Checking In: Hotel Openings, March 2017
by Jessica Montevago /
United States
Once a hideaway for the well-traveled and celebrities in the 1960s and 1970s, Mountain Shadows in Scottsdale, AZ, is relaunching as a new-build 180-room resort. Most guestrooms feature floor-to-ceiling glass; premium rooms add private patios or balconies, offering views of Camelback Mountain and the surrounding desert landscape. Other amenities include an organic juice bar, two 75-foot swimming pools and an 18-hole golf course.
Miami’s iconic Surf Club—a favorite of Frank Sinatra and Winston Churchill—revamped its old-Miami glamour to create a 21st century luxury retreat. Now the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, the 77-room property will reopen at the end of the month along with 900-feet of white sand beach. The five-star hotel has a restaurant and lounge overlooking the lush courtyard garden, while serenity gardens serve as a place for Pilates, yoga and meditation. The Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club also features a full service spa with eight treatment rooms, including two in oceanfront spa cabanas.
Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club. Photo: Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
Located between Milwaukee and Chicago, the DoubleTree by Hilton Pleasant Prairie Kenosha unveiled a $3.5 million renovation, converting into a 120-room hotel with upgrades to guest rooms, meeting spaces and public spaces. The hotel offers an on-site American restaurant and bar, The Chancery Bar & Grill, upgraded modern architecture and 5,500-square-feet of meeting and banquet facilities, accommodating up to 500 attendees.
The $120 million Pendry San Diego Hotel, a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, opened its doors in the Gaslamp Quarter. The 317-room property is the first for Pendry Hotels, a new luxury brand from Montage Hotels & Resorts. The hotel has six on-site restaurants, including an upscale seafood eatery and a German-style pub, a rooftop pool deck and 35,000-square-feet of meeting and function space, including an 8,400-square-foot grand ballroom.
The Pendry San Diego is located in the city's Gaslamp Quarter. Photo: Pendry Hotels
Employees Only, New York’s famous cocktail bar and restaurant, opened its first hotel property, the Washington Park Hotel in Miami, FL. The 181-room boutique lifestyle hotel is comprised of five Art Deco buildings built circa 1943. In addition to the Employees Only Miami, the property has a swimming pool, a fleet of custom Martone bicycles and a courtyard complete with hammocks, ping-pong, life-size Jenga and bocce ball.
Luxury, eco-friendly 1 Hotels unveiled its flagship property in Brooklyn. The waterfront 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge features 194 rooms, lobby farm stand, rooftop pool and bar, four dining options, a spa, and wellness and pet-friendly amenities. The property was designed by local artists using native greenery and reclaimed materials, and uses 100% wind power energy.
Liberty Studio Suite at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. Photo: 1 Hotels
Europe
Preferred Hotels & Resorts member Il Castelfalfi – TUI BLUE Selection, in Tuscany, Italy, will be the region’s first new-build, five-star resort to open in 25 years. Spread out across a 2,700-acre estate, the 120-room resort features an expansive spa, a fine dining restaurant and an eco-friendly biomass heating. Gusts can enjoy activities ranging from walks in the private wildlife reserve to Italian cooking classes to wine tastings and vineyard tours with the on-staff Agriculture Director.
The five-star Hotel VIU Milan boasts the only hotel rooftop in Milan, Italy, with an outdoor swimming pool and 360-degree view of the city skyline. Along the building’s exterior is a lush vertical garden, while a façade features floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Michelin-star Chef Giancarlo Morelli is at the helm of the hotel’s restaurant, which offers an exclusive area within the kitchen for 12 people to enjoy an up-close gastronomic experience.
Africa
Housed inside a historic grain silo complex, The Silo Hotel opened along Cape Town’s waterfront. The building’s first six floors will become the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, opening later this year. The modern hotel will have a rooftop with a glass pool and bar with views of Table Mountain.
A Deluxe Superior Suite at The Silo Hotel. Photo: The Royal Portfolio