10 of the best design hotels in the world, The Observer magazine, April 2018

Imagination, surprises, stories to tell, and the promise of emotional satisfaction — is that too much to ask from a design hotel? Definitely not…

Charles Eames said that the role of the designer is to be a good, thoughtful host, anticipating the needs of their guests – and for a design-focussed hotel to work, it should do just that. Better still, it plays cultural mediator and evokes an atmosphere that is a joy to spend time in. Luxury, as a label, has been diluted and redefined; today’s aesthetes appreciate originality without gimmicks, craftsmanship and a consideration of detail, rather than five-star frills or flashy, fancy facilities. When Arne Jacobsen’s SAS Hotel opened in 1960, it was the world’s first design hotel. Step inside the Danish capital’s first skyscraper, commissioned by the airline Scandinavian Airlines System and return to a golden age of jet travel, freshly reincarnated by Space Copenhagen. From the functionalist exterior, it’s a 22-story high-rise chain hotel. But the Radisson Blu Royal is a Danish Modern exemplar and what the Germans term a Gesamtkunstwerk — a work of art in totality. As part of Jacobsen’s creative process, the architect, nature lover and forward-thinking designer, styled everything from the cutlery, to icons-to-be, the Drop, Egg and Swan chairs. Suite 606 preserves the look and feel of Jacobsen’s original scheme precisely, and design aficionados who make their pilgrimage here often shed tears as they enter this design-hotel time capsule. The acid test of pleasing-to-the-eye places need not be that they make you cry, but it is a reminder that the most beautiful hotels don’t just beg to be seen or touched, they should have a knack of making their residents feel something.