10 minute read
Hotel Savoy, Florence
Editor’s Note: This review is meant to share our experience so you can plan future travel when you feel safe to do so. At time of press, Rocco Forte was planning to reopen the Hotel Savoy in early September.
BACKGROUND The European footprint of Rocco Forte Hotels’ luxury five-star hotels is especially prominent in the renowned boot of Italy, with seven properties dotted from storied Sicily to the Hotel Savoy in romantic Florence. Mostly located in iconic city centres, all these hotels feature exquisite design and unparalleled service.
WHERE IS IT? It doesn’t get much more city centre than this. The Hotel Savoy faces the Piazza della Repubblica overlooking the Column of Abundance, which actually marks the centre of Florence. An easy stroll southward is the River Arno spanned by the ancient Ponte Vecchio Bridge; and a couple of blocks north of the hotel is the Cathedral of Florence with its soaring red-tiled dome, the very emblem of the city.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The Hotel Savoy dates back to 1893 and in its day was considered a modern marvel. In 2018 the historic building was renovated under the guiding hand of Olga Polizzi, the group’s director of design. Polizzi’s interiors are always intriguing, often surprising and wholly delightful. Hotel Savoy welcomes guests into an elegant lobby that nonetheless somehow manages a sense of warmth, thanks to splashes of colour in
BEST FOR Superb design, smart service and remarkable views of Florentine landmarks.
DON’T MISS The cherry crumble with spiced ice cream. Really.
P R I C E Internet rates for a Classic room start at US$535.
CONTACT Piazza della Repubblica, 7, 50123 Firenze FIorence Tel +39 055 27 35 1 roccofortehotels.com
chic accent pieces and artwork. Service at reception and throughout my stay was, as you might expect, understated, prompt and unfailingly courteous.
ROOMS The Hotel Savoy’s 80 rooms and suites are generous by city-centre standards, ranging from about 270 sqft up to the new 1,600-sqft Duomo Presidential Suite. My Classic room was spacious, almost what other hotels might call a suite, with a separate sitting room populated by a couple of comfy overstu ed chairs and a sofa facing the flat-screen TV on the wall. The furnishings and appointments were an eclectic mix of clean modern and Tuscan vintage, with fabrics in soothing, inviting colours. The star was the dramatic view out my sitting room window, which was taken up almost entirely with Brunelleschi's famous Duomo and bell tower.
The marble-clad bathroom o ered a wonderful rainfall shower and a full
complement of Forte Organics bath products. A little personal touch that I found particularly memorable; three monogrammed face towels were rolled and placed to form my initials.
FOOD AND DRINK Irene is the name of both the restaurant and bar located on the Savoy’s ground floor. In nice weather, inside seating spills out onto the Piazza della Repubblica, making for a supremely European dining scene. The menu, developed by director of food Michelinstarred Chef Fulvio Pierangelini, features a range of Tuscan dishes, none predictable, all inventive. From the panzanella and bu alo mozzarella (unlike any I’d had before) to the mixed seafood grilled cooked on Himalayan salt stone, everything tasted fresh and creatively presented. But by all means, save room for the cherry crumble with spiced ice cream. Really.
MEETINGS AND FITNESS For meetings and events, the 800-sqft salon can host up to 50 attendees, and highspeed WiFi is available throughout the hotel. The new state-of-the-art gym is fully equipped and there’s a fitness studio for Pilates and yoga classes.
VERDICT Let’s see – a classic hotel done up in elegant style and served with grace and élan in the very heart of one of the world’s most cherished cities. What’s not to love? Dan Booth
AC Hotel Panama City, Panama
BACKGROUND Distinctly Spanish, this hotel has plenty of character. But the focus is squarely on business travellers; the property o ers convenient access to corporate o ices in the nearby business and financial districts.
WHERE IS IT? It’s only a half-hour drive to either the international airport or the Panama Canal from this city-centre hotel. The Pacific Ocean is just a few blocks from the front entrance too.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The AC Lounge is set up like a library with regionally inspired books and Apple computers where guests can work or relax. Especially notable is the art found throughout the hotel. Many pieces are actually for sale by local artists. Four duplex Loft Suites on the top floor are ideal for those with longer stays or guests wanting to entertain during their stay.
ROOMS Hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows with skyline views and duvettopped beds create a bright first impression in the 92 rooms and suites. Power outlets are available bedside and integrated into the desk setup. Open-plan closets have shelf and drawer space and each room counts a refrigerator with free bottled water among its amenities. Lavazza co eemakers help kickstart the day. Bathrooms feature spacious glass shower stalls with wallmounted toiletries from Korres (the orange blossom shower gel smells amazing). King-bedded rooms have glass partitions separating part of the bathroom from the bedroom, but those with two beds have frosted glass walls for more privacy.
FOOD AND DRINK AC Kitchen serves three meals a day beginning with a colourful breakfast featuring a signature ham-carving machine. This is a hallmark of AC properties, which serve authentic Serrano ham from Spain each morning. Eggs are cooked to order and fresh fruit, juices, cheeses and pastries add to the
options. All-day co ee is available by the bar and the lunch and dinner menus feature a selection of tapas and Spanish-inspired entrées. Snacks, drinks and light meals are available at all hours from a store across from reception. For the views, the most popular place to relax for happy hour is the rooftop bar by the pool. Be sure to order the “Lady in Red” cocktail, which is the hotel’s
BEST FOR Contemporary rooms with business-friendly amenities.
DON’T MISS Panoramic views of the city’s financial district from the rooftop pool.
P R I C E Internet rates start from US$76.
CONTACT AC Hotel Panama City, Calle Ricardo Arias 8, Campo Alegre Area Bancaria, Panama City, Panama. Tel +507-394-7777. achotels.marriott.com
hickory wood-infused specialty drink with fresh strawberry syrup.
MEETINGS AND FITNESS The mezzanine level features a few meeting spaces that come with modern audiovisual capabilities and natural light. An infinity pool and whirlpool await on the top floor where the fitness centre features modern equipment.
VERDICT Guests will find exceptional hospitality, sleek design and boutique-style accommodations in this e icient, citycenter hotel. Ramsey Qubein
Project Runway
Far from the ‘fly-in’ properties of yesteryear, airport hotels are a breed apart
WORDS RAMSEY QUBEIN
For the most part, the reason exhausted road warriors have looked to airport hotels is convenience, but today’s runwayfacing rooms may not be as humdrum as you might remember. Meditation guides and farm-totable dining tell another story. Today hotel brands proliferate around airports. But one in particular led the way.
Dubbed the world’s fi rst “fl y-in” hotels,
Hyatt House kicked off the trend in 1957.
Founder Jay Pritzker’s contract to purchase the Hyatt House at Los Angeles International
Airport from Dutch businessman Hyatt von Dehn (hence the hotel company’s name today) was said to be scribbled on a hotel cocktail napkin. Th e convenience of Hyatt
House LAX led to several other Hyatt House openings near airports along the West Coast.
Soon, other brands followed suit with hotels popping up around airports worldwide. Today, Hyatt House is no longer exclusive to airports. While it recently opened its 100th hotel at California’s San
Jose International Airport, its suite-style accommodations with kitchens and living rooms designed for longer stays are located in downtown and suburban locales, too.
CONVENIENCE IS KEY From the humble beginnings of the fi rst Hyatt House to today’s amenity-laden airport properties, a lot has changed. But proximity and effi ciency are still the priority. For example, to reduce wait time, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco installed a locationtracking system for its airport shuttles to keep guests informed when the next one will arrive.
Th e Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which is directly connected to the terminal, has its own TSA security checkpoint taking
guests directly from the lobby to their gate. Other hotels connected to airports, like the recently opened art-laden Grand Hyatt at SFO and Grand Hyatt DFW are just a short walk from gates.
2 1 S T C E N T U R Y PERSONALISATION Today’s traveller wants both convenience and personalisation; bots that off er neither are a Millennial no-no. But if you’re too tired to exchange niceties with someone, robots, apps and digital room keys activated via Bluetooth signal get you from plane to bed with minimal fuss. Chat features like those via the World of Hyatt app allow travellers to text specifi c requests (like extra towels or a particular view) to a real person without picking up the phone. Some hotels even off er robots to speed up the process.
WORLD-CLASS DINING Regional culinary experiences aren’t forgotten either. Many hotels are partnering with wellknown chefs or local farmers to elevate what’s on off er at the airport. At Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, Indian restaurant Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen is under the helm of celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala.
Andaz Delhi operates a 24-hour, farm-totable food hall where every possible menu item is locally sourced. Chefs regularly interview new purveyors, depending upon the season, to keep the menu fresh. Guests can even personalise their meal by snipping their own produce directly from refrigerated gardens lining the walls. Locals visit the food hall to purchase produce and ingredients and guests can organise their own visit to some of the featured farms.
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS Th e Grand Hyatt at SFO is on its way to becoming the world’s fi rst Zero Net Energy (ZNE) airport campus by 2021. Photovoltaic roof panels, a complex water conservation programme and in-room (boxed) water and toiletry products are among the many elements required to achieve this goal.
MAINTAINING LIFE BALANCE Fitness centres and spas are great, so wellbeing is top of mind for airport hotels too. Hyatt’s Exhale spa brand streams self-improvement content to guest rooms of US Hyatt Place and Hyatt Regency properties. A soon-to-launch alliance with meditation brand Headspace will deliver short meditations, soothing sleep sounds, wellness content and even expert guidance from a former monk to in-house guests via the World of Hyatt app. Airport hotels can deliver plenty of notable amenities plus greater convenience, and sometimes, a lower price.
