AIRPORT HOTELS GET COOL I t’s been a long time coming, but airport hotels are finally on the up – and about time, too. Be it for an early flight or a layover, there’s a whole host oFMTRAVELLERS  looking for somewhere great to stay – and so far, the demand hasn’t quite been reached. But places like the super-trendy Naumi in Auckland are trouncing the bland, generic hotels we’re used to at airports and offering thE TRAVELLER  a new experience. Naumi (pronounced ‘now-me’) is a brand that’s opening hotels at a rate of knots; its latest has been a very welcome addition to Auckland Airport – not to mention one with serious style. As well as a buzzing, open-plan lounge and bar area complete with neon signs and an art theme throughout, there’s also beautifully designed bedrooms, with Grohe rainshowers and freestanding tubs to soak away the jetlag. To up the zen even further, there’s yoga mats in the bedrooms, while location-wise, the Villa Maria Wine Estate is right...

A round up of ten of the most prominent hotel designers today including Kelly Wearstler, Pierre Yves Rochon, Alberto Pinto, Hirsch Bedner and Yabu Pushelberg. Hotels are one of the oldest symbols of luxury, so much so that Coco Chanel famously chose The Paris Ritz as her home for over thirty years. In the accessible age of luxury e-commerce and iPad applications, hotels have survived and prospered in remaining truly exclusive experiences, the quintessential definition of luxury. Where the affluent choose to rest their heads, when on business, holiday or simply escaping the daily grind, is where some of the most unique, elaborate and luxurious designs in architecture and interior design can be found. Luxury Society investigated the creative minds behind these opulent concepts and presents a round up of ten of the most prominent hotel designers today. For a complete listing of luxury interior designers, we invite you to explore the Luxury Society  directory . ➤Hirsch Bedne...

Hotel du Marc Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Sophie Maxwell, Insight Director at Pearlfisher, investigates how the shift from owning luxury to experiencing luxury is impacting luxury hotels A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group ( BCG ) identified a shift from “owning a luxury to experiencing a luxury” with bespoke treats now accounting for more than half of the $1.4tn spent on luxury goods and services last year (The Guardian). Travel has always been a mainstay of the luxury market – a luxury in our lives with desire created for journeys and destinations that aim to be both extraordinary and highly aspirational. Today however it is no longer about ticking the boxes with a one-of-a-kind destination holiday, multi starred hotels or a far-flung Spa. Now it is their difference that sparks our interest and instead we are seeking destinations that create new doorways to the unexpected… We are shifting towards a new luxury experience with unique escapism matched by an individual...

The Shangri-La hotel in Pudong, Shanghai. (Courtesy Photo) Although luxury hotels in China are still feeling the effects of the  government’s anti-corruption campaign , Chinese consumers’ interest in luxury hotels is at an all-time high based on internet search results. The new “World Luxury Index Hotels” report for 2014 by  Digital Luxury Group  in partnership with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) finds that internet searches for luxury hoteliers surged 39 percent in China this year, making it the fastest-growing region in the world. Luxury hotel searches originating from China made up 9 percent of the global total, placing China third behind the United States and the UK. “Such a significant increase in interest for luxury hotels from China can be attributed to a few things,” says Digital Luxury Group Founder and CEO David Sadigh. “Firstly, numerous Western hotel brands are opening in second-, third-, and fourth-tier cities, building brand awareness in parts o...

Arriving at your destination, tired and jetlagged from the plane ride, doesn't necessarily have to be an unpleasant experience. Luxury accommodations around the world are now offering airport and hotel transport that is just as extravagant as their lavish suites. So, go ahead, start your relaxing vacation off on the right note with these top transfer options.  +17 Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotel has a fleet of customised Rolls Royce Phantoms in their signature green hue +17 If you prefer to arrive by air, a private helicopter service is also available from The Peninsula Hotel +17 A traditional Rajastani boat shuttles guests to The Leela Palace Hotel in Udaipur, India Perhaps the most comprehensive of all hotel transfer options,  The Peninsula Hotel  in Hong Kong offers guests the option to arrive via one of their 14 Rolls-Royce Extended Wheelbase Phantoms or instead, to use the hotel's helicopter service and private helipad. ...

Luxury hotels take collaborations with fashion designers to another level At Langham Place Mong Kok, big spenders have access to Thomas Pink's vintage Morgan, as part of the Elevated Experiences service. High fashion and luxury hotels have always been connected. But it was, of course, Versace who took this to the next level, opening his first branded hotel in 2000. He paved the way for others, such as Armani, Moschino, Ferragamo and Missoni. Last September, Versace's hotel chain announced plans for a new grand hotel in Macau, designed by Donatella Versace and billed to open in 2017. Sending an online purchase to a luxury hotel ... the concept was irresistible  DEAN WINTER, SWIRE HOTELS   The designer hotel trend has evolved in recent years. Big names such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Karl Lagerfeld, Barney Cheng, BAPE and Vivienne Tam - who worked with Hong Kong's Hotel Icon - started to design exclusive suites, rooms or uniforms for h...