The Conservatorium, from the same team as Jerusalem's Mamilla Hotel, designer Piero Lissoni and architect Moshe Safdie, joins Design Hotels™ together with an array of urban hubs and remote getaways. The 35 newest additions offer a mix of global influences, local flair and eclectic design.

“This is an exciting year with 200 member hotels and we are delighted that The Conservatorium Hotel marks this occasion,” says Claus Sendlinger, founder and CEO of Design Hotels™. “More than a numerical milestone it reflects that with measured growth focused on quality, our portfolio has grown in terms of geography, diversity, and above all, the community of creative individuals who are the soul of the hotels and the DNA of our brand. The new destinations reflect that while European hoteliers are continuing the path of innovation, entrepreneurs in North America, Africa, Asia and Oceania are also forging ahead with creative new concepts.”

Throughout 2010, Design Hotels™ welcomed a diverse range of hotels to its portfolio. While very different in concept, the new member hotels share one of the company’s most important criteria for membership: a deep connection to and awareness of their locality. This quality enables them to reflect, refine and even define their neighborhoods. For instance, Georgi Akirov, owner of The Conservatorium Hotel is transforming Amsterdam’s former music conservatory, an iconic landmark building. In Stockholm’s central square, Italian-born brothers Alessandro and Stefano Catenacci have revived two glorious 19th century buildings to create Nobis Hotel. Also known as ‘Stockholm’s new living room’ the contemporary luxury hotel features many public areas for locals and travelers to interact.

Contemporary art is a key component of several new properties. In Athens Dakis Joannou, art collector and visionary hotelier, is opening a third iconic new property after Semiramis Hotel and Periscope. New Hotel, opening in May, will be a living piece of art by Brazilian design icons Humbero and Fernanda Campana. At The Met Hotel in Thessaloniki, Christina Chandris has left a very personal mark on her family’s property by fusing a gallery with a hotel. With the soon-to-open Templar Hotel in Toronto, exciting things are also happening in Canada. Local design hero Del Terrelonge and partner John Wee Tom are unifying custom-built furnishings by Italian brand Poliform and eclectic art installations within a modernist glass-front building.

Rural destinations are also on the rise. In Morocco, a restaurateur, an architect and a journalist will open their first hotel The Great Getaway Marrakech Hotel & Spa in July 2011. Located on the legendary ‘Road to Amizmiz,’ which leads to the High Atlas Mountains, the complex of luxury tents, private lodge and riads invites guests to an adventure off the beaten track. At Kenoa-Exclusive Beach Spa & Resort in Barra de São Miguel, Brazil, first-time hotelier Pedro Marques has worked with emerging architect Osvaldo Tenório to create an edgy eco-chic retreat.

To learn more about the 35 new members and the people behind them, please visit www.designhotels.com/200. The full list and opening dates are shown below.

 

AMERICAS

CANADA
Templar Hotel, Toronto (January 2011)

UNITED STATES
Hôtel Americano, New York (March 2011)

BRAZIL
Insólito Boutique Hotel, Búzios, Rio de Janeiro (December 2007)
Kenoa-Exclusive Beach Spa & Resort, Barra de São Miguel, Alagoas (December 2009)

MEXICO
Be Tulum, Tulum (February 2010)
Be Playa, Playa Del Carmen (December 2010)

 

EUROPE

AUSTRIA
25hours Hotel Wien, Vienna (suites March 2011, grand opening 2012)

FRANCE
Hotel B Design & Spa, Paradou (August 2009)

GERMANY
Das Stue, Berlin (September 2011)
25hours Hotel Hafencity, Hamburg (April 2011)
Hotel Q!, Berlin (April 2004)
Cortiina Hotel, Munich (November 2001)
Roomers Loft, Frankfurt (December 2009)

GREECE
New Hotel, Athens (May 2011)
Periscope, Athens (July 2005)
The Met Hotel, Thessaloniki (November 2009)

ITALY
Argentario Golf Resort & Spa, Porto Ercole, Toscana (February 2008)
C-Hotel & Spa, Cassago Brianza (September 2009)
GombitHotel, Bergamo (July 2010)

THE NETHERLANDS
The Conservatorium Hotel, Amsterdam (May 2011)

PORTUGAL
Hotel Teatro, Porto (May 2010)

SPAIN
Hotel Bohemia Suites & Spa, Gran Canaria (October 2011)

SWEDEN
Nobis Hotel, Stockholm (December 2010)

SWITZERLAND
The Dolder Grand, Zurich (April 2008)

TURKEY
Witt Istanbul (May 2008)

UNITED KINGDOM
Eccleston Square Hotel, London (May 2011)


AFRICA

MOROCCO
The Great Getaway Marrakech Hotel & Spa (July 2011)
Hotel La Renaissance, Marrakech (May 2010)


ASIA-PACIFIC / OCEANIA

CHINA
The Mira Hong Kong (September 2009)

INDIA
Alila Bangalore Hotel & Residence (Spring 2011)
The Park Hotel Pod Chennai (February 2010)
Raas, Jodhpur, Rajasthan (December 2009)

LAOS
Alila Luang Prabang (October 2010)

NEW ZEALAND
Hotel DeBrett, Auckland (February 2009)

THAILAND
Casa de la Flora, Khao Lak (March 2011 soft opening)