design hotels signs 8 new hotels for membership during the first trimester of the year. In addition, the company announces the openings of four hotels, including two this month: the much anticipated Haymarket Hotel in the heart of London and La Purificadora in Puebla, Mexico.

With these new members, design hotels expands its portfolio and offers exciting new European destinations for its guests to explore, including Butera and Pantelleria in the south and Oslo in the north. Moreover, the vibrant cities of Paris, Milan, Frankfurt and Gothenburg have each gained an additional design hotel. Travellers benefit from being offered a choice of different experiences within the same city, yet all with the design hotels(tm) quality seal.

NEW MEMBER HOTELS

La Réserve Paris - Paris, France (June 2007)
The ultimate French take on modernist luxury, La Réserve is located on Paris’s Place du Trocadero with spectacular hilltop views of the city. With a cinematic approach to 1930s elegance, a contrasting palette of beiges and black set off soaring ceilings. Far from a normal hotel, it functions as a longer-term getaway or home, with ten apartments in duplex and even triplex formations providing every luxury. www.designhotels.com/lareserveparis

Gerbermuehle - Frankfurt am Main, Germany (July 2007)
Built as a flour mill in the 1520s, the Gerbermuehle is, however, better known as the summer residence of Goethe. Since the early 1900s it has been a popular tavern and will soon reopen with a new hotel wing that comprises 19 guestrooms and suites. The Gerbermuehle is a well established waterside retreat from which to enjoy views back to the skyline of Frankfurt’s financial district. www.designhotels.com/gerbermuehle

The Chedi Milan - Milan, Italy (March 2007)
Italy meets Indonesia with high-design results in The Chedi Milan. The mix of Southern Europe and East Asia is unusually discreet and smooth with its 250 rooms, where designer Jaya Ibrahim created an ambience of well-lit ease and comfort. The low-key lobby, private garden, and spa provide plenty of incentives to stick around. www.designhotels.com/chedimilan

Falconara Charming House & Resort - Butera, Sicily, Italy (June 2007) The resort overlooks the Mediterranean from on high in two remarkable buildings: “La Fattoria” has 25 rooms and is the former dependence to the nearby medieval castle. The sleek newly built “Club House” boasts a restaurant, bar, boutique, and 39 rooms in addition to the utmost in spa facilities. Throughout, stone and wood are the dominant materials, allowing the Sicilian atmosphere to take hold. www.designhotels.com/falconara

Palazzo Barbarigo Sul Canal Grande - Venice, Italy (September 2007) Built in the 16th century, the palazzo’s unique design features have been adapted to the needs of travellers seeking luxury and calm, as well as a bit of the high drama that Venice specializes in. Pulling up in a motorboat or gondola, for instance, is no problem: the hotel has its own private landing stage. All rooms 18 rooms are individually designed and offer a perfect fusion of past, present and future. www.designhotels.com/barbarigo

Santa Teresa Resort - Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy (April 2007) Set amid bucolic vineyards, olive trees and lush flora, the resort is a collection of 18 restored dammusi - ancient local buildings of cut stone. Clustered in four mini-villages each bungalow-style dammuso features alcoves or galleries incorporated into its sleek modern design, and accommodates 2-4 people. The three pools and Arabian garden are also tranquil spots from which to take in the beautiful scenery. www.designhotels.com/santateresa

Grims Grenka - Oslo, Norway (soft opening August 2007)
The hotel provides the cosmopolitan experience of London and New York in the far northern latitudes of Norway. In the middle of town, Grims Grenka itself is a lifestyle experiment mixing modernist design with a groundbreaking nightclub, international fusion cooking and a rooftop lounge. The 42 rooms and, especially, the 24 suites, offer spectacular space that seems to go on and on with long smooth surfaces. www.designhotels.com/grimsgrenka

Avalon Hotel - Gothenburg, Sweden (June 2007)
The Avalon is a destination in itself, with a lodge-like feel produced by jutting angles, a mix of low and high ceilings and abundant use of light wood. The 101 spacious rooms are both modern and cosy with wood accents and a low-slung feel. Earth-tones aren’t the only game, however: luxurious materials, including white marble, and chiaroscuro effects ensure a visually harmonious environment. www.designhotels.com/avalonhotel

OPENINGS

Lánch’d 19 - Budapest, Hungary (June 2007)
Named after Budapest’s famed “Chain Bridge” that spans the Danube, the hotel is a contemporary highlight in a neighbourhood of predominately 19th-century architecture. Glass is a main architectural component featured in the moveable accordion-like glass façade as well as in the light-filled interior. Spatial connection and movement form the concept of “flowing space” as well as the building’s character. www.designhotels.com/lanchid

Palazzina Grassi - Venice, Italy (late summer 2007)
Facing the famous Canale Grande and taking its diminutive name from the neighbouring art museum Palazzo Grassi, the small residence hotel embodies two eras of Venetian history, yet unites them in a distinctly modern way. Venetian lamps and fabrics along with locally crafted materials like terrazzo and glass mosaics allude to the property’s history and location and provide a certain romantic comfort. www.designhotels.com/grassi

La Purificadora - Puebla, Mexico (May 2007)
Located in the historic centre of Puebla this stunning hotel is the new incarnation of a late 19th-century factory once used to purify water and produce ice. This long tradition of purity is still obvious in La Purificadora’s exclusively black and white décor, elegant use of original materials and sweeping views offered from its 26 guestrooms. www.designhotels.com/lapurif’cadora

Haymarket Hotel - London, UK (May 2007)
A bold step away from cookie-cutter minimalism, the hotel fuses contemporary and classical references Interiors are a remarkable combination that honours the building’s noble lineage while updating it with co-owner Kit Kemp’s “modern English” interpretation of interior design. The landmark building comprises 50 bedrooms and suites plus one exclusive townhouse property in an ultra-central London. www.designhotels.com/haymarkethotel
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