March has been an eventful month for the hospitality industry in Europe, with both new and renovated luxury properties opening their doors. River cruises and tours are also gaining popularity, and Spain will see the opening of a new contemporary art museum. We’ve rounded up the top developments.
Hotel News
The St. Regis Istanbul just opened its doors in the center of the city’s social district, near high-end shops, Bosphorus, Maçka Park, and the Istanbul Congress Center. The hotel has a private library that includes a collection of books detailing the brand’s history, design and surroundings. Along with standard guestrooms, the St. Regis Istanbul has 18 suites, including four presidential suites. The Bentley Suite was created in partnership with the luxury car brand and has mirrored ceilings, a built-in leather sofa, and a rug printed with an abstract design of the automobile’s grille. The hotel offers several dining options, including Wolfgang Puck’s Spago Istanbul, a private wine cellar and the St. Regis Bar and Brasserie. The Iridium Spa has three small treatment pools, seven massage rooms and offers traditional Turkish hammam rituals.
Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts will also debut a new luxury property in Istanbul this month. The Mövenpick Hotel Istanbul Golden Horn opened March 31 on the city’s historic Golden Horn waterway. All guestrooms offer views of the historic city and premium guestrooms have private balconies. The hotel’s Golden Horn suite has a private Jacuzzi, and is decorated with Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman maritime themes. The Pruva Swiss Grill Restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine, as well as Swiss and Turkish specialties. The hotel’s Serenity Wellness Center offers a state-of-the-art fitness center, Turkish Hammam, saunas, a steam room, relaxation zone and massage rooms. This is Mövenpick’s second hotel in Istanbul, and its fourth in Turkey.
The newly refurbished Goldgasse Hotel, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is now open in Salzburg, Austria. The 16-room hotel is housed in a 700-year-old building in the city’s festival district, within walking distance of gardens, concert halls, Salzburg Cathedral, the Hohensalzburg Fortress and Mozart's birthplace. The hotel was designed especially to accommodate music lovers visiting the city. All suites and guestrooms are named after a different Opera, and have marble bathrooms with rain and massage showers. Accommodations include oversized wardrobes, and walls used as a canvas to depict some of the most well-known Operas of the Salzburg Festival.
Marriott's Autograph Collection recently opened the Boscolo Exedra Nice, a newly renovated property in the French Riviera. The hotel has been fully restored to the Belle Époque style of the early 20th century, decorated with marble columns and glass throughout lobby. The Presidential Suite, Executive Suite, and Boscolo Duplex Suite offer views of Boulevard Victor Hugo. The hotel’s restaurant, La Pescheria, serves local produce and its signature “catch of the day” menu, while Bar Genesi serves light lunchtime dishes. The wellness center includes a Turkish bath, Vichy showers and a steam room all set around an indoor swimming pool.
Marriot also launched another property in Zurich under its Autograph Collection. The Kameha Grand Zurich has 245 guestrooms, as well as 11 individually themed suites. The Poker Face Suite is fitted with roulette tables and Kameha poker cards, while the Serenity Suite includes yoga and wellness accessories. Located in Glattpark, Kameha spans 30 acres of which include jogging trails, beach volleyball, basketball, and "Kameha Lake", Zurich's largest freshwater lake. The hotel has two restaurants; L'Unico specializes in Italian cuisine, while Yu Nijyo, serves sushi. There is also the Puregold Bar and a cigar lounge. The Kameha Spa includes saunas, a steam room, relaxation beds and offers a variety of treatments.
Cruises
AmaWaterways has announced that it will be offering new Bordeaux itineraries beginning in 2016. The line will have 22 “Taste of Bordeaux” sailings aboard AmaDolce, traveling the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers with wine-themed voyages led by top wine hosts and sommeliers. Guests will visit chateaus and vineyards, stopping in Cadillac’s Roquetaillaide Castle, have a Medoc wine tasting in Pauillac, and Chateau de Montaigne in Libourne.
French Country Waterways is also adding to its 2015 Upper Loire Valley itinerary aboard the Horizon II luxury barge. The extended route will now travel from Chatillon-sur-Loire to Saint-Satur, with visits to two additional chateaux - Chateau de Sully-sur-Loire and Chateau Guedelon. Guests will visit medieval towns, castles, gardens churches, and wineries.
Events
The highly anticipated opening of the Centre Pompidou Malaga in Spain is set to take place on March 28. The outpost of the Parisian modern art museum will be a temporary “pop-up” museum for five-years and will be housed a contemporary glass cube named El Cubo. Exhibitions will showcase works by artists including Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Francis Bacon, and Alberto Giacometti.