I love staying in great hotels!…
They give me inspiration, I get new ideas and they challenge perceived wisdoms.
Here are four of my favourite rooms.
Room 606 SAS Raddison in Copenhagan
This room is a legend and there is even a book about it. Built in 1960 The SAS Hotel was Arne Jacobsen’s masterpiece. His famous Egg and Swan chairs were designed specifically for this hotel. In fact everything from furniture and door handles to cutlery was designed just for this project (only after visiting did I realise my home cutlery was from here). Unfortunately the hotel like so many other great modernist buildings has been recently “Modernised” or in my view Bastardised. You can still see the vision in areas but most of the best parts have been stripped out and only one room remains as originally designed, yes 606. The irony is this sells now for four times the rate of the “refurbished” rooms.
Rotunda Penthouses, Birmingham by Staying Cool
Top floor of Urban Splash’s Rotunda right in the centre of Brum. Great penthouse flats, but let by the day like hotel rooms. Great furniture, amazing views and loads of space. The place to stay that’s a real penthouse.
This room on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island is not necessarily my style, it is a Balinese type house but what I love is the bathroom, which has no walls. On three sides it is totally open, so when you are sat on the throne (and yes there is a crown by the wc!) you are exposed on all sides, luckily for others only passing seabirds could see in as the bathroom (under the bedroom) is perched on a rock with sea all around. Why do rooms need walls?
Room 302 Midland Hotel, Morecambe
An amazing roof top room, with a hot tub on the huge terrace. I have visited here a number of times and have never not seen an amazing sunset. The building is a reminder of a different Art Deco era but our recent conversion has brought it bang up to date. The climate might be harsh, the idea of a outside bath on the roof… in north Lancashire might seem surprising, but it works, it really works!
These are some of the great rooms I’ve been lucky enough to stay in, what’s your favourite room?
Filed under: Midland Hotel, Tom Bloxham MBE, Urban Splash 1 Comment
Nice blog Tom. Never had the good fortune to experience Necker but can vouch for the Midland recommendations. Couple of great home grown rooms too… A 12th floor suite at the Radisson Edwardian which gives amazing views of Manc. And of course the famous Charles Forte Lowry Hotel suite with the grand piano. Nice.