new Abu Dhabi terminal hub, eclipses both in sheer style, save, perhaps, for the backwards-facing (reverse herringbone) seating configuration. See etihad.com
