Ace Hotel Kyoto: A Field Review of the Kengo Kuma Conversion
213 rooms in a 1926 telephone-exchange building reworked by Kengo Kuma, on Karasuma. Three nights testing the most ambitious design hotel in central Kyoto.
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Hotels
Independent hotel reviews. We book under our own name, pay the bill, and stay long enough to find the flaws.
All reports — 26
The Hoxton, Chicago: A Field Review
Two nights in Fulton Market. A sharp design hotel in the city's best-eating neighborhood, with a Stephanie Izard rooftop and rooms priced like a bargain.
The Ned, London: A Field Review of the City's Banking-Hall Hotel
Nine restaurants under one Lutyens ceiling and 250-odd rooms above. I paid for two nights at 27 Poultry to test whether the spectacle survives a quiet
The Hoxton, Shoreditch: Reviewing the Hotel That Started It All
The original Hoxton opened on Great Eastern Street in 2006 and arguably invented the modern lobby hotel.
Hotel Emma, San Antonio: A Field Review
Three nights in the old Pearl brewhouse. The best-restored hotel building in Texas, a great block, and service that earns the rate — with a couple of honest
Ace Hotel Toronto: A Field Review
Two nights at the Ace on Camden Street. A serious piece of architecture, a Michelin-listed restaurant downstairs, and a rooftop bar that runs the whole show.
Casa Bonay, Barcelona: A Field Review of the Eixample Original
67 rooms in an 1869 neoclassical building on the Gran Via, an early mover in Barcelona's design-hotel wave.
The Hoxton, Portland: A Field Review of the Old Town Gamble
119 rooms in a 1906 building in Old Town/Chinatown, with a rooftop taqueria on top. I paid for two nights to test the Hoxton's most location-divisive US bet.
The Hoxton, Williamsburg: A Field Review
Two nights at the Hoxton on Wythe Avenue. Great block, honest rooms, a rooftop that earns its keep — and a few corners cut at the price it now charges.
Faena Hotel Miami Beach: A Field Review
Two nights in the Faena District's gilded flagship. A gold mammoth, a cathedral of murals, a great beach — and a theatrical experience that wobbles on the
The Hoxton, Rome: A Field Review of the Parioli Outsider
192 rooms in a 1970s office block on the wrong side of the Aurelian Walls. I paid for two nights in Salario to see whether the Hoxton formula travels to Rome.
The Hoxton, Charlottenburg
234 rooms off the Ku'damm in West Berlin, not the Mitte you expected. I paid for two nights in Charlottenburg to see whether the Hoxton read the city right.
The Aman New York Reviewed: $3,200 a Night, Worth Every Cent?
Two nights in the city's most expensive hotel suite. The Aman delivers on almost everything — but the math, even at this price, has its limits.
The Hoxton, Paris: A Field Review of the Sentier Hôtel Particulier
172 rooms in a restored 18th-century mansion in the 2nd, built for a confidant of Louis XV. Three nights testing the best-value design hotel in central Paris.
Inside Hotel Esprit Saint-Germain: Paris's Quiet Triumph
Twenty-eight rooms, no destination restaurant, a 24-hour open bar nobody charges you for — and one of the quietly best-run small hotels in Saint-Germain.
Pendry Manhattan West: A Field Review
Two nights in the Hudson Yards-adjacent tower. Excellent rooms, an art deco restaurant worth the trip, and a brand-new block still figuring out what it is.
San Francisco Proper Hotel: A Field Review
Two nights in the Mid-Market flatiron. A jaw-dropping Kelly Wearstler interior and a great rooftop, dragged down by a block that the design cannot fix.
Hotel Sanders, Copenhagen
54 rooms behind the Royal Danish Theatre, built by a former ballet star to feel like a home.
The Hoxton, Amsterdam
111 rooms across five 17th-century canal houses on the Herengracht, once a mayor's home. Two nights testing whether the address lives up to the postcode.
Il Palazzo Experimental, Venice
32 Meilichzon-designed rooms in a Dorsoduro palazzo on the Zattere. I paid for two nights to see whether a Parisian cocktail group can do Venice right.
25hours Hotel Vienna at MuseumsQuartier
217 circus-themed rooms over a park, steps from the MuseumsQuartier. I paid for two nights to see whether the maximalism holds up against imperial Vienna.
The Standard, London: A Field Review of the King's Cross Showpiece
266 rooms in a Brutalist former council building across from St Pancras, with a red external lift and a rooftop everybody wants in.
Austin Proper Hotel: A Field Review
Two nights in the Second Street District tower. A Kelly Wearstler showpiece with a great rooftop pool and a rate card that has gotten ahead of the rooms.
Mama Shelter Paris East
The first Mama Shelter, a Starck-designed loud-box in the far 20th. I paid for two nights on Rue de Bagnolet to see whether the 2008 original still has the
The Eliza Jane, New Orleans
196 rooms stitched from seven 19th-century warehouses off Magazine Street, with a French brasserie inside.
The LINE LA: A Field Review of the Koreatown Tower
384 rooms in a brutalist tower at Wilshire and Normandie, with a greenhouse restaurant downstairs. I paid for two nights to test LA's most Koreatown hotel.