Still focussing on Q1 openings for 2022, writer Pauline Brettell takes a look at the hotels getting ready to throw down the welcome mat in March, and shares her standout choices from a Jedi-style Star Wars experience through to extreme sustainability in a project by the Sextantio group, with a few slightly more subtle stops inbetween…
Pipelines and projects for hotels in 2022 have been coming through thick and fast, and March is looking like no exception. From the international groups expanding their collective footprints, to boutique ventures embedding themselves into the community, there is something going on for everyone this month as the hotel and hospitality industry continues to take back travel. Starting off aiming for the stars…
Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser
Image credit: Walt Disney Resorts
Opening with a bang and a lightsabre, voyages on the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser are preparing for take-off as of March 1. Love it or hate it, it is making a statement and taking the idea of an immersive experience to the edge of the galaxy and beyond – it will no doubt take you to the edge of something.
Four Seasons Resort  Tamarindo
Image credit: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Listed in our hottest hotel openings for 2022, The Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo takes a slightly more tropical approach to the concept of immersive experience. Situated on a private peninsula overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the resort has been designed to blend seamlessly into its environment on this natural reserve. The project supports the local environment through rewilding as it aims to create a perfect balance between the comforts of the indoors with the exceptional outdoor opportunities.
25hours Hotel Indre By
Image credit: 25hours / Stephan Lemke
Heading north to Scandinavia, 25hours Hotel Indre By is slated to open by the middle of the month. Situated right in the middle of Copenhagen in a building that dates back to the 19th century, this is a debut hotel into Scandinavia by 25hours, and is full of its trademark interiors focussing on individuality and personality as the designers explore the buildings previous purpose as a university and a place of learning in all the details.
The La Salle Chicago
Image credit: The LaSalle Chicago
Bringing a little 1920’s glamour and drama onto the scene is The La Salle Chicago. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago’s Financial District, the hotel is a modern club-like escape that sits on the top five floors of a historically iconic landmark from architect Daniel Burnham. Rich in symbolism encapsulating the essence of its time, the hotel pays tribute to The Hour Glass Lounge from the old La Salle Hotel.
ROOST Tampa
Image credit: CG Rendering
ROOST Tampa is expected to ‘transform downtown Tampa’ into a walkable urban experience. In addition to offering a collection of rental residences, SPP has partnered with Method Co. to bring Tampa the first Florida location of its high-design extended-stay concept. Designed inside and out by architecture firm Morris Adjmi Architects, the building offers a nod to Tampa’s industrial history with oversized windows that maximise natural light. With luxury rental residences on the top 15 floors of the building, ROOST Tampa will occupy the first six residential floors.
Cashel Palace Hotel
Image credit: Cashel Palace Hotel
Moving from urban experience to country manor, Cashel Palace Hotel is a Palladian manor in the heart of Ireland. After a couple of pandemic-related delays, this destination hotel is slated to open later this month. In a previous life it was home to the Archbishops of Cashel before transitioning to a hotel in the 1960’s. Now, upgraded and redesigned, and with original interior details meticulously restored, it is ready to reopen its renovated doors.
The Retreat Elcot Park
Image credit: The Signet Collection
Combining the classic with the contemporary – The Retreat Elcot Park is the second offering of The Signet Collection. The Retreat will continue the brand’s celebrated design aesthetic, blending the old with the new and quirky British sensibility. Earlier this year, we took a closer look at all the design details being put in place by the London-based luxury interior design practice Taylor and Turner , the creative lead behind the design transformation.
Gleneagles Townhouse
Image credit: Gleneagles
The first outpost of one of Scotland’s most iconic hotels, the Gleneagles Townhouse aims to bring the glamour and classic style of the Perthshire original to one of Edinburgh’s most impressive former banking halls. An urban option for Gleneagles fans, this hotel/members club set in an Edinburgh townhouse is all about Scottish heritage with a contemporary touch, and, as its strapline says, it is a place to ‘gather and be glorious’!
Sextantio Rwanda, The Capanne Project
Image credit: Sextantio Rwanda
The Capanne Project by Sextantio is the final offering on this list of March openings, and it is all about authenticity and giving back while enjoying an immersive experience that is a little more earthbound in so many ways! Hotelier Daniele Kihlgren is the creative energy behind the Sextantio projects which have previously taken abandoned and run-down Italian villages and sparked new life into entire communities. With a brand ethos that is all about making a profit from the conservation of the landscape rather than from its destruction, the result is truly authentic stays that immerse guests in the setting’s rhythms and routines. In this latest project Kihlgren is overseeing the first Sextantio opening outside of Italy, on the shores of Rwanda’s Lake Kivu. Huts will be available to stay in on a donation basis, with profits being funnelled back into the local community. Slated to open on March 21, if the only luxury you require is time and tranquillity this could tick all the boxes.
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Main image credit: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
