Kiwi Curated
Dreamy Hotel Makeovers
by Joy PecknoldA hotel doesn’t need to be brand new to feel fresh—these 10 recently renovated luxury hotels prove that. Come along on our tour of the latest and greatest hotel makeovers, spanning complete redesigns to splashy accommodation upgrades.
Dreamy Hotel Makeovers
The list of sparkling enhancements is long at Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa. There’s the newly opened Terrasse serving pre-dinner drinks and canapes in front of fire pits while classic silent films screen. Over at new beach club restaurant Vive Océane opened in June, French-Mediterranean and Vietnamese cuisine is on the menu. Camp Hyatt for kids got a makeover, as did the three-bedroom Pool Villas. Additionally, a new Art Gallery showcases works by local and visiting artists.
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
Debuting a redesign by Hong Kong’s own Chi Wing Lo, Regent Hong Kong opened its doors again in June. Guests are now met with golden domes at the entrance and, once inside, more gold in the form of glass bricks partitions, as well as 15-meter-long digital art work by Hung Keung. The lobby lounge, The Steak House and Harbourside restaurants have all been refreshed and rooms redressed as ultra-calming “personal havens.”
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
First launched in 2015, The Breakers Flagler Club has already received a glow up. Perched on the top two floors of The Breakers Palm Beach, this boutique-hotel-within-a-hotel gives guests a private sanctuary and access to the larger, lavish resort. New York-based Tihany Design completely redid the 21 rooms and the club lounge to fuse Palm Beach and European Riviera style. Constantly making improvements is The Breakers’ modus operandi—the resort spends on average $30 million a year on revitalizing its spaces.
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
Sometimes less is more when it comes to new looks. A grand dame of the Toronto hotel scene, Fairmont Royal York put in $46.5 million for a retrofit of its 94-year-old building to reduce carbon emissions with the end goal being Zero Carbon Standards Certification from the Canada Green Building Council. Now the hotel combines high-style—interiors got the full retreatment in 2019—and sustainability.
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
This September, Mandarin Oriental Singapore reopened to reveal the results of a six-month transformation. The work of Kuala Lumpur-based DESIGNWILKES, the new look is inspired by Singaporean Peranakan-style architecture, Angsana trees and black and white houses. Bridging indoors with outdoors, the rooms feature different palettes based on their orientation. Marina Bay views feature cool colours and batiks; the South China Sea side boasts warm, morning-sun tones; and, city-facing focuses on lush greens and botanicals.
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
To make a trip to the remote Maldives even more worth it, Anantara Kihavah Villas spent multimillions sprucing up their Over Water Pool Villas. Featuring new furnishings, fittings and fabrics chosen to reflect local culture, the villas boast floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that open to unobstructed ocean views, glass-bottom bathtubs to spy fishes swimming below and extended decks with a sunken private lounge. While they were at it, they added a new category to the collection: the One Bedroom Family Over Water Pool Villa.
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
A historical gem on the Bosphorus just got brighter. Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul recently redesigned its entrance, lobby and rooms and suites. Palatial flourishes abound, including Iznik ceramics, grand chandeliers and rare Ottoman objects. The waterfront palace hotel also debuted new restaurants, most notably Akdeniz by Esra Muslu—Muslu is one of Türkiye’s most successful female chefs.
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
Another palace hotel has a fresh look and new owners. In the hands of Finca Cortesín Hotels & Resorts, Mallorca’s Grand Hotel Son Net underwent a two-year renovation with opulent, traditional interiors by Lorenzo Castillo. The circa 17th-century estate also encompasses a working Malvasia vineyard, gardens, orchards and farm with donkeys, ponies and sheep. The whole feeling is Old World cinematic.
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
Don’t be surprised if a future Wes Anderson film is set at The Georgian Hotel. Dating back to 1933, the eye-catching Art Deco property a few blocks from Santa Monica Pier has been revived to its former glory through a two-year refurbishment of the restaurants, dining terraces, art gallery, library, lobby bar and 84 rooms. Playful vintage accents abound, including a “champagne” button that beckons a blue-uniformed bellhop with a bar cart full of bottles.
VIEW HOTELDreamy Hotel Makeovers
One of the grandest showpieces of WATG and Wimberly Interior’s $60-million renovation of the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort is seen on arrival—the lobby now has an open-air feel with a big view all the way out to the California coast, along with a sculptural chandelier of migrating birds that gently moves when a breeze rolls in. The rooms and suites received special treatment too, with teak furnishings, marble baths and private balconies for taking in pastel Pacific sunsets.
VIEW HOTELThe list of sparkling enhancements is long at Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa. There’s the newly opened Terrasse serving pre-dinner drinks and canapes in front of fire pits while classic silent films screen. Over at new beach club restaurant Vive Océane opened in June, French-Mediterranean and Vietnamese cuisine is on the menu. Camp Hyatt for kids got a makeover, as did the three-bedroom Pool Villas. Additionally, a new Art Gallery showcases works by local and visiting artists.
VIEW HOTELDebuting a redesign by Hong Kong’s own Chi Wing Lo, Regent Hong Kong opened its doors again in June. Guests are now met with golden domes at the entrance and, once inside, more gold in the form of glass bricks partitions, as well as 15-meter-long digital art work by Hung Keung. The lobby lounge, The Steak House and Harbourside restaurants have all been refreshed and rooms redressed as ultra-calming “personal havens.”
VIEW HOTELFirst launched in 2015, The Breakers Flagler Club has already received a glow up. Perched on the top two floors of The Breakers Palm Beach, this boutique-hotel-within-a-hotel gives guests a private sanctuary and access to the larger, lavish resort. New York-based Tihany Design completely redid the 21 rooms and the club lounge to fuse Palm Beach and European Riviera style. Constantly making improvements is The Breakers’ modus operandi—the resort spends on average $30 million a year on revitalizing its spaces.
VIEW HOTELSometimes less is more when it comes to new looks. A grand dame of the Toronto hotel scene, Fairmont Royal York put in $46.5 million for a retrofit of its 94-year-old building to reduce carbon emissions with the end goal being Zero Carbon Standards Certification from the Canada Green Building Council. Now the hotel combines high-style—interiors got the full retreatment in 2019—and sustainability.
VIEW HOTELThis September, Mandarin Oriental Singapore reopened to reveal the results of a six-month transformation. The work of Kuala Lumpur-based DESIGNWILKES, the new look is inspired by Singaporean Peranakan-style architecture, Angsana trees and black and white houses. Bridging indoors with outdoors, the rooms feature different palettes based on their orientation. Marina Bay views feature cool colours and batiks; the South China Sea side boasts warm, morning-sun tones; and, city-facing focuses on lush greens and botanicals.
VIEW HOTELTo make a trip to the remote Maldives even more worth it, Anantara Kihavah Villas spent multimillions sprucing up their Over Water Pool Villas. Featuring new furnishings, fittings and fabrics chosen to reflect local culture, the villas boast floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that open to unobstructed ocean views, glass-bottom bathtubs to spy fishes swimming below and extended decks with a sunken private lounge. While they were at it, they added a new category to the collection: the One Bedroom Family Over Water Pool Villa.
VIEW HOTELA historical gem on the Bosphorus just got brighter. Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul recently redesigned its entrance, lobby and rooms and suites. Palatial flourishes abound, including Iznik ceramics, grand chandeliers and rare Ottoman objects. The waterfront palace hotel also debuted new restaurants, most notably Akdeniz by Esra Muslu—Muslu is one of Türkiye’s most successful female chefs.
VIEW HOTELAnother palace hotel has a fresh look and new owners. In the hands of Finca Cortesín Hotels & Resorts, Mallorca’s Grand Hotel Son Net underwent a two-year renovation with opulent, traditional interiors by Lorenzo Castillo. The circa 17th-century estate also encompasses a working Malvasia vineyard, gardens, orchards and farm with donkeys, ponies and sheep. The whole feeling is Old World cinematic.
VIEW HOTELDon’t be surprised if a future Wes Anderson film is set at The Georgian Hotel. Dating back to 1933, the eye-catching Art Deco property a few blocks from Santa Monica Pier has been revived to its former glory through a two-year refurbishment of the restaurants, dining terraces, art gallery, library, lobby bar and 84 rooms. Playful vintage accents abound, including a “champagne” button that beckons a blue-uniformed bellhop with a bar cart full of bottles.
VIEW HOTELOne of the grandest showpieces of WATG and Wimberly Interior’s $60-million renovation of the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort is seen on arrival—the lobby now has an open-air feel with a big view all the way out to the California coast, along with a sculptural chandelier of migrating birds that gently moves when a breeze rolls in. The rooms and suites received special treatment too, with teak furnishings, marble baths and private balconies for taking in pastel Pacific sunsets.
VIEW HOTEL