St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel,
London
The newly opened and extensively renovated
St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, attached to St.
Pancras train station, is a neo-Gothic masterpiece. After a five-year, $325-million restoration, this
forgotten and neglected Victorian hotel has been returned to its former opulent glory. With its stately red
façade, ornate Gothic Revival metalwork, gold-leaf ceilings, hand-stencilled wall designs and dazzlingly
grand staircase within,
this former Midland Grand Hotel, located atop the railway station that is now home to the Channel Tunnel Rail
Link, is a return to the days when travelling was an exotic and luxurious pursuit, a fantastical adventure of
transporting oneself from one world to the next.
» marriott.com
Rosewood Hotel Georgia,
Vancouver
First opened in 1927 at a cost of $1.5 million (its latest reincarnation cost 80
times that), Hotel Georgia quickly became Vancouver’s most prestigious hotel hosting Elvis, Katherine Hepburn
and Nat King Cole. It was a time of great expansion in the B.C. city. In 2011, Vancouver is going through its
second great phase of development and Hotel Georgia is key in it. The hotel retains many of the building’s
original features, many hidden, including the beautiful tilework in the lobby, its grand clock and mahogany
walling covered by seven layers of wallpaper. The 155 rooms are classically designed with the pricier rooms
including vast beds and stand-alone baths.
» rosewoodhotelgeorgia.com
Ritz-Carlton, Hong
Kong
The 312-room Ritz-Carlton hotel occupies levels 102 to 118 of the International
Commerce Centre in Hong Kong, which makes it the world’s tallest hotel. The distance from the ground — 490
metres — is awe-inspiring in itself, but it’s the view of the Hong Kong Island skyline with Victoria Harbour
below, widening out into the expanse of the South China Sea and finally out into the horizon, that really
impresses. This five-star hotel has six dining venues including upscale Italian and Chinese restaurants, a
bar with crystal fire pits and a cacao-themed “Chocolate Library” where they serve chocolate afternoon tea,
as well as a vertigo-inducing top-floor infinity pool.
» ritzcarlton.com •
