MASTERS IN HOSPITALITY
ERNESTO IAC CARINO BOASTSARATHERDEN SE CARNET D E V OYAG E , T H A N K S TO T H E FA MI LY R E STA U R A N T S O PENE DON AL L CONTI NENTS.ALONGWITH SE VE R AL T R I P S T H AT TA K E H I M TO T E ST T H E B E ST H OT E L S I N T H E WORLD, F ROM HONG KONG TORIO DE JANEIRO
«If I think about the comfort of a city hotel, the Spa at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong comes into my mind. During the massage, open your eyes and you will find yourself in front of Kowloon. What an amazing view! And the rest of the hotel also offers the pleasantness of contemporary design environments in a palette of very enveloping and relaxing soft nuances.
In Paris, I have recently discovered the Splendide Royal, a stone’s throw from the Champs Elysées. It is part of the Roberto Naldi Collection, with a clear Made in Italy imprint both in the decor, boasting a luxury made of great sobriety and elegance, and in the Tosca restaurant’s cuisine.
For a stay overseas? In New York, I’d certainly suggest the Plaza, completely renovated but with its unique vintage allure - its own added value - that can be fully enjoyed in the extraordinary tea room overlooking Central Park since 1907. In Brazil, in Sao Paulo, I would bet on the Emiliano. It is located in the Jardins district and is one of the rare quality addresses of the megalopolis that can be defined as “human-scale”, without having hundreds of rooms distributed in a skyscraper. In short, a sort of home-hotel in Sao Paulo.
In Rio de Janeiro the very best is the Copacabana Palace (1), a true evergreen which never betrays even the most demanding guests. It will conquer you with its colonial charm, as it did with Hemingway and many other personalities. In the city which has the highest hotel concentration in the world, Dubai, I have recently tried the Fairmont, out of the chaos of Downtown, which, however, can be seen from most of the rooms, and with that measured Middle Eastern architectural taste that never gets boring.
On top of my list, there is The Connaught (2) in London, in Mayfair, for that sense of historicity and contemporaneity that it can convey at the same time. Even without booking one of its sumptuous suites, or The Prince’s Lodge, with a four-poster bed and various amenities. Moreover, it has an undeniable attraction over me thanks to its two starred restaurants, one by Jean-George Vongerichten and the other by Hélène Darroze, two essential stops on every gourmand journey. A further gem, the Aman Spa».