Starwood’s eco-conscious Element touches down in Europe, at Frankfurt Airport for its first outpost outside the US. The brand famously gave out free rooms to arrivals with a recyclable plastic bottle, but that was in its infancy. The new property is part of Gateway Gardens, with its gorgeous bike trails, right in sync with its green ambition. Which includes 100% recycled carpets, low-VOC paints, art mounted on old tires and in-room recycling bins. Heavenly Beds, wi-fi and big-screen TVs are de rigeuer, so don’t be scared of bumpy landings. See starwood.com.
> New in New York is the Hotel Hugo in SoHo, its design referencing a Deco Italian yacht as a nod to Manhattan’s maritime history. Luxurious but comfortable and lined with contemporary art, this ship serves old-school Italian to wandering diners and loans out free Vespas to guests venturing beyond its industrial chic-meets-urban gardening public spaces. See hotelhugony.com.
> ARTSY tourists are all agog about the just-opened Mondrian London at Sea Containers. Designed to reference transAtlantic 1920s ocean liners as well as, well, shipping containers apparently, the very shades-of-grey rooms have bright Mondrian throws, curved and angled headboard and porthole-esque square mirrors. The bar downstairs, dubbed Dandelyan, promises botanical inspiration in a cocktail glass concocted by a Mr Lyan, . See morganshotelgroup.com.
> THE iconic site of the Palace Hotel in Jerusalem is now a gorgeous Waldorf Astoria, close by the Jaffa Gate and the old city. Old stonework remains. But now a retractable roof canopies the tall, tall atrium. The dining is kosher. Crystalline mezuzahs adorn every doorway. Electrical consoles allow lighting and temperature settings to be adapted for Sabbath. We can’t wait to see what they do with the spa, pool and rooftop garden promised for next year. Stunning images on waldorfastoria.com/Jerusalem