wave The new
Boutique hotel concepts in Israel are attracting a set of curious travellers who want to experience the country in the way the locals enjoy it
WORDS MEL ANIE SWAN
T
MAX KOVALSKY
he Israeli hotel industry has undergone a dramatic transformation since the pandemic. An array of boutique hotels are emerging and proving to be tough competition to some of the global brands which, for decades, have dominated the landscape. Until now, that is. One of the major players behind this shift which is challenging the status quo is Leon Avigad, co-founder of Brown Hotels, a home-grown Israeli brand taking the country by storm, and now expanding rapidly into Europe too. Over the course of the pandemic alone thus far, the hotel group has opened nine new properties in the likes of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Eilat. The unique properties range from small boutique experiences to grand luxury hotels, each destination chosen as an authentic representation of both Israeli culture and architecture. Avigad prides each property as having “a story to tell”. The Lighthouse hotel in Tel Aviv occupies the former Migdalor building, an iconic brutalist architectural-style building that has been transformed into what is now one of the city’s prime hangouts as the brand takes tourists into once-forgotten neighbourhoods, now among the coolest places in the city. In Jerusalem, Brown JLM Mamilla is housed in a 19th-century historic building, meticulously restored and extended to offer six
