Checking In: Hotel Openings, June 2017
by Jessica Montevago /
United States
The highly-anticipated Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills opens its doors this month. Spanning 12 floors, it features 170 guestrooms and suites with oversized balconies offering unobstructed views. Dining venues include a French-American restaurant led by famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and a rooftop eatery in a garden setting. The luxury hotel also offers a rooftop pool and lounge with VIP cabanas.
View from the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
The James New York – NoMad, the sister property of the James Hotel in Manhattan’s Soho, launched its preview phase June 1. Brass minibars and hand-carved bathroom vanities furnish the 366 luxury guestrooms. Later this summer, guests will have access to the fitness center, with equipment including Peloton bikes, signature James yoga mats and meditation cushions. The James Club will offer light bites and refreshments specially selected by local bakeries and restaurants, and the award-winning Scarpetta restaurant will open in the fall.
Lobby of the James New York – NoMad.
Tech-driven Hotel VIA will open in San Francisco, CA, offering technological amenities like a customized mobile concierge app, digital room keys and personal tablets in each guestroom. High-speed point-of-location WiFi will allow guests to connect to the internet from anywhere on the hotel property. The 159-room boutique hotel also features a rooftop lounge, a breakfast café, fitness center and an upscale cocktail bar.
Ian Schrager’s latest hotel, Public, opens June 7 in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Designed to be social and communal, the property has an outdoor terrace, a multimedia performance space and a rooftop bar with floor-to-ceiling windows. The hotel’s 367 rooms are centered on technology, with free high-speed WiFi, Apple TVs ,and 12 outlets and USB ports. The restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten serves a menu focused on health and wellness.
Mexico and Latin America
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts opened the 79-room Rosewood Puebla, located two-hours from Mexico City, housed in a collection of historic buildings. Puebla’s colonial history and architecture inspired the hotel’s design, which displays local artwork and pottery, while three dining venues and a rooftop bar serve a modern take on the region’s traditional cuisine. The hotel also has a spa with rooftop infinity pool, offering services like a volcanic mud treatment and a talavera massage.
Guestroom at Rosewood Puebla. Photo: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
Hilton’s luxury brand Conrad Hotels & Resorts opened the 134-room Conrad San Luis Potosi. A Tequila Corner lounge provides guests with a taste of more than 100 national tequilas and mezcales, while the Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar serves Californian fare. The property also has a pool and bar, located on the fifth floor terrace.
European luxury hotel group Kempinski Hotels added to Cuba’s upscale offerings with the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana in Havana. The five-star property features 246 rooms, a rooftop terrace with a pool, three restaurants and a cigar lounge.
Cuba's first luxury hotel Photo: Kempinski Hotels
Asia
Meliá Shanghai Hongqiao made its debut as the brand’s flagship property in China. With a focus on holistic wellness, the YHI Spa will offer Shanghai’s first and only Aqua Healing and Chakra Vibration therapies. The luxury property’s 187 rooms have high ceilings and fabric-lined walls, and are furnished with marble and walnut wood. Three-bedroom Garden Villas wrap around its own garden and outdoor lounge. Villa guests can enjoy in-room check-in, limousine service, 24/7 butler service, and private chef dinners upon request.
Villas at Meliá Shanghai Hongqiao
At the end of the month, Marriott International will open the 374-room W Shanghai – The Bund. The property will offer the W brand’s signature amenities, including Wonderful Rooms, Extreme WOW Suites, WET outdoor pool and AWAY spa.