Top 2006
New U.S. Hotel Openings |
High
concepts, condo-hotels and new classics—diversity
in luxury is the theme for this year’s best new
hotels in America. Hoteliers have been busy scaling the
high-end hospitality mountain and planting their flags
with the vow to deliver the very latest in design, technology
and guest experience. New York City, naturally, made the
list with two properties—one that claims to be an
“entirely new genre of hotel.” Seattle gets
a nod, as do Scottsdale, Minneapolis and Dallas. Fresh
locations like Pismo Beach and Westlake Village, Calif.;
Hawley, Pa; and Louisville, Ky., round out our top ten
honorees, whose interpretations of hospitality translate
to sigh-inducing encounters that are not only authentic
but built to last.
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 ARIZONA
Scottsdale
Hotel Valley Ho
Touted
as an urban resort, this retro hideaway in the heart of
a popular desert city is one cool hotel. A mid-century
classic that once catered to the celebs of Hollywood’s
heyday, it languished for years before a savvy group of
investors decided to breathe new life into the deteriorating
property. Today, it features 194 guest rooms whose chic
boutique interiors—worthy of Sammy, Frank and Dean—include
glass-walled patios overlooking Camelback Mountain. Relax
with American comfort food at the sleek Café
Zuzu and then get your kicks with a kitschy tiki drink
at the hotel’s Trader Vic’s bar.
___________________________
CALIFORNIA
Pismo
Beach
Dolphin Bay Hotel & Residences
Gracing
the bluffs above Pismo Beach, situated smack dab in the
middle of the central California coastline, this beachy
small residence hotel is all about casual luxury and Golden
State ethos. The idea of home-away-from-home is taken
seriously here, where guests can choose from 70 elegant
one- and two-bedroom residences outfitted with gourmet
kitchens, walk-in closets and the latest in home entertainment.
Ocean views and archetypal sunsets cast a radiant glow
on facilities that include the Lido
Restaurant and La Bonne Vie spa. While away your time
between specialty massages and sustainable dining with
a drive north to San Francisco or a southerly foray to
La-La land.
___________________________
CALIFORNIA
Westlake
Village
Four Seasons Hotel, Westlake Village
Opened
as of December 1, 2006, the latest from Four Seasons Hotels
and Resorts exudes the same traditional elegance all its
properties are known for. Located just north of Los Angeles
and surrounded by soothing landscapes, i features the
usual dining, fitness and business facilities, with a
40,000-square-foot mega-spa enhanced by the very different
and forward-thinking California WellBeing Institute. Considered
a luxury lifestyle facility, the Institute offers guests
personal evaluation on a number of levels—the idea
being that if you need to make a change, do so now so
that you can live a longer, healthier and happier life.
Wow!
___________________________
KENTUCKY
Louisville
21c Museum Hotel
Claiming
to be America’s first museum hotel, 21c Museum Hotel
in historic downtown Louisville is a one-of-a-kind venue.
What’s a museum hotel, you may well ask? In addition
to offering guests sanctuary in 91 rooms that come with
their own iPods and sterling silver mint julep cups, this
lovely small hotel exclusively commissions and displays
works of 21st-century art by known video artists, painters,
photographers, sculptors and multi-media artists. And,
since this is the Kentucky Bluegrass State, you’ll
also enjoy a selection of fine bourbons at the hotel’s
lauded Proof
on Main restaurant.
___________________________
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis
Chambers
Declaring itself the country’s
first art hotel, the Chambers came into existence with
the renovation of two landmark revival buildings in Minneapolis’
historic downtown. Throughout this 60-room boutique property
you’ll find displays of modern paintings, sculptures,
photography, drawings and video art from the owner’s
personal collection, considered among the top private
collections in the world. The David Rockwell-designed
rooms, generous in proportion and contemporary in concept,
feature more art and all the comforts you’d expect
of a stylish establishment. In the Chambers Kitchen, helmed
by the inimitable Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the Asian-inspired
dining is especially fine.
___________________________
NEW
YORK
New York
City
Blue Moon Hotel
A
former tenement building in an area once pulsing with
the quotidian hustle and bustle of street sellers, this
new boutique hotel is part of the ongoing revitalization
of the Lower East Side. Boasting a restored façade,
brickwork and even fire escapes, it’s a standout
among the trendy galleries and restaurants that inhabit
this now fashionable Manhattan neighborhood. Each of its
sixteen spacious guest rooms and six suites is named after
personalities from the days of old New York. With whom
would you rather spend the night: Al Jolson, Groucho Marx,
Jimmy Cagney, or Sophie Tucker?
___________________________
NEW
YORK
New York City
The Gramercy Park Hotel
The
mastermind behind this highly anticipated hotel, Ian Schrager
claims it defies categorization—and it is indeed
inventive and lavish in design, eclectic features and
an old European aesthetic filtered through today’s
liberated lifestyles. The hotel impresses with 185 generously
scaled guest rooms and suites—dramatic in color,
singular in floor plan, and yielding a spirited ambience
from their extraordinary blend of multicultural furnishings
and varied styles. To be surrounded by all that otherworldly
beauty would be enough for most, but guests are also treated
to tons of original art, a private rooftop club, innovative
spa and fitness facilities, a coveted key to Gramercy
Park and—opening in January 2007—the Park
Chinois from acclaimed restaurateur Alan Yu.
___________________________
PENNSYLVANIA
Hawley
The Lodge at Woodloch
Pennsylvania’s
lake region is the home of this refreshing new destination
spa resort situated on 75 private estate acres. Once you’ve
calmed your mind, renewed your body and connected with
your inner self, you can connect with a tennis or golf
ball at the championship club adjacent to the property.
You’ll find yourselves at one with nature in your
choice of 58 guest rooms designed to foster serenity and
surrender. Plan your day around outdoor hikes, yoga and
meditation, followed by a workshop in conscious living,
a fireside chat with authors, poets and musicians, a psychic
reading and organic dining at Tree.
___________________________
TEXAS
Dallas
W Dallas-Victory
A
brand, spanking new Texas-sized building near Dallas’
downtown design district, this W property is striking
both inside and out. Two hundred fifty-two guest rooms
contain W’s typical upscale furnishings, while features
range from a spa, health facilities, a rooftop infinity
pool, the P.A.W.-Pets Are Welcome policy and W’s
signature Whatever/Whenever Service. Dine on contemporary
cuisine at the award-winning Craft, whoop it up cowboy-style
at The Living Room Bar, and then materialize at the city’s
newest late-night place to see and be seen, Ghostbar—bathed
in ethereal blue lighting atop the building’s 33rd
floor.
___________________________
WASHINGTON
Seattle
Hotel 1000
Hotel
1000 calls itself distinctive in a thousand ways—and
we definitely agree. Design technology is the hallmark
of this city hotel, whose 120 rooms and suites cultivate
tranquility with features like electronic “do not
disturb” signs, bathtubs that automatically fill
from the ceiling, and artwork you can select according
to taste for display on your hi-def TV. At the hotel’s
The Golf Club, guests can play the game in a virtual setting
on more than 50 world-class courses. Just step up in front
of the huge projection screen, hit away with a real club,
and see your performance stats register after each swing.
 Other 2006 Notable U.S. Hotel Openings |
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P112206 |
(Updated: 11/30/10 CT) |
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