Kathakali Nandi

👨‍🔬 The Chemists’ Club Hotel, situated at 52 East 41st Street in New York, reopens with a design by Ilmiodesign, offering 107 rooms and suites. The hotel, once a scientific hub since 1898, boasts upscale amenities including Egyptian cotton linens and custom mattresses. Azora, with €14.6 billion in assets, owns the hotel, while Crestline Hotels manages it, overseeing 134 properties and approximately 18,200 rooms across 29 states and D.C. The adjacent Benjamin Steakhouse provides dining options.

🏖️ Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts to open the Bvlgari Resort & Mansions at Cave Cay in the Bahamas by 2029. Expanding into the Caribbean, the resort will join a global portfolio of 13 hotels. It will offer 64 luxury suites, seafront villas, 48 private mansions for purchase, a spa, sports enclave, kids’ club, and a Michelin-starred restaurant. Cave Cay, a 220-acre private island, features white sand beaches and natural caves. The project is advised by Servotel and aims to enhance the Exumas as a high-end tourist destination.

🏠 San Antonio's historic Continental Hotel has been renovated into The Continental, offering 28 furnished units for short-term stays, starting March. The project, a partnership between Placemakr and Weston Urban, is part of a 1.9-acre redevelopment including 290 mixed-income housing units and 22,000 square feet of retail space. Weston Urban announced the Continental Block Development in August 2023, featuring the renovation of two historic buildings alongside a new 16-story residential tower. The initiative complements other investments in downtown San Antonio.

🏦 Between October 1 and December 31, 2024, Preferred Hotels & Resorts incorporated 11 new member properties worldwide, from Panama to Spain. I Prefer Hotel Rewards program participants can gain 2,500 bonus points on eligible stays for a limited time. Highlighted properties include Gamboa Rainforest Reserve with 166 rooms in Panama, Hotel Magnolia with 40 rooms in Chile, Aurika Udaipur with 139 rooms in India, Hotel Kitzhof with 160 rooms in Austria, and César Lanzarote with 20 rooms in Spain. The expansion underscores the brand's growth since 2019, now encompassing over 600 properties in 80 countries.

🏕 Marriott International's Autograph Collection debuts its first resort in Phuket and third in Thailand with the opening of Veranda Resort Phuket, situated 12 kilometers from Phuket Town on the Cape Panwa peninsula. Overlooking the Andaman Sea, the resort offers 159 rooms, suites, and pool villas with private terraces and views of Ao Yon Bay. Featuring Sino-Portuguese inspired design, dining venues, a spa, a pool, and excursions to Phuket Town, Autograph Collection now boasts over 320 hotels globally in nearly 50 countries.

🏨 The Shelborne by Proper in Miami Beach, set to reopen on May 1 after a $100 million renovation, operated by Proper Hospitality, features 251 rooms including ocean-view suites and villas. The property, originating from 1940, has been updated with Miami Art Deco and Miami Modernism designs by ADC Atelier. The highlight includes a 1,700-square-foot penthouse suite. Partnering with Michelin-starred Chef Abram Bissell, the hotel offers a signature restaurant and various bars, alongside 30,000 square feet of event space.

🏡 The Social Hub opens its second Florence location on February 1. The Social Hub Belfiore, costing €150 million and spanning 80,000-square-meters, offers a rooftop garden, Olympic pool, and Tuscany's largest coworking space. Located in San Jacopino near the historic center, the 550-room hotel blends hotel, coworking, and event spaces, including a 7,000-square-meter rooftop garden and 300+ guest conference facility. It also features gym, shopping, and 3,500 plants on the rooftop. The Social Hub is a B Corporation, hosting 600+ events yearly and aiming to revitalize neighborhoods.