By Amulya Hiremath on 05.01.23

It’s the first Monday of May, which means the fashion world is abuzz with preparations for the Met Gala, the annual star-studded fundraiser benefiting the Met’s costume institute in New York. This year’s gala and exhibit are dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld‘s undisputed legacy in the fashion industry as the creative director of Chanel, his involvement with Chloé and Fendi, and his eponymous label.

Hospitality has an equally good reason to share the excitement. Opening in June this year in Macau, China, is Karl’s latest and arguably his last creation. And no, it’s not a dress but a 271-key lavish hotel.

The Karl Lagerfeld Macau is a five-star hotel located at the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau and is the only one to be designed by the late legend in its entirety. From large-scale installations and 4000 handpicked books in the Book Lounge to every last detail, like bedsheets and bathrobes, have Karl’s discernable style signature. The multisensory hotel also comes as a sophisticated confluence between his impeccable taste and traditional Chinese craftsmanship, as well as specially commissioned furnishings by Dutch artist Marcel Wanders and French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel. Award-winning chef José Avillezhelms the food scene at The Mesa Restaurant, and multiple pools, and a spa, among other perks, add to the wellness menu.

 

While the iconoclast dedicated most of his life to fabric and fantastical fashion shows, his multidisciplinary creativity also spilled into hospitality and interior design. His exclusive designs have previously found a place in robes and emblems at Sofitel So Singapore (now Hotel Telegraph), in the form of rooms at Schlosshotel Berlin by Patrick Hellmann and Villa Laetitia in Rome. Considered one of his last projects was his extensive collaboration with architect Aline Asmar d’Amman, who redesigned Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, which brought out two suites inspired by the royal apartments in the Palace of Versailles.

The Karl Lagerfeld Macau
Rua do Tiro, Cotai, Macau
Rates from $265
Visit Website

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The brainchild of Vincent Farret d’Astiès, founder and test pilot, Zephalto is the bridge between his dreams of space travel and reality. Partnering with world-renowned, Paris-based Joseph Dirand Architecture, known for their pristine designs and high-end interiors, Céleste is powered by low-carbon and ecology-forward technology. At the same time, its safety is certified by the French government’s space agency, The National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Céleste will take flight end of 2024, and tickets are priced starting at $133,000. For more information and booking, visit Zephalto.

Zephalto

(Paris Office) 5 parvis Alan Turing, 75013 Paris
Rates from $133,000
Visit Website

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By Amulya Hiremath, edited by Hamzeh Alfarahneh  on 04.14.23

The world loves to fall into place in binaries — there are always two kinds of people. In travel, you might see: people who check-in baggage or are strictly carry-on, people who pre-plan to the T, and others who wake up, pack and go. When it comes to booking a hotel, you might either read sizable reviews — A Hotel Lifers read anywhere between 1000 to 1500 words on average about a hotel — or decide based on a couple of photos. Whatever category you might fall into, here is a disruptor that has animated our team and been the subject of many water cooler talks in A Hotel Life’s virtual office.

With Hotel Haiku — No, it’s not a hotel, and don’t worry, they don’t assign rooms based on your poetry skills — Garri Rainer, a travel web entrepreneur and a creative genius in our books, reviews some of the world’s coolest hotels through the lens of the Japanese traditional haiku — a poem of seventeen syllables in three lines of five, seven, and five — and a suggestive photo from the hotel.

“Worst view in the world
Of graffiti-strewn concrete
From most of the rooms”

Banksy’s The Walled Off Hotel

Check out Gemma Bell’s review of The Walled Off Hotel on A Hotel Life

“Gothic defiance
In its desert location
A dead rose blossoms”

Goes the Haiku for Rosa Muerta, in Joshua Tree, USA, a “notel” — defined as “an exceptional, often architecturally designed, holiday and vacation rental property that draws inspiration from the design hotel phenomenon.” Apart from being an avid haiku enthusiast, Garri is a web developer and publisher best known for his site Go Glamping, which is dedicated to luxury camping.

“Mountains wraparound
Four sumptuous cottages
Perched on a ridge”

Check out Rebecca MacGregor’s review of 360º Leti on A Hotel Life