The World's Best Luxury Design Hotels
Published on: September 18th, 2017
Last modified: March 21st, 2024
Some of the world's finest hotels feature exciting design-forward architecture. Taking your travel to a whole new level of mind-expanding exploration, these hotels are jam-packed with creativity and inspiration.
From unusual architecture to dramatic decoration, internationally renowned designers add artistic flair to these properties. These is our pick of the world's best luxury design hotels, all boasting complete style.
1) Iniala Beach House Villas & Suites, Thailand
This is cutting-edge opulence at its best. Home to three lavish villas and one exclusive penthouse on the shores of Phuket, the accommodation here boasts massage rooms, private pools and a cinema. Not forgetting your personal chef, butler, driver, house keeper and spa therapist, everything you could wish for is handed to you here.
However it is not just a whopping list of impressive amenities to indulge in, as ten designers from all over the globe have fitted this property out, marking Iniala as the world-class standard for extravagant and innovative design.
2) Ellerman House, Cape Town, South Africa
With Cape Town crowned the design capital of 2014, this list wouldn’t be complete without a couple of ‘Mother City’ gems. Ellerman House, a Jacada favourite, offers a combination of a homely atmosphere (assuming you live in a grand, stately manor) and gorgeous new villa additions.
Throw in an incredible wine cellar sculpture, one of the country’s best art collections and world-class service alongside idyllic Bantry Bay views: with so many stylish factors, Ellerman really is a superb property.
3) Faena Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Don’t let the statuesque, seven-story brick facade of this Buenos Aires property fool you. Lying within the award-winning Faena are interiors infused with intense avant-garde luxury. A sultry mood permeates throughout the property, with cutting-edge design high on its agenda.
From the unicorn head-clad restaurant, to the reception-free foyer to a golden crown-shaped fountain and crystal chandeliers, Faena is dramatic and decadent.
4) MACq 01, Tasmania, Australia
Each of the 114 rooms and suites in this history-meets-design hotel are linked to a real character from Tasmania‘s rich and vibrant history: from heroes and villains to explorers and inventors, every major figure is represented. Pieces of history, tales and fables are also sprinkled throughout the glamorous decor of the hotel.
With all this history going on, rooms are nonetheless modern, airy, bright and spacious. Most enjoy a private balcony looking out over the Derwent Estuary or historic Hunter Street, whilst the ultra-stylish restaurant and hotel bar boast sweeping waterfront views.
5) Hotel Marques de Riscal, La Rioja, Spain
The brainchild of architectural genius Frank Gehry, the striking and innovative roof of this hotel was designed to reflect the precious liquid that’s produced in the celebrated adjoining winery of the same name. Stripes of titanium are coloured in shades of silver that represent a wine cup, gold for the cap of a bottle, and, of course, red to embody the wine itself.
Interiors are just as gorgeous, with airy, spacious rooms and sweeping views from the oblique lined windows, each view strikingly different from the rest. On a sunny day, drink in the views (and the wine) from the gourmet restaurant’s stylish terrace.
6) Singita Lebombo, The Kruger, South Africa
Based in the Big 5-rich Kruger Park, Singita Lebombo is an uber modern lodge. Its stylish reputation is cemented with organic design pieces made of wood and steel, plus a beautiful, long and all-too-inviting pool and deck area, all crowned by the stark contrast of this cutting-edge flair with the enveloping rugged bush land.
Views of the Kruger (as well as superb animal sightings) can be soaked up from the comfort of your ‘eagle nest’, or suite, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows.
7) Tarangire Treetops, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
If you’re looking for a truly unique bush experience then head to Tarangire Treetops. Celebrating Tarangire National Park’s fantastic Baobab tree population, this unusual lodge allows you to return to your childhood fantasies with its quirky tree house accommodation. Perched up in the air, each open-fronted suite is built around ancient Baobabs for an enchanting feel.
Despite the natural setting, the accommodation here does not miss out on any sense of luxury thanks to the high-end trimmings of private balconies, open-air showers and beds facing the splendid African landscape.
8) Alila Uluwatu, Bali
Regarded as one of Uluwatu’s most avant-garde hotels, Alila sits on the coast’s clifftops promising sensational Indian Ocean views. The open-plan villas which make up the accommodation here feature sophisticated Balinese touches and minimalist but dramatic design.
Eco-fabulous qualities are then added to the mix with locally sourced and sustainable materials, such as flat lava rock roofs and bamboo ceilings.
9) Alto Atacama Lodge & Spa, Atacama Desert, Chile
The hotel’s design mirrors the Atacama with earthy hues, local iconography and sculptures, tapestries and textiles. All of these design innovations come together to form a quiet sense of luxury in an environmentally sustainable fashion.
Set against the rugged, red mountains of the captivating Atacama desert, this magnificent hideaway merges into its vast backdrop in a conscientous and oh-so stylish way.
10) The Silo, Cape Town, South Africa
Prominent British designer and architect Thomas Heatherwick, whose iconic works include the Cauldron for the London 2012 Olympic Games and London’s new Routemaster bus, was the creative brain behind this masterpiece. Built in 1924, the grain silo was the tallest building in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the luxury hotel located in the former elevator tower now takes a proud place as a beacon of modern design on Cape Town‘s skyline and waterfront.
Retaining the original industrial aesthetics with the addition of gently bulging pillowed glazing panels, the hotel comprises 28 rooms, each of which has been individually designed to tell its own story and reflect (as well as showcase) the city’s natural beauty.
11) The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam
One of Vietnam’s most sumptuous properties, the Nam Hai employs traditional architecture with a modern elegance. The palatial villas here offer a cool sense of space with their contemporary, light and open design, while the three pools are a striking image.
Set within 35 hectares of tropical gardens on Ha My beach’s pristine shoreline, this is the perfect base from which to explore the charming 15th century town of Hoi An just a few short miles away.
12) Fasano Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sitting on one of Rio’s hottest beaches, Fasano is one of the city’s coolest hotels and so, attracts a cool clientele. It’s the type of place where staff wear vintage uniforms and guests people-watch, cocktail in hand, from the stunning rooftop infinity pool.
Parisian designer Phillipe Starck adorned this Ipanema hotspot with a blend of period touches and original art to bring Rio’s modernist history to life – and create a fabulously chic setting.
13) Babylonstoren, The Winelands, South Africa
When it comes to supremely stylish Cape Dutch architecture, Babylonstoren is a winner. Partly owned by former Elle Decoration editor Karen Roos, this Winelands hotel seamlessely balances its colonial heritage with contemporary flair. The restaurant here, Babel, is renowned for its top-class design.
While the buildings are charming examples of restored Cape Dutch farm cottages, the interiors are light and airy with a glass fronted kitchen area offering gorgeous gardens, mountains and skyline views.
14) Amanjiwo, Java, Indonesia
With its design based on the neighbouring Borobudur temple, Amanjiwo is a remarkable piece of architecture combining ancient inspiration and contemporary opulence. Lying within a natural ampitheatre, a Romanesque feel is given to the hotel with its free-standing suites based in two elegant crescents around a central rotunda.
Reminiscent of its spiritual and volcanic surrounds, the suites enjoy high ceilings with domed, ash-coloured roofs, while local materials and artefacts such as hand-carved furniture, antique glass paintings and exotic Javanese textiles also grace the immaculately sophisticated property.
15) The Singular, Torres del Paine, Chile
Originally built in 1915, the Singular is a post-Victorian cold-storage factory refurbished to a refined and modern industrial fashion. When you’re not reading up about the Singular’s past, spend your time exploring the remote Chilean surrounds on a wide choice of adventurous expeditions.
Rooms feature bare concrete walls and seamless glow windows that look out to the wild Patagonian scenery. This wild region, along with the hotel’s heritage, has been incorporated into the furnishings with restored factory machinery and historical information displayed.
16) Angama Mara, Kenya
Traditional Maasai culture meets modern luxury in these 30 tented suites, where splashes of red and tartan print are combined with stylish minimalist design so as to enhance the 180 degree panoramic views.
10 metre wide, floor-to-ceiling glass windows and private wooden decks provide unparalleled opportunities for game viewing from this perch high on the Rift Valley‘s Oloololo Escarpment.
17) Siam Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Found along the Chao Phraya River is Bangkok’s Siam Hotel. Besides an excellent location, this bold and deluxe property fuses Thai, colonial and art deco elements to create a strikingly modern design.
Dining takes centre stage here, with the property sporting three restaurants. Authentic cookery school and Thai restaurant Chon Thai Restaurant is an excellent place to sample local cuisine, while the art-deco themed Deco Bar & Bistro reflects the contemporary international menu.
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