Stylish stays: The hotels that these 8 design creatives fell in love with

Travel is a great source of inspiration for most people. By extension, the accommodation they pick also adds to the experience. Here, we ask eight architects, interior designers and photographers to share how they they like to travel, what are their favourite hotels and why they chose these as their place of accommodation when they’re overseas.

LIM SHING HUI, FOUNDING DIRECTOR & DESIGN PRINCIPAL OF L ARCHITECTS

TSINGPU YANGZHOU RETREAT

Award-winning Singaporean architect Lim Shing Hui’s busy schedule means she only takes one long vacation at the end of the year. “It’s where I take stock of what has happened over the last 11 months and it is also a great opportunity to recharge and recalibrate,” she shared.

Lim usually seeks out off-the-grid destinations or makes a point to visit interesting buildings by notable architects she admires. Last year, she travelled around China for three weeks. One hotel she stayed in was the Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat in eastern China. “Constructed with 1.2 million local bricks, the retreat was designed by one of my favourite architecture studios, Neri&Hu Design and Research Office (NHDRO),” she commented.

There, Lim enjoyed local Yangzhou delicacies and participated in traditional craft activities such as seal carving. “The hotel cleverly reserved and gave new functions to buildings formerly used by the rural farmers and fishermens’ homes; for example, an old warehouse became the hotel’s restaurant,” she shared.

The courtyard house of vernacular Chinese architecture inspired the design of the property. Multiple courtyards separate 20 guestrooms spread across a 32,000 sq m site, meaning each guest enjoys ample privacy as well as views into their own courtyard.

JONAS BJERRE-POULSEN, CO-FOUNDER OF NORM ARCHITECTS

ES RACO D’ARTA

Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen is the co-founder of Copenhagen-based Norm Architects that has created many artful residences and hotels – Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park (in a collaboration with Japanese studio Keiji Ashizawa Design) is a recent example. For him, a hotel’s interior design is a big part of the travel experience, as he likes to study how details and spaces are put together.

“When I travel, I always look for beauty,” shared the architect. A favourite hotel of his is the Es Raco d’Arta, a rural retreat on the northside of Mallorca in Spain designed by architect Toni Esteva. “As an architect, one of the first things you learn is how to understand the ‘spirit’ of the site, and it feel that Es Raco d’Arta as a hotel is beautifully embedded in both nature and history; it is as if the structures that form the hotel are part of the mountain,” described Bjerre-Poulsen on the hotel’s many stonewalls.He enjoyed the hotel’s secluded location that “provides a special feeling of inner calm and wellness”. The local artwork in the property – “rural in its architectural expression yet refined” – was memorable.  Also memorable was a workshop with elderly local craftswomen in the ancient Mallorcan technique of weaving straw baskets (called Llatra) using the leaves of the palmito palm tree.

ALBANO DAMINATO, DESIGNER-ARCHITECT OF DAMINATO STUDIO

THE AUDO

Australian born architect-designer Albano Daminato used to stay in Singapore, where he designed several F&B spaces, such as the early restaurants for The Marmalade Group. Now based in Bangkok, he is also behind the interiors of Amanenu in Japan and Amankora in Bhutan.

When it comes to accommodation, Daminato leans toward intimately sized hotels that feel more like a home. “A huge commercial property can sometimes leave me feeling more alone if I am travelling by myself,” he said. A creature of habit, Daminato returns to hotels he falls in love with repeatedly. One of these is The Audo in Copenhagen, housed in a historic red brick building along the water.

Designed by Norm Architects, the 10-room hotel is also a showroom for Audo Copenhagen, formerly known as Menu; guests can order pieces from the furniture brand – as well as other curated labels – they like in the hotel. “The generously sized rooms are thoroughly inviting, wrapped in warm materials, finishes and textures such as timber, hand-plastered walls, and wonderful fabrics,” said Daminato.

He added: “The entire mood is quintessentially Scandinavian, with an air of simplicity. The bedding and towelling are top quality, which made leaving the room each morning quite a chore. I wanted to stay wrapped in bed all day.”

JAX TAN, PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT AND CO-FOUNDER OF OPEN STUDIO

CASA GRANDE

Architect Jax Tan runs Open Studio with her husband and business partner Lam Jun Nan. Aside from residential works, the team is also behind the spaces of F&B brands such as Nylon Coffee Roasters and Restaurant Seroja. They recently designed clothing label Our Second Nature’s new store.

The “huge fan of modern architecture” seeks out brutalist and modern buildings to explore on her travels. In terms of accommodation, Tan likes hotels with rooms that are not just functional, but also inspirational and beautiful. One that left an impression on her is Casa Grande, located in the small town of Granon in La Rioja, Spain.

“Designed by Francesc Rife Studio, it is an 18th-century manor house that was converted into an 11-room hotel,” she described. “The great stay started from the first encounter – a breath-taking lobby foyer that was equal parts rustic and contemporary. Throughout the hotel, local textures were preserved, but fitted and designed very finely with contemporary details,” she added.

In her suite, she remembers, “lying in bed watching the birds flying overhead through an operable skylight that offered a small-town view of the nearby church. At that moment, I felt truly grateful for the authentic local experience within such a luxurious environment.”

FINBARR FALLON, PHOTOGRAPHER

AMAN TOKYO

Trained as an architect, London-born, Singapore-based photographer Finbarr Fallon now shoots buildings instead of designs them. He has also self-published a book titled Unite, which features the interior of 10 modernist Singapore apartments. “As my background is in architecture and my wife is an urban geographer, naturally, our itinerary gravitates towards seeking out interesting architecture,” he shared.

The self-declared city lover enjoys “the energy and the sense of possibility that imbues a big city; the feeling that around every corner, there is another exciting building to see, another museum to visit, another scene to capture in the moment”. A favourite city hotel of his is the iconic Aman Tokyo, designed by the late-architect Kerry Hill and at the Otemachi Tower. Fallon recalls being wowed as he emerged “from the lift into the unexpected, into the dramatic luminosity of the soaring atrium on the top floor.”

He added: “At Blue Hour at the bar, you can also see Mount Fuji outlined in a faint wash of gold. It’s amazing how the architects managed to create this great contrast just in the spaces between levels 33 to 38, where you are taken from the frenetic movement of the city at street level, to feeling almost suspended in time by the scenic serenity in this space.”

CHRIS LEE, FOUNDER OF BRANDING STUDIO ASYLUM

THE CAPITOL HOTEL TOKYU

One of his favourite accommodations is The Capitol Hotel Tokyu. The original hotel has an illustrious history. It was built in 1963 as Japan’s first foreign-affiliated hotel (then, as Tokyo Hilton Hotel) and hosted many dignitaries. The new building was completed in 2010 and rebranded as The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, with world-renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma working on the exterior, main entrance and lobby design.

“It has the service of a five-star hotel but not the typical design of a luxury hotel. A lot of the elements were well thought through. It’s the perfect marriage of modern and traditional Japanese design,” shared Lee. Its location at the fringe of the Akasaka area is a bonus, close to many good restaurants and places that Lim frequents such as Shibuya, Roppongi and Ginza.

TIMO WONG, CO-FOUNDER OF STUDIO JUJU

MAMA SHELTER PARIS EAST

Formed by husband-and-wife pair Timo Wong and Priscilla Lui, cross-disciplinary design studio Studio Juju is known for its emotive, accessible work.

“Our travels are never luxurious per se, but we do enjoy the comfort of checking into a nice hotel, especially one that is exciting,” shared Wong. He particularly enjoyed his stay at Mama Shelter Paris East, designed by Philippe Starck. Stepping out of the hotel directly into the quaint neighbourhood streets was something he remembered fondly. “We liked the proximity of the local eateries that were not targeted at tourists; some had no English menus. We also hopped to the weekend markets to get some fresh cherries,” Wong recalled.

The hotel’s interior embodies an eclectic mix of aesthetics and elements, all jam-packed into one house, described Timo. “Ironically, the magic of the maximalist design makes one feel at home – maybe a little hippie, but in a good way; we certainly want some adventure and fresh new palettes of sight, taste and emotion during our travels.”

ISABELLA ONG, ARTIST

LA DIMORA DI METELLO

Isabella Ong was trained as an architect but now works as an artist, exploring themes related to the relationship between humans and their environment. Regarding travel, she prefers spending a longer time in one place. “I also like to leave room for spontaneity, without planning too much,” she added.

She names La Dimora di Metello in the town of Matera in Italy as her favourite hotel. It is housed in the Sassi, the historic cave dwellings of Matera where it was believed the first human settlements in Italy resided. “There is evidence of people living in these caves as early as 7,000 BC. I loved the sense of inhabiting a space with such a long, living history; sharing a space with our ancestors from thousands of years ago,” she remarked.