Kiwi Curated
Back to the Future
by Joy PecknoldWith all that 2020 has rolled out, we have often wished we could skip ahead to the future. Although the world hasn’t yet figured out time travel (that we know of) à la Dr. Emmett Brown in Back to the Future, we found a way to mentally get there, and that’s by picturing ourselves in the near future living it up in a present-day hotel that feels invigoratingly futuristic. Come along with us—no souped-up DeLorean required.
Back to the Future
Embedded in the landscape, following the arc of an old rock quarry, InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland is like a fantasy setting brought to life. Staking claim as the world’s first underground five-star resort, most of its floors are below ground and two are completely underwater. All the extreme activities to prepare you for any impending apocalypse are close by, including rock climbing, kayaking and bungee jumping.
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Just ten minutes from downtown, The Meydan Hotel is just the sort of spot future humans would flock to for an indulgent good time, like The Fifth Element’s Fhloston Paradise, but the future is now. Topped by an infinity pool, the wave-shaped building overlooks a racecourse making it the first five-star trackside hotel. There are also multiple nightclubs, and as soon as that becomes a thing again, they’ll be lit in every sense of the word.
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The work of self-taught architect Miguel Angel Aragonés, Viceroy Los Cabos is not your typical beach resort. All-white angular buildings seem to float above the vast pool, and both a bar and restaurant live beneath webbed-like orbs. The futuristic vibes extend inside, where the lighting colour of their cube rooms can be changed via a keypad or tablet. At the state-of-the-art fitness centre, work on becoming The Bionic Man or Woman.
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Atop the innovative Ole Scheeren-designed Guardian Arts Building near the Forbidden City, The PuXuan Hotel and Spa holds past, present and future in balance. The futuristic, layered façade includes a homage to traditional hutongs, and below the hotel is a gallery, museum and auction house bringing together classic and contemporary art—the in-room safes are even large enough to hold a few small works. Their UR SPA is anything but typical, with its jet-black carbon fiber walls and gender-neutral beauty treatments.
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Back to the Future
In a city known for tradition, SO/ Vienna’s unexpectedness really stands out. Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, its varied slopes and angular shapes cut a futuristic silhouette. In some places, such as the ceiling of the Das LOFT rooftop restaurant, there’s intense colour—in this case, the work of multimedia artist Pipilotti Rist. But most of the hotel is a cleansing palette of white, black and grey, particularly the rooms, which could very well be on a spaceship.
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A quaint name for a Todd Saunders building with somewhat out-of-this-world architecture, Fogo Island Inn is inspired by the island’s existing stilted structures yet looks towards the future. Perched on a rocky shoreline, it also looks towards the open Atlantic Ocean. Forward thinking yet charmingly nostalgic, it’s exactly the sort of future one wants to live in.
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If the future plays out more like Mad Max, then &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is the spot to acclimatize to that life. Located within the world’s oldest desert on a private reserve, the buildings of glass, stone and steel are made to meld with the landscape. One of the coolest aspects of revamped design by architect Jack Alexander are the steel shades laser cut to mirror Milky Way constellations.
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Switch city views for deep space and the curved atrium at Conrad Osaka could be a starship lounge. Occupying the top of a 39-floor skyscraper in the Central Business District, the property has all kinds of futuristic accents, namely a number of artworks, including a giant cluster of spheres reaching up for the lobby ceiling titled “Fu/Rai” by sculptor Kohei Nawa and “Prism Chandelier” by Takahiro Matsio that looks like glass but is made of thermoplastic.
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The bright white paneled rooms and hallways at Andaz Tokyo give off quite the 2001: A Space Odyssey vibes. Then dressed in plenty of mid-century modern furnishings, the hotel also calls to mind The Jetsons. Speaking of space, it sits atop the city’s second tallest highrise so it might be the closest civilians can get to the stars at the moment. Their onsite wedding chapel is arguably one of the most futuristic looking places to get hitched.
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W Hotels never shies away from a big, bold statement, and W Kuala Lumpur is no exception. Enter the lobby and waterfall LED lighting sets a futuristic mood right off the bat. The seriously high-back, hot pink chairs in their Farm and Flock restaurant also feel plucked from another time and planet. The 150-room hotel could easily double as a Capitol location in The Hunger Games.
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The future is largely synonymous with shiny steel skyscrapers, but films like Ex Machina make a case for a less obvious treatment. Enter Alila Villas Uluwatu with its modern yet unconventional good looks. The cabanas, including one dramatically cantilevered, are made of organic materials but the overlapping linearity feels entirely futuristic. This Bali property is just the sort of calm oasis overstimulated city dwellers would escape to, now and light years from now.
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If there’s one thing that’s constant thought the ages, it’s the importance of art, and that’s the anchor point at MONA The Pavilions. Alongside the Museum of Old and New Art, there are eight luxury dens, each unique but unified by sharp angles fit for the space age. With Moorilla winery also sharing the land, it’s the perfect place to hunker down and see what the future serves up.
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