Fall's Hottest Luxury Hotel Openings
Everyone loves a new hotel. But before they hit the glossy travel magazines or weekend travel section of your local newspaper, here is a look at fall's hottest hotel openings around the globe.
Algodon Mansion -- Buenos Aires, Argentina
Wow Factor: First luxury boutique hotel to open in the Recoleta
Opening: December 2008
Boutique hotels open almost every month in nearby Palermo and San Telmo, but an opening in the ever-posh Recoleta is truly a news event.
An area more familiar with Four Seasons and Park Hyatt gets a substantive addition with this six-story remodeled 1920s belle époque mansion located in the heart of Buenos Aires' best neighborhood. The hotel is a mini-compound of 10 suites ranging from 1,200 square feet featuring a mix of antiques and cutting-edge designs by B&B Italia and Cappellini.
Attended by 24-hour butlers, rooms overlook a shaded residential street and exquisite four-story waterfall cascading from the rooftop to the lobby.
The main floor hotel features a formal French-fusion restaurant with wine bar and library lounge that opens to a covered outside patio with crackling fireplace. Teak decks and loungers surround a rooftop swimmer's pool for summertime tanning with small bar for afternoon soirées.
The Augustine -- Prague, Czech Republic
Wow Factor: Former monastery gets a Rocco Forte makeover
Opening: December 2008
It seems as though Italy's Rocco Forte dominates the hotel landscape of virtually every city they choose to open, including St. Petersburg -- and now Prague.
The Augustine is part of a complex of historic buildings near Prague Castle constructed around the former St. Thomas Monastery. Dating back to the 13th Century, the actual hotel is built within a series of remodeled chapels and manicured courtyards once home to Augustinian friars.
The hotel immediately edges all its nearby competition, including Mandarin Oriental, as the hottest hotel in Prague. A stunning lobby by London-based interior designers RDD, who also worked on Brown's in London, mixes bold furnishings with bright colors and traditional local artistry.
