Fancy hotels get even fancier
Check out (or into) these notable hot spots.
It has been a successful year so far for the hotel industry. Rooms have been filled up in many cities.
As the holidays draw near, many hotels are expanding and upgrading to welcome vacationing crowds.
Here are a few notable ones.
Le Barthelemy Hotel & Spa, St. Barth
Le Barthelemy Hotel & Spa debuted in October 2016 in St. Barth. It was open for only one season when Hurricane Irma hit and wiped out the property.
Extensive renovations followed. On Oct. 28, exactly two years after its original debut, it unveiled its new look.
The property has a new rooftop bar, a coffee corner and a new emphasis on wellness. The spa has been expanded with luxury skin care expert La Mer. It has hydrotherapy, a therapeutic detox in hot and cold baths, as well as a sauna, hammam (a Turkish bath) and a tea salon.
There are now 44 rooms and suites and two oceanfront villas, each with six bedrooms and their own 55-foot lap pools. The resort has one infinity pool overlooking the beach. The Ocean Lux Piscine Privee rooms each have private plunge pools within a private patio.
The Evelyn Hotel, New York City
The historic building that houses The Evelyn Hotel dates to 1905 when it was under a different name.
Now The Evelyn Hotel, part of Triumph Hotels, has been rebranded and renovated. Named for the early 20thcentury actress and model Evelyn Nesbit, the hotel pays homage to her and the NoMad neighborhood with Art Deco and Jazz Age influences.
The Evelyn Hotel officially relaunch- es Nov. 14 after its top-to-bottom multimillion-dollar renovation.
The 159 guestrooms have been upgraded with Frette linens, new lighting and refreshed bathrooms. Guests also will find whimsical features such as gramophones that connect to guests’ smartphones, chandeliers in the shape of a trombone and music notes painted on bathroom tiles.
The lobby has been transformed with soft velvet seating and dimly lit areas.
The hotel has three new restaurants by chef Jonathan Benno.
One is Leonelli Taberna, a casual Roman-inspired trattoria with a cocktail bar. Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria is a bakery and café with a mezzanine-level library. Benno is a fine-dining Mediterranean restaurant.
Four Seasons Hotel Austin
The luxury Four Seasons Hotel Austin has completed a three-year, $40 million-plus renovation that affected every part of the property, including the lobby, restaurant, bar, spa and fitness center.
All 294 guest rooms and suites, many of them with Lady Bird Lake views, were updated to have neutral tones inspired by the nearby lakefront estates. The rooms also now have crown molding and new artwork.
Technological upgrades include white noise machines at the bedside table, strategically placed outlets and charging ports, and Bluetooth-enabled Soundlink Minis that let guests play music from their own devices.
Hotel owners spent almost $1 million to upgrade the Presidential, Congressional and Governor’s specialty suites.
The hotel has two new dining destinations. Ciclo, which means cycle in Spanish, serves modern Texas and Latin-influenced cuisine.
Celebrity chef Richard Sandoval, who owns 45 eateries around the world, is involved in the restaurant.
Live Oak has outdoor and indoor space and an all-day food menu with in- spirations from executive sous chef Abril Galindo’s native Guadalajara.
The fitness center has tripled in size.
Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country
The Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country gained 90 additional guestrooms in its renovation. It also has completely redesigned 40,000 square feet of event spaces, the lobby and other public areas.
It has rebranded from a Hyatt hotel to a Hyatt Regency.
The property has launched a Brasserie restaurant with farm-to-table cuisine and an extensive wine list.
The lobby was redesigned to look like a rustic retreat. The Lobby Lounge serves coffee and pastries in the morning and Happy Hour drinks in the evening.
The property has 15 indoor meeting rooms totaling 18,000 square feet.
It also has 20,000 square feet of outdoor space with an 80-foot-long waterfall. There is a 10-foot crystal fire pit, as well.
Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
The Boca Raton Resort & Club has spent $8.2 million to transform the existing Yacht Club into a “hotel within a hotel.”
The Yacht Club is a luxury boutique waterfront hotel. It has 112 guest suites with an average of 648 square feet of space each.
The suites have views of the Intracoastal Waterway, Lake Boca, the luxury Resort Marina and the Atlantic Ocean. Guests will find welcome champagne and chocolate truffles, two flat-screen TVs, an in-room mini bar, Molten Brown amenities and a parting gift.
Guests will have access to a private check-in desk and concierge services. They also will be able to use the 24/7 Commodore Lounge on the top level of the building where food and beverages are available all day.