12 fashion designer hotels and suites you need to visit

Whether you’re doing it with Dior, channelling Chanel or wrapped in Diane von Furstenberg, it’s sure to be a haute night at these designer hotels and suites. By Christian Barker & Laura Barry

In a couple of years, fashion giant Louis Vuitton will open its first branded hotel on the Champs- Élysées in Paris. Meanwhile, style aficionados can stay in hotels carrying the imprimatur of designers and luxury houses including Giorgio Armani, Versace, Fendi, Bulgari and Christian Lacroix, or put up at one of the numerous tasteful Italian properties owned by the Ferragamo family, the Lungarno Collection. But for something rather special and a little more exclusive, devoted followers of fashion might instead choose to reserve one of the singular designer hotels and suites created at properties around the world that reflect the tastes of top fashion figures and brands in a more personal, intimate manner.

La Suite Dior, Paris

Perhaps the most exclusive of these is the one-off La Suite Dior, which was recently unveiled at the maison’s 30 Avenue Montaigne hôtel particulier. This French term does not describe a particular place of nightly accommodation. Rather, a hôtel particulier refers to a grand mansion that traditionally would have been occupied by a wealthy family. In 1947, Christian Dior established his couture house in one such structure in Paris’s tony eighth arrondissement, adjacent to the storied Plaza Athénée hotel. Originally built in the mid-19th century for one of Napoleon’s sons, 30 Avenue Montaigne is where Dior changed the course of fashion forever with his innovative post-war ‘New Look’. It is at this historic address that today, Dior clients can apply for permission to spend the night (mais non, it is not a simple matter of merely making a booking, madame; you must be vetted first) in the 150sqm suite situated on the fourth floor above the maison’s global flagship and ateliers. A dozen staff, including a butler, are on hand to attend to guests’ every need. All, of course, is included in the €25,000 (AUD$41,000) nightly tariff. The space’s seven expansive rooms are the work of renowned architect Peter Marino, who was also responsible for the refurbishment of the vast retail premises downstairs. These are open to guests day and night for exclusive fittings, showcases and shopping experiences, along with access to the designer’s precious archives, the couture workshop, and the house’s manicured gardens where meals can be hosted should one wish.

Suite Coco Chanel at The Ritz, Paris

A pleasant half-hour’s stroll away at the Ritz Paris, at 15 Place Vendôme, it was not necessary to imagine how Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel would have liked her namesake designer hotel suite to be decorated, as she famously resided here in rooms of her own design from 1954 until the end of her life, two decades later. The 188sqm Suite Coco Chanel at the Ritz is styled after records of Mademoiselle Chanel’s accommodations at the hotel and the apartment she kept – which is preserved to this day and accessible only to VIP customers – above her shop, dressmaking atelier, salons and design studios around the corner at 31 Rue Cambon. A picture of classic elegance, the €40,000-per-night (AUD$65,000) suite features Chanel’s beloved Chinese lacquer screens, and numerous mirrors that nod to the famous mirrored stairway of Rue Cambon. It is decorated in a palette of white, gold, black and beige, which were Chanel’s signature hues. Indeed, the legendary couturier famously remarked, “Black has it all. White, too. Their beauty is absolute.”

Sir Paul Smith Suite, Brown’s Hotel, London

Had the two ever met, British designer Sir Paul Smith may well have engaged in a lively debate over this point with Chanel. A devotee of vibrant tones, it’s rare to see Sir Paul traffic in anything so sombre as black and white. Even his tuxedos tend to deviate from the penguin palette, veering into blues, greens and browns. Browns, you say? Appropriately enough, it’s at the historic London hotel Brown’s – established 1837 – where Sir Paul has created a signature suite decorated in his inimitable classic-with- a-twist, pick’n’mix style, which attracts rates from £4,600 (AUD$9,000 per night). Created by Sir Paul in partnership with Olga Polizzi, who designs all the Rocco Forte hotels, the 102sqm space is reminiscent of the nearby Paul Smith shop on Albemarle Street in Mayfair where, rather than clothing, refurbished vintage furniture and striking modern art are the order of the day. A delightful cacophony of colour, the suite contains no shortage of quirky, humorous touches, beginning with the banana-shaped handle on the front door. Sir Paul says his goal was to dream up a space where guests could both relax and find inspiration. Innovative thinking, he said, “tends to come a bit easier when you’re in a creative space and surrounded by imaginative objects and artworks”.

Diane Von Furstenburg Suite, Hotel Amigo, Brussels

No stranger to hotel design, having completed a collaboration with London’s legendary Claridge’s Hotel back in 2010, Diane Von Furstenburg shares Sir Paul’s predilection for eye-catching colour and pattern – qualities in plentiful supply at the new DVF suite at Hotel Amigo in Brussels, Belgium (like Brown’s, a Rocco Forte hotel). Its walls are adorned with framed silk scarves carrying Andy Warhol’s portrait of Furstenburg, bedspreads and furnishings emblazoned with signature motifs from the designer’s iconic wrap dresses, and the floor bears a bold zebra-print rug. The aesthetic is as riotous, joyous and flamboyant as the disco era when DVF came to prominence. With rates from €2,600 per night (AUD$4250), the suite comes with an exclusive private tour of the DVF Brussels boutique and a box of Laurent Gerbaud artisanal Belgian chocolates as an added sweetener.

Karl Lagerfeld for Hôtel de Crillon, Paris

The great Karl Lagerfeld passed from this world to the next in 2019, but his legacy lives on in the two suites he designed. Known as Les Grands Appartements, the suites are on the fourth floor of the iconic Paris property Hôtel de Crillon. Now operated by Rosewood Hotels, the stately structure was commissioned by King Louis XV in 1758 and was occupied by the family of the Duc de Crillon (hence the name) from the early 19th century, then transformed into a hotel in 1909. As befits such a historic structure – one of a handful of hotels in Paris to receive the prestigious palace designation – Lagerfeld’s elegantly lavish decor is suitably classic in mood and focuses on shades of silver and grey, an allusion to Paris’s flinty skies. Boasting spectacular views across the City of Light, the one-bedroom suites can be combined, along with another adjoining room, to form an expansive (and doubtless rather expensive) three-bedroom apartment. France famously dispensed with its aristocracy some years ago, but this is truly accommodation fit for a king – or at the very least, fashion royalty.

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Milan, London, Dubai, Bali, Beijing, Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo, Rome

Italian Maison Bulgari is known for its jewellery, watches and leather goods, worn by celebrities such as Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. However, in the early 21st century, the company partnered with Ritz-Carlton to develop its designer hotels, opening the doors to the brand’s first luxury hotel in 2004. Located within Italy’s fashion capital and designed by architecture firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (as all Bulgari properties are), the property is a spatial extension of the brand’s aesthetic identity. Showcasing Italian design, marble finishes, colourful accents and Bulgari iconography, the interior design echoes the colours, shapes and cuts of the gems used in Bulgari’s jewellery. Bulgari now has hotels and resorts in nine locations, from Tokyo, Paris and London to Bali and Rome, with more set to open within the next three years. Each hotel responds to its context, the Bulgari aesthetic punctuated with design elements native to its locale.

Ralph Lauren for Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica

Fashion designer, philanthropist and businessman Ralph Lauren is beloved for his all-American, prep-aesthetic eponymous fashion label and elegant homewares, however, his reach extends beyond the boutique into fragrances, restaurants, cafes and even a hotel. Round Hill Hotel & Villas in Jamaica is a classic aristocratic Caribbean escape with a history of hosting esteemed guests such as John F. Kennedy, Bob Hope and James Bond creator Ian Fleming. Characterised by crisp, clean and classic interior design with elegant plantation undertones, the Montego Bay property presents interior design by Ralph Lauren in the Ocean Front rooms of Pineapple House and the hotel building of the resort – the man himself even bought one of the villas for his personal use. Guests can expect dedicated personal staff such as a housekeeper, cook, and breakfast prepared daily – and spend each night wrapped in fresh Ralph Lauren linens.

Fendi Private Suites, Rome

Founded by Adele and Edoardo Fendi in Rome in 1925, Fendi established itself as a premium leather goods label in the first half of the 20th century, expanding into furs, fashion and footwear by the aughts. Today, the Maison has a reputation for opulence and innovation, a concept that informed Fendi’s evolution into a hotelier. Perched above the flagship store of Via dei Condotti in the Eternal City, Fendi Private Suites is set within what was once an aristocratic residence. Clean lines and a neutral palette are enlivened by a tactile assemblage of furniture, Lepanto marble, fashion-filled bookshelves and walls adorned with original photography by the late Karl Lagerfeld. Japanese restaurant and bar Zuma occupies two floors of Palazzo Fendi, allowing guests to dine on a rooftop terrace while taking in skyline views of Rome from one of the world’s bets designer hotels.

Ferragamo’s Lungarno Collection, Milan, Florence, Rome

From humble beginnings in Florence as a student and shoemaker in the 1920s, Salvatore Ferragamo grew a multi-national fashion company famous for its originality and craftsmanship. A purveyor of fine footwear, apparel, accessories and silks for both men and women, Ferragamo delivers class and sophistication into the wardrobes of its devotees, a varied demographic that spans from silver screen starlets Audrey Hepburn and Joan Crawford to Gwen Stefani and Dua Lipa. The family-owned Ferragamo legacy continues in the Lungarno Collection, a group of seven boutique designer hotels across Italy that embody the brand’s aesthetic. Ferragamo fans will find the Portrait hotels in Florence, Rome and Milan, and Hotel Lungarno, Lungarno Apartments, Continentale and Gallery Hotel Art in Florence. Boasting modern shapes, clean lines, restrained palettes and artfully elevated decor, the properties are a study in modern Italian simplicity.

Christian Lacroix for Le Bellechasse, Paris

Renowned for his theatrical, avant-garde and fantasy-inspired haute couture creations, French designer Christian Lacroix built his reputation on daring use of colour, pattern, texture and adornment. Designing for his eponymous atelier from 1987 to 2009, Lacroix took time out to design the interiors of five designer hotels in Paris: Hotel Le Petit Moulin, Le Notre Dame, Hotel l’Antoine, Hôtel du Continent and – perhaps most whimsical of them all – Le Bellechasse in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Hidden behind a nondescript facade are 33 rooms of Neo-Classicism design underpinned by bohemian idealogy. The arts – from painting and music to theatre and literature – are represented throughout the hotel, with iconography, imagery and rich tactility dominating the aesthetic.

Palazzo Versace, Dubai & Macau

Exuberant, extravagant and bold are words that come to mind when speaking of Versace. Since its founding in 1978, the Milanese fashion house has become one of the world’s most recognisable brands thanks to its lavish prints, patterns and daring colour palettes. Gianni Versace built his reputation upon garments that were sensual and daring, though the brand’s hotels exhibit a different type of opulence. The design of both Palazzo Versace Macau and Dubai is based upon a contemporary interpretation of classicism imbued with Italian style. Showcasing inlaid mosaics and the Medusa brand motif alongside marble, gold, plush carpets chandeliers and ornate sculptural accents, the designer hotels deliver traditional luxury and exceptional service.

Armani Hotels, Dubai & Milan

Iconic fashion designer Giorgio Armani revolutionised late 20th-century dressing with his relaxed yet luxurious ready-to-wear collections and evening wear. His signature style of elegance and simplicity is seamlessly embodied in the Armani Hotels & Resorts collection. The Armani Hotel Milano, located in Milan’s historic fashion district, offers a serene haven of harmony and privacy. In Dubai, the Armani Hotel, nestled in the Burj Khalifa near The Dubai Mall, epitomises luxurious living and fine dining. Both designer hotels feature interior design informed by understated luxury and meticulous attention to detail with stunning views.