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Hotels: the return of legends, between reopenings and news
Entrance Waldorf Astoria in New York
From the Waldorf Astoria New York to the Hotel Danieli in Venice and the Aman Rosa Alpina: the reopenings that redefine luxury and contemporary hospitality.
From the spires of Manhattan to the canals of Venice and the Breton cliffs, 2025 (with a sequel in 2026), this is the year of the return of the big hotels. More than simple reopenings, these are architectural rebirths that combine history and contemporary vision, restoring life and splendor to places that have marked the imagination of luxury travel, through restoration uniting design with character.
Waldorf Astoria New York: anima of Manhattan
Conrad Hilton called it “The Greatest of Them All”. After years of waiting, the legendary Waldorf Astoria New York has reopened its doors. Its monumental restoration, one of the most impressive conservation and adaptive reuse projects in the history of the Big Apple, was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), with the hotel interiors curated by Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR) and the residential spaces by the designer Jean-Louis Deniot. The work has restored splendor to the Art Deco architecture of 1931, preserving frescoes, marbles and historic decorations, while incorporating the technologies and comforts of the twenty-first century. Guests can now stay in completely reimagined rooms and suites, where fine materials, natural light, and bespoke furnishings achieve a harmonious balance. The new Waldorf season also opens with three exceptional dining experiences: chef Michael Anthony’s Lex Yard brasserie, the renovated Peacock Alley and the Japanese Yoshoku fine dining restaurant. From 1 September, the hotel’s historic event spaces – over 4,000 square meters, including the legendary Grand Ballroom, are also operative. Completing the offering is the new Guerlain Wellness Spa, an urban oasis of well-being.
Waldorf Astoria in New York Lex Yard Hilton
Hotel Gabrielli: Venetian rebirth
Overlooking Riva degli Schiavoni with views over the basin of San Marco and the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, the new Hotel Gabrielli is reopened as a five-star jewel by Starhotels. After careful conservative restoration, the historic nineteenth-century building is gleaming again, blending memory and modernity. The project, headed by the designer Andrea Auletta, draws inspiration from the colors and materials of Venetian tradition: Murano glass chandeliers, coffered ceilings and Istrian stone columns engage with contemporary design elements amid an atmosphere of sophisticated restraint. The Perkhofer family, guardians of the hotel for five generations, seek to preserve the authentic soul of the place, visited on one occasion by Franz Kafka, who found inspiration here for his letters to Felice Bauer. The 66 new rooms and suites – enriched by unique pieces from the patronage project La Grande Bellezza – The Dream Factory – recount the story of Italian craftsmanship. The heart of the hotel conceals a green treasure: a private garden laid extending over 600 square meters, the largest on the central island of Venice, where ancient olive trees and native plants create an oasis of peace. Completing the experience is a refined spa covering 100 square meters, with Turkish bath, sauna, whirlpool and private relaxation area: a perfect balance between the charm of the past and the intimacy of contemporary luxury.
Hotel Gabrielli in Venice. Suite Lagoon Collection view
Park Hyatt Tokyo, the return of an icon
After a wait of more than a year, Park Hyatt Tokyo – Asia’s first Park Hyatt – will officially reopen on 9 December 2025. Located on the upper floors of the Shinjuku Park Tower, a modern masterpiece by Kenzo Tange, the hotel reveals a complete makeover curated by the Parisian studio Jouin Manku. The rooms, inspired by John Morford’s original design, have been reinterpreted with harmonious materials and custom-made furnishings, preserving the iconic soul of the hotel and introducing a new energy. The rooms, reduced to 171, have more fluid layouts and bathrooms inspired by traditional Japanese wet rooms, with mineral and organic materials like marble and wood. The gourmet offering will be headed by Girandole by Alain Ducasse, flanked by the renovated New York Grill & Bar, Kozue and The Peak Lounge & Bar.
Park Hyatt in Tokyo, Aerobics Studio
Hotel Danieli, with the signature of Pierre-Yves Rochon
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Gruppo Statuto announce the rebirth of the legendary Hotel Danieli in Venice, which in 2026 will be styled as Hotel Danieli, Venezia, A Four Seasons Hotel. Located on the Riva degli Schiavoni, close to St. Mark’s Square, the hotel combines three historic buildings: the 14th-century Palazzo Dandolo, the Palazzo Casa Nuova and the Palazzo Danieli Excelsior. The project, with interiors entrusted to the famous designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, seeks to preserve its Venetian Gothic charm, enriched by original artworks and antiques.
Reception, Hotel Danieli, Venice
Les Bassans, from manor to artistic refuge
With Les Bassans, the Fontenille collection arrives in Brittany, transforming the former Manoir du Sphinx in Perros-Guirec into a refined refuge on the Côte de Granite Rose. The 25 rooms and suites, overlooking the Sept-Îles archipelago, blend Art Deco inspirations with warm materials – wood of various kinds, brass, mosaics – and a palette of beige and sand that fades into the blues of the ocean. In a collaboration between the architect Boris Le Noane and the Architectes des Bâtiments de France, Les Bassans has been reborn through careful restoration that preserves the spirit of the original manor house, launching a new season of elegance. Designed by the architecture team of the Fontenille Collection, the interiors gracefully recall the lost elegance of ocean liners: sculpted wood with understated lines, antique brass and artistic mosaics come together to form a visual story with a modern, cinematic charm.
