Boutique Boltholes Palazzo Hotel Hotel Missoni Lungarno Continentale Hotel Hotel Petit Moulin
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INDULGE YOUR A-LISTER
FANTASIES CHEZ GIANNI
PALAZZO
VERSACE HOTEL
Where: Gold Coast, Australia
Designer: Gianni Versace
Think of Versace and you think of
unapologetic glamour – Liz Hurley
swathed in slashed satin held
together by safety pins, or Jennifer
Lopez in flimsy silk. Unsurprisingly,
the designer’s hotel delivers just the
same dazzling punch.
The initial concept of the Palazzo
Versace was inspired by Gianni’s
passion for dressing his home
environment with as much attention
to detail as he gave his fashion
designs. The hotel didn’t actually
open until 2000, three years after
the designer’s death, but his
influence is evident everywhere.
Walking into the hotel feels
like walking down a catwalk.
It’s over the top, littered with
flower displays and colossal
chandeliers. He was clearly no
minimalist but, goodness, it’s
fun. All products in the rooms
are Versace, from cushions to
cutlery. His scents waft through
the lobby and food is served
on Versace chinaware.
Situated on the coast of
south-east Queensland, the
hotel prides itself on offering
guests a ‘celebrity experience’,
and you’ll certainly feel like a star.
From £209 per night for a double room,
breakfast included (00-61 75 50 98 000;
palazzoversace.com)
LUNGARNO
CONTINENTALE
HOTEL
Where: Florence, Italy
Designer: Salvatore Ferragamo
Ferragamo, the old-school Italian
fashion dynasty, has long had the
monopoly on the classic,
sophisticated Italian look,
specialising in shoes and luxurious
leather accessories. And now it also
HOTEL MISSONI
Where: Edinburgh, Scotland
Designer: Rosita Missoni
Missoni’s candy-coloured knits
have adorned A-listers from Kate
Moss to Halle Berry since Rosita
Missoni launched the label in
1953. Her bright, bold, textured
knits are synonymous with style,
so it was no surprise when
entrepreneurial Rosita decided
to branch out into hotels in 2005.
Her vision was to create a
home-from-home which reflected
her signature designs, but that
was also warm and friendly, in
keeping with her Italian spirit. So
she handpicked every aspect of
the hotel’s look and borrowed
designs for the lighting, prints,
bed linen and crockery from her
own Missoni-clad home in Milan. The result?
Walking into the hotel’s lobby is like being invited
into Rosita’s living room. “Even the bar features
artwork by my son, Luca,” Rosita tells us. “I wanted
the hotel to be warm and inviting.”
Every one of the 135 rooms is unique, designed to
make guests feel like residents rather than anonymous
clients. The unmistakable Missoni print – vibrant
candy colours in zigzags and stripes – adorns every
interior, and each room boasts Missoni dressing
INDULGE IN SOME
RETRO ROMANCE AT THE
LUNGARNO CONTINENTALE
has five hotels up its exquisitely
tailored sleeves.
The Continentale is the most
recent of the five. Set high in the
hills in Florence, it has the most
stunning views over the rooftops
of the city and the Arno River,
while the interior pays homage
to the happy-go-lucky feel of
the Fifties and Sixties.
Expect delights at every turn,
such as the plush white sofa in
the elevator and the vintage
movies playing above the
fireplace. Perfect for a
romantic weekend for two.
From £275 for a double room
including breakfast (00-39 05 52 72
640 00; lungarnohotels.com)
HOTEL PETIT
MOULIN
Where: Paris, France
Designer: Christian Lacroix
Christian Lacroix is one of the most
influential designers of his generation,
and his exquisite couture epitomises
Parisian chic. Unsurprisingly, that’s
been perfectly translated by the Petit
Moulin, the first hotel he’s waved
his designer wand over, which is a
stunning combination of classic and
contemporary, of haute couture and
vintage decoration.
There are only a modest number
of rooms in this quaint boutique
establishment – just 17 – which
creates an exclusive and private
environment. The building replaced
an old bakery and Lacroix loved the
old Venetian style so much, he
gowns, toiletries, coffee cups and sheets. The hotel
is located on the corner of Edinburgh’s George IV
Bridge and the Royal Mile. And although Scotland
might not be the most obvious choice for a fashion
hotel, Rosita thinks it has its charm. “In the sun you
see its true beauty. Edinburgh is severe but very
stylish and I tried to reflect that in my designs.”
From £210, including breakfast, mini bar, movies, phone calls,
internet and laundry (0131-220 6666; hotelmissoni.com)
THE PETIT MOULIN: WHERE
CLASSIC OPULANCE MEETS
PARISIAN CHIC
FASHION HOTELS
COLOUR AND VIBRANCY
COMES TO EDINBURGH, CARE
OF HOTEL MISSONI
reflected it in various areas
throughout the interior.
Lacroix has created some of the
most stunning haute couture
dresses in the world and has clearly
used the same attention to detail in
each room. You may find yourself
sleeping next to a solar-system
mural, complete with shooting stars,
or luxuriating in retro bathtubs
backed by regal gold mirrors.
Another room boasts a mural of
vibrant colours and model sketches,
as if Lacroix has photocopied and
super-sized his very own scrap book,
Every room is as
unique as a piece of
Lacroix’s couture
then pasted it on the wall.
“Each room had to be different,
personalised and individually
decorated,” he says. In short, every
room is as unique as a piece of his
couture, without costing the Earth
to enjoy. The hotel is owned by a
French couple who recruited
Lacroix to inject a hint of fashion.
It’s the perfect Parisian getaway
in which to lay your perfectly
coiffed head.
From £160 including breakfast (00-33 14
27 41 010; paris-hotel-petitmoulin.com)
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