Inspiring, forward-thinking spaces that make a positive impact on their surroundings. Hotels owned and operated by unconventional hoteliers, like architects and designers.
The Design Hotels collective now counts over 300 independently owned hotels in more than 60 countries and 200 destinations.
Every Design Hotel is independently owned, often by thought leaders who come from outside hospitality and bring their fresh, innovative perspective.
We’ve picked out the best Design Hotels for autumn and winter travel. Some you will know. Others are great options that make new destinations accessible to you.
Obviously we like them because of their design. Each is an original, a celebration of creativity that reflects the place it is located.
Hospes Palau de le Mar, Valencia
Valencia was World Design Capital in 2022 and it’s design that helped it become one of UNESCO’s Creative Cities.
We highly recommend Valencia for a long sunny weekend away. It’s a trending destination that’s now accessible all year round on direct flights from Prague.
Hospes Palau de le Mar is the hotel we recommend, two 19th-century palaces flooded with natural light through a stained glass skylight.
Dark woods contrast bright white walls, as the modern textured decor combines with some original building features, like a grand loggia stairway.
We really like the Bodyna spa on the rooftop and the humongous ceilings of the two-bedroom Presidential Suite, which is a good choice for families.
Cervo Mountain Resort, Zermatt
A ski-in ski-out property beneath the Matterhorn in Switzerland, one of our favourites globally in terms of sustainability.
Over 90% of the energy comes from renewables, almost all the food comes from within a 150-kilometre radius, and the wooden design continues a connection to nature.
Completely revamped in 2020, the resort’s design is a modern interpretation of an alpine lodge, with a pared-down aesthetic by the studio Dreimeta.
We like the suites in Huntsman Lodge, which are very peaceful with a private sauna and open-air bathtub.
Rooms in Nomad can be reached via a climbing wall, illustration of Cervo Mountain Resort’s fun and youthful mindset.
Owner Daniel Lauber says this “is a very nice spot to discover things, but also a very nice spot to discover yourself.”
Nobis Hotel Stockholm, Sweden
Spread across two striking 19th-century buildings on Stockholm’s finest city square, Nobis Hotel Stockholm balances Scandinavia’s traditional and contemporary aesthetics.
The hotel’s lobby and lounge is a showstopper, with its soaring cathedral-like ceiling topped by two glass domes.
The design by Claesson Koivisto Rune hints at luxury, but it’s also low-key and unfussy, the materials including zinc, rusted iron and lots of native wood. Owner Alessando Catenacci says…
you can’t standardise feeling, and this is also what we are selling in a hotel.
Alessando’s Nobis collection now counts nine hotels and Nobis Hotel Stockholm is the flagship. The rooms are a little small and we recommend going for a suite, all of which offer excellent views over the city.
Boca de Agua, Bacalar, Mexico
An adults-only hotel of spacious treehouse-style villas in the jungle, designed using upcycled and salvaged materials.
It’s in the upcoming destination of Bacalar, which has turquoise lagoon waters as visually spectacular as Cancun, except it hasn’t been spoiled by development.
Boca de Agua hides down two kilometres of hidden unpaved road, in the far sound of the Yucatan Peninsula. The first impression is a Mayan-inspired public area, from which walkways stretch out to the villas.
90% of the hotel’s site is a natural reserve and there’s a natural cool water cenote to swim in, rather than a big hotel pool.
Architect owner Rodrigo Juarez personally designed most of Boca de Agua. He says…
most people can’t believe what we have built here…the project exists in great part to my inexperience, my youth and my ignorance of the challenges that lay ahead of me.
Patina Maldives
Tried, tested and loved by both the EliteVoyge team and EliteVoyage clients. Patina Maldives has long been one of our favourites.
The striking, contemporary design is one reason it became part of Design Hotels. Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan said:
One of the main goals of our project was to hide it…in our architecture there is no difference between the exterior and the interior…you can open all the windows and feel as if you are floating on the ocean.
Another reason it’s part of the collection is art, with installations all across the resort. It’s a very sustainable property too – 16,800 trees and 320,000 shrubs were transplanted to Patina from islands that were due to be cleared for industrial purposes.
We also like the gastronomy, with 12 different dining options including food trucks. It’s all part of a modern design-forward property that represents the overall Design Hotels principles.
The Warehouse Hotel, Singapore
Three warehouses became a boutique hotel with 37 individually designed rooms on Singapore’s riverfront.
It’s a low-rise hotel that looks up to Singapore’s skyscrapers, most notably from the beautiful rooftop infinity pool. The interiors are warm, elegant and soft, a deliberate juxtaposition to the austere industrial buildings.
Singapore has grand hotels, historic hotels, shiny new hotels in skyscrapers. The Warehouse Hotel is far more understated and nicely in keeping with the city-state’s richly diverse culture.
From here you can meander down the Singapore River at sunset and watch how the city soulfully changes personality at dusk.
We like the Warehouse Lofts and River View Lofts, with their double-height ceilings, plus the quirky River View Mezzanine.
El Vicenc de la Mar, Mallorca
Tucked away on the northern coast of the Balearic island, this adults-only hotel is a calm and restorative place with only 35 rooms and suites.
Mallorca’s most famous chef Santi Taura curated the two restaurants and the rooftop bar is one of the island’s hidden gems – come for sunset cocktails and sea views, then stay to watch the stars.
There’s a big spa and also a bike centre, with two wheels being the best way to explore this mostly unexplored tip of the island.
Entry-level rooms have shared terraces and we recommend the higher categories, either the Suite Pool on the lower floor or Penthouse Pool on the fifth floor: Both feture private pools.
Rabot Estate Hotel from Hotel Chocolat, Saint Lucia
Hotel Chocolat was a luxury chocolate company with little past experience in hospitality. They transformed St Lucia’s oldest cocoa farm into a 25-room hotel for adults only.
Much like a traditional cocoa farm, the hotel consists of a cluster of lodges with pitched wooden roofs and stone walls. Architect Phil Buckley opened out the design to create a better flow of air and tropical light through the rooms.
We like the Luxe Lodges and their private verandahs, which provide views across the Caribbean rainforest and Petit Piton Mountain.
The property isn’t on the beach but within UNESCO World Heritage site, a great base for an active holiday on the island.
Of course there is a cocoa spa, with the beans’ antioxidant power used in massages, body wraps and facials.
Zuri Zanzibar, Tanzania
Zuri Zanzibar is a beachfront resort on the northern tip of Zanzibar, owned and designed by Czechs.
Prague’s Jestico + Whiles studio did the African-chic design, using lots of natural materials and local craftsmen. It’s modern, with touches of traditional African and Asian art.
Owner Vaclav Dejčmar – who also founded Prague’s DOX Centre for Contemporary Art – says…
We created 55 villas to stop mass tourism from taking over and ruining a beautiful beach.
We prefer the oceanfront accommodations, both the suites and villas, which all have outdoor jacuzzis or pools, plus the best views over the white beach and Indian Ocean.
They’re the place to swing lazily in a hammock, especially after a safari in Tanzania.
Kimamaya by Odin, Hokkaido (Japanese ski)
Scandinavian alpine design meets a Japanese Zen concept at this ski retreat in Niseko, considered the world’s second snowiest ski resort (over 15 metres annually).
The result is something familiar yet exotic, homely while being very far from home. It’s elm floors, black granite, tatami floors and slatted lampshades, inside a very European looking wooden chalet.
We recommend the lofts with their double-height ceilings, which are good for couples and can also be configured for families with two children.
There’s a nice kid’s room and full ski facilities, although note the property is a short road transfer away from the main gondola.
We also recommend the spa, which also combines the best from European alpine and Japanese ideas. Go soak in a wooden spa tub before a shiatsu massage, after a day in Niseko’s deep powder.
A Design Hotel For You?
We’ve started a partnership with Design Hotels because they share many of our principles and have some amazing hotels around the world.
Their commitment to sustainability has impressed us, from lowering energy use and minimising water waste, to architecture and design that honours natural and cultural heritage.
The Design Hotels selection criteria also requires a hotel to have connections with the local and creative communities in their area.
These are not just places to sleep, but a deep insight into a specific place. Not only hotels with interesting design, also hotels that created their own essence, often in places where luxury travel didn’t exist before.
Want more recommendations from the extensive Design Hotels collection? Your travel designer will advise you personally.
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