The tower, designed by architects Rafael de la-Hoz and Hakim Benjelloun, rises 250 metres above the Moroccan capital region and officially opened in April. The mixed-use development includes offices, apartments, retail space and the luxury hotel, which has become one of the project’s flagship tenants. 

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The opening marks the debut of the Waldorf Astoria brand in Rabat-Salé and reflects growing international investment in Morocco’s tourism and hospitality sector. Guy Hutchinson, President for the Middle East and Africa at Hilton, said Morocco is “one of the world’s most rapidly evolving destinations,” noting the country welcomed more than 18 million tourists in 2025. He added that Rabat is expected to play “a growing role in the national ambition to reach 20 million by 2030.” 

“We are proud to bring the iconic Waldorf Astoria brand to Rabat-Salé, setting a new benchmark for refined luxury in Morocco’s capital. This opening marks an exciting new chapter for the brand as we continue to expand our luxury portfolio across key cities, offering discerning travellers unparalleled access to the heritage, artistry, and ambition that defines this destination,” Hutchinson added. 

The hotel features 55 rooms and suites spread across the upper floors of the tower, with views stretching from the Bouregreg River to the Atlantic Ocean and the Maâmoura forest. Hilton said each room includes a dedicated personal concierge service. Interiors combine contemporary luxury with Moroccan craftsmanship and celestial-inspired design motifs.

According to Hilton, the property houses nearly 7,000 artworks, making it one of North Africa’s largest private art collections. Dining venues include Peacock Alley, the signature Waldorf Astoria lounge concept, as well as Aldabaran, a restaurant created in collaboration with French chef Alain Ducasse. Additional concepts include Brasserie Magnolia and a forthcoming pan-Asian venue called The Sapphire Room. 

The spa and wellness facilities occupy the 31^st and 32^nd floors and include traditional Moroccan hammam treatments, as well as six specialised treatment rooms, a detoxifying Iyashi dome, a heated quartz sand table, an ice room and sauna. Beyond the spa, guests have access to an indoor pool, an ocean-facing infinity pool, a 24-hour gym and a relaxation lounge overlooking the Atlantic coast.

The opening also underscores Morocco’s wider ambitions to position itself as a regional hub for luxury tourism, business and international events. The Mohammed VI Tower, which appears on the country’s 200-dirham banknote, has been promoted by Moroccan officials as a symbol of economic modernisation and architectural ambition. 

L’article Waldorf Astoria Rabat Salé debuts in Morocco’s tallest building est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Partnering with Expedia Group, Uber now allows customers to book hotels directly in the Uber app, offering US Uber users access to a selection of hotels, expected to grow to more than 700,000 properties around the world. Vrbo vacation rental properties will also be added later in 2026. As part of the deal, Uber rides will be integrated directly into the Expedia app beginning in June.

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“Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveler experience,” said Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology.”

Gorin is right. Decision-fatigue is influencing travel trends. Call it an offer of “seamlessness,” or as Gorin does, “helping travelers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey,” or call it a way for Uber to lock more users into its platform, for more time, preventing their eyeballs and their spend from going to rival platforms. A report by the European Travel Commission (ETC) published in September 2026 warned of a future where the “dominance of global platforms drive mass tourism but erode authenticity.” This situation would leave small to medium enterprises (SMEs) struggling to compete, the ETC suggested, due to being marginalised by cost pressures and over-dependent on big tech platforms.

We’ve added hotel booking, personal shopping and more to the app so you can do less, and enjoy more pic.twitter.com/vHb511LvUa

— Uber (@Uber) April 29, 2026

That big tech ambition for dominance can be observed when Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, describes Uber becoming “an app for everything,” an app that claims to reduce today’s “real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise.” It promises to help users “claim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life.”

Enter Travel Mode. Within the Uber and Uber Eats apps, users will receive “curated recommendations on local favorites, popular tourist destinations, OpenTable reservations.” They can also order “Uber’s version of “room service” delivered directly to your hotel door, and even forgotten items for those traveling to new destinations.” As an Uber press release puts it: “Users can now think of the Uber app as a personal travel concierge.”

Forget wandering the local market, Uber users do not even have to go shopping themselves while they are on the move. The new Shop for Me feature allows them to “request items from any store—even those not listed on the app.” Uber’s example delivery requests include “a last-minute gift, a favorite NY Strip from the local butcher, or a 10-inch snake plant.”

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Another new feature in the release proposes a hands-free “conversational” AI voice assistant in Voice Bookings that will understand the user’s spoken destination and preferences, and present “the best options for your needs.” Meanwhile, Uber Black or Uber Black SUV customers get the possibility to ask their driver to “arrive with a drink or snack in hand”. Once your Uber Reserve has been confirmed, simply tap “add Uber Eats” to enjoy a coffee, tea, or bite on the go.

And, again keeping Uber users locked into the Uber ecosystem, the firm says it has “redesigned the Where to? bar so all searches will populate results for places, food, and items across the Uber platform. Whether booking a ride or ordering delivery, search once and Uber will connect the dots.”

Questions remain about whether today’s travel consumers really want their on-the-go experience or, as the press release says, their “opportunity through movement” to be constrained within one ecosystem’s “dots.” Trend analyses show that consumers increasingly want bespoke itineraries, community connection, and authenticity, but data also reveals they are also increasingly willing to seek out those things with the help of technology.

L’article Uber teams up with Expedia to offer in-app hotel bookings est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Located on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Cartagena is known for its stunning views and its UNESCO-listed walled city centre. Its flamboyant character has been attracting tourists for years, and that attractiveness is unlikely to dwindle with the arrival of Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena.

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“Our team is thrilled to share the city we proudly call home with guests from near and far. Cartagena is an incredibly dynamic destination – alive with history, colour, and culture – and we’ve curated bespoke experiences that reflect its vibrant spirit. With a deep love for the city, our team is dedicated to crafting thoughtful, personalised itineraries that celebrate what inspires you most,” stated General Manager Annie Monnier.

The newly-opened Four Seasons is located in Cartagena’s Getsemaní neighbourhood. The hotel and residences are partly spread over a number of historic buildings, such as a theatre, a 16^th-century San Francisco cloister, and the 1920s Club Cartagena.

“Welcoming a third Four Seasons to Colombia, joining our Bogotá and Casa Medina Bogotá properties, marks an important milestone in the continued expansion of our global portfolio. In partnership with the ownership group, San Francisco Investments, and an inspiring team of creative and culinary visionaries, we are proud to introduce a Four Seasons experience defined by genuine care, thoughtful craftsmanship, and a deep connection to Cartagena’s unique character,” said Rainer Stampfer, Four Seasons President, Global Operations, Hotels and Resorts.

The hotel has 131 rooms, 27 of which are located inside the historic buildings, and was designed by the late decorator François Catroux. The complex also counts several private residences, which are up for sale and were made by Rodriguez Valencia Arquitectos.

The Four Seasons, located just outside the walled city, combines Cartagena’s historic legacy and Caribbean spirit. During the renovation works, architects and designers alike were asked to preserve the Spanish colonial character of the buildings as much as possible.

Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena also offers a wide range of extra services. Two rooftop pools look out over the city, the Umari Spa is the ideal place to book a treatment, and several event spaces leave room for business meetings and ceremonies. Moreover, no less than eight bars and restaurants are supposed to turn the complex into a culinary destination in itself.

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• The Grand Grill is a modern interpretation of the classic steakhouse tradition featuring premium cuts and seafood in the elegant setting of the former Club Cartagena, a concept developed by Major Food Group.
• Bar Lelarge, also located in the former Club Cartagena and named for its original architect Gastón Lelarge, perfectly complements The Grand Grill in an intimate, sophisticated setting. Its cocktail program highlights local, seasonal fruits with a subtle Cuban influence, alongside premium spirits and fine wines, conceptualised by Major Food Group.
• Café Rialto celebrates one of the country’s greatest gifts to the world, speciality Colombian coffees paired with freshly baked pastries and luscious desserts available to savour at leisure in the chic café, or to go while exploring the city.
• Pizzeria Della Chiesa epitomises the rich history of the buildings that now house Four Seasons – originally the site of the Iglesia de la Veracruz and later the Teatro Cartagena, it’s now the best place in the neighbourhood to enjoy authentic Neapolitan-style pizza with family and friends.

• El Aljibe is a nod to both the water cistern that once stood here and the “watering hole” it has become – as the city’s first speakeasy, a hidden enclave of craft cocktails and gourmet bites.
• El Patio del Limonar is where the day begins at Four Seasons, in an open-air courtyard with a tempting buffet of local, regional and international breakfast specialities, plus interactive stations for a made-to-order morning.
• El Palmar, with its sweeping 360-degree rooftop views, is an elevated escape from the lively streets below, and a perfect spot to take in spectacular Caribbean sunsets, glass in hand, as music accompanies the moment.
• Atrio is the heart of the hotel, where international travellers and local residents gather in a lively lobby lounge set beneath a soaring glass ceiling, with striking black and white marble floors and lush greenery evoking an old-world tropical ambience.

In celebration of its grand opening, the hotel is extending an Introductory Offer, featuring 20% savings plus daily breakfast at the time of writing.

L’article Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena opens near UNESCO-listed Walled City est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

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Margate, in Kent on the UK’s southeast coast, was a maritime port in the Middle Ages, and became popular with holidaymakers in the 18^th century as access became easier via the river Thames, and the advent of the railways allowed people to experience the benefits of sea bathing. Later, the legendary local theme park, Dreamland, evolved and still offers historic rides, classic side shows, and eateries, plus an exciting calendar of festivals and events.

In the 20^th century, the town had enough cachet for the Nayland Rock to welcome famous guests, including English actor and filmmaker, Charlie Chaplin, Nobel prize-winning poet TS Eliot, and rock star Mick Jagger. It has also served as a filming location.

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TS Eliot’s poem, The Wasteland, was not inspired by the place, but the hotel did enter into a period of decline with the rise of package holidays, as British tourists sought sunshine and began taking cheap flights to destinations in Greece and Spain. During the early 2000s, Nayland even housed asylum seekers. Now, the building permissions documents submitted to the local authority note its “extremely poor state of repair.”

The developers, Arcvelop and Brede Hotels, aim to revive their fortunes and those of the town itself, with a dream to “restore the former grandeur of the building” by returning “a locally significant historic building back into active use.” While local destination manager, Visit Kent notes that the town still boasts “traditional holiday-town charm, a world-class art gallery, sandy beaches (a rare treasure in the UK), and “cool café culture,” it remains synonymous in some people’s eyes with faded glamour. Arcvelop say their plan ties in with “regeneration efforts” and will bring a “positive boost” to the locality.

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If approved, the hotel, which occupies a Victorian crescent, will be turned into 50 flats, 16 holiday lets, and a two-floor commercial space expected to become a hospitality venue. The developers emphasise that they intend to preserve the character of the place by “enhancing, restoring and redefining the Royal Crescent” and even reintroducing former character features such as pillars.

Ground could break on the project by the end of 2026, with the works expected to cost around £20 million and take two and a half years to complete.

L’article Iconic UK seaside hotel that once welcomed Mick Jagger could get £20 million makeover est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Visé’s Château d’Argenteau has a long history. The castle was originally built in the 17^th century, was then heavily transformed in the 18^th century, and has been renovated many times since. Thanks to its dominant position overlooking the Meuse river and its garden filled with remarkable trees, the domain as a whole has sparked the interest of many chateau lovers over the years.

By 2029, the Château will once again be getting a new lease of life. Liège-based architect Luc Spits, who bought the castle, and businessman Yannick Bouts, the man behind Belgium’s first five-star resort La Réserve in Knokke, will be working together on the transformation of the property.

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“The first time I walked through the château, I felt something immediately: this isn’t just a project, it’s a destination in the making. Luc has a clear vision and the ambition to create something that will put Belgium back on the international map of luxury hospitality,” Yannick Bouts said about the project.

However, given the historical value of the building and its surrounding park, obtaining planning permission demanded a lot of effort. According to Visé’s Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, Xavier Malmendier, two major conditions were non-negotiable. On the one hand, the conservation of the facades and the protected parts of the interior, such as the chapel and the library. On the other hand, the conservation of the park and its remarkable trees, which will be freely accessible to the public.

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What will the project look like?

The project, as it was agreed upon, will count 71 rooms and suites, a brasserie, a gastronomic restaurant aiming for a Michelin star, event spaces, a wellness space, and more. The official opening has been planned for 2029.

In the lead-up to the opening, Charlotte Spits will be trained by Yannick Bouts in order to be able to become the resort’s general manager by 2029.

“I see enormous potential in Charlotte. It is essential that she experiences firsthand what top-level hospitality means. That is why, in the coming years, she will not only stay at some of the best hotels in Europe, such as Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, The Ritz Paris, and Cheval Blanc Paris, but will also work behind the scenes at leading resorts and hotels. The combination of education and practical experience at the highest level is crucial for delivering an exceptional guest experience,” stated Bouts.

At the start of April 2026, Yannnick Bouts already revealed he would be taking on a new challenge. Together with Louis Kemps Jr., Dries Schietaert, and Simon Croonen, he will be developing a new three-day automobile event called Hasselt Élégance powered by Get Driven.

L’article Belgian Château d’Argenteau transformed into luxury hotel est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The project has been entrusted to the acclaimed French interior architect Tristan Auer, who is known for his work on famous Parisian establishments such as the Hôtel de Crillon and Les Bains Douches, as well as the Carlton Cannes. Named Designer of the Year in 2017 by Maison & Objet, Auer has already spent two years on-site redesigning the hotel’s spa.

The refurbishment comes after the hotel suffered minor damage when debris from an intercepted Iranian drone caused “a limited fire on the outer façade”, according to the Dubai Media Office.

Speaking to Condé Nast Traveler, Auer compared the restoration to a science, describing it as “as difficult as preserving a work of art”.

He emphasised the importance of observing how guests experience the space before intervening: “As one of the most recognised hotels in the world, it is vital as a designer to be respectful.”

For Thomas B. Meier, CEO of Jumeirah, the building is “far more than an architectural landmark”. He describes it as “a symbol of ambition, craftsmanship and enduring excellence”. The renovation marks a new chapter intended to preserve the identity of the flagship within the group’s “limited-edition collection of iconic landmarks”.

Auer shares this focus on continuity. “Legacy is everything,” he said, adding that the work requires “stepping into the shoes” of the original vision in order to preserve the experience while extending it for the next 25 years.

Rising 321 metres above a man-made island 280 metres off Jumeirah Beach, the sail-shaped structure was one of the first buildings to define Dubai’s skyline and establish the city’s reputation as a futuristic destination. It helped put Dubai on the global luxury travel map.

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Often described as the world’s first “seven-star” hotel – an unofficial label coined by a journalist – the 198-suite property is a masterclass in gold and glamour, where opulence knows no bounds.

Its interior features around 1,790 square metres of 24-carat gold leaf, over 30 types of marble, and more than 86,000 Swarovski crystals. Each duplex suite comes with a dedicated butler, and a fleet of Rolls-Royce vehicles is available to guests on demand.

The hotel’s reputation is bolstered by its world-class culinary scene, which includes the Michelin-starred Al Muntaha and Ristorante L’Olivo at Al Mahara.

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Some of the hotel’s most memorable moments have taken place on its helipad, including a tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, a Formula 1 stunt by David Coulthard and, more recently, a precision landing by pilot Luke Czepiela.

Auer intends to continue this tradition, saying, “I am doing haute decoration. For me, luxury is bespoke; everything will be of the highest quality”. He assures us that he will “push the opulence a little bit further”. “People dream about this hotel.”

The closure also comes as Dubai continues to expand its luxury offering. Plans announced for 2025 include the development of Naia Island, a new high-end destination near the Burj Al Arab featuring private villas, beachfront residences, and a Cheval Blanc-branded hotel.

L’article Burj Al Arab to close for 18-month restoration as Dubai prepares next luxury chapter est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

As its name suggests, the hotel is the second property opened by the legendary luxury travel brand, made all the more famous by Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Located in Cannaregio, slightly away from the heaviest tourist flows, it occupies the 15^th-century Palazzo Donà Giovannelli.

The palazzo, which sits on the Rio de Noale canal, is identifiable by its pink and white stone façade and neo-Gothic lancet windows, which are attributed to Filippo Calendario, an architect also associated with the Doge’s Palace. Over the centuries, the building has passed through the hands of various illustrious families, including the Dona and Giovannelli, before becoming a pinacoteca and now beginning a new chapter as a hotel.

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The latest transformation was led by Paris-based architect and interior designer Aline Asmar d’Amman. The property now comprises 47 rooms, suites and residences, including six Signature Suites, each conceived as a world of its own. Vaulted ceilings, frescoes, ornate stuccoes, watered silks, and rich velvets lend the interiors a theatrical opulence.

The interior is a deft blend of contemporary design, Baroque opulence and neo-Gothic elements. Asmar d’Amman has described her approach as one rooted in “carrying heritage forward” while establishing a dialogue between past and future. This ambition is evident throughout, from the careful preservation of mosaics, frescoes and sculptures to the efforts made to make guests feel at home in what remains unmistakably somebody else’s noble residence.

The result is striking, justifying the eight years that the restoration required. “To me,” she adds, “artistry and craftsmanship are the ultimate luxury.”

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Key historical features were preserved, including the octagonal staircase attributed to Giovanni Battista Meduna, frescoes by the 19^th-century Venetian artist Francesco Hayez, and a gilded ballroom dating back to 1548. The project also involved stabilising the palazzo’s underwater foundations – a delicate undertaking in a city like Venice.

“Here, Venice comes into focus as it has always been,” she says, “a cosmopolitan crossroads where East and West, scholarship and spectacle, share the same address”.

The hotel houses a fine-dining restaurant led by the three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck. It is situated in the courtyard and is accessible via the hotel’s private boat entrance. The cuisine brings together haute gastronomy and Venetian influences.

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The result is lavish, yet intelligent. Murano glass and crystal chandeliers, silk wall coverings, brocade upholstery, blue-veined Marmorino plaster and Carrara marble come together to create interiors that feel both considered and intimate. Carved wooden frames and Venetian sliding panels add another local touch, while a rotating selection of contemporary artworks brings the space to life.

The lobby is designed to feel like a grand living room and connects to the garden via a passageway called Calle Meraviglia. There are also subtle references to the train’s history, most notably in the Art Deco-style Wagon Bar, which is inspired by the historic lounge cars of the original Orient Express. The property also features a garden with fountains and seating areas, set behind antique gates.

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For those seeking an even deeper sense of restoration, a spa drawing inspiration from Roman thermal traditions, Venice’s maritime past, and the rituals of Ottoman hammams is also on the way.

Asmar d’Amman said she wanted visitors to feel “drunk on beauty”.

Gilda Perez-Alvarado, the chief executive of Orient Express, hopes that Orient Express Venezia will “open a new chapter in the legacy of our brand”, celebrating Venice as a cultural, beautiful and imaginative capital, where the art of travel meets the soul of the city.

L’article Orient Express Venezia opens in Venice just in time for the Biennale est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Soon after it opened in 1994, the Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel turned into something of a local landmark. Situated inside the Shinjuku Park Tower, designed by Kenzo Tange and with interiors designed by John Morford, the glass structure and the city views enjoyed from inside became part of Tokyo’s skyline and overall experience.

However, the hotel was really projected into cinematographic eternity with Sofia Coppola’s ‘Lost in Translation’. The movie featuring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, which appeared in 2003, quickly became a classic and piqued the curiosity of many a traveller, especially those who were taking their first steps into the travel world around that time.

Thus, although a renovation was necessary after being in business for approximately 30 years, renovating the Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel was no matter to be taken lightly. The task was given to Paris-Based design studio Join Manku, and their objective was clear: how to change exactly enough, without doing too much?

“There are places that do not ask you to transform them, but to listen. The Park Hyatt Tokyo is one of those places. A hotel suspended in the sky, formed by Kenzo Tange, inhabited by the quiet restraint imagined by John Morford, and marked forever by the luminous melancholy of Lost in Translation. A place where the city is as much sensed as it is seen. Where each step invites not only forward movement, but a turn inward,” Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku explain.

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The Peak Lounge, situated on the 41^st floor and one of the first things guests get to see when entering the hotel, was simply purified during the renovation. Lines were made more subtle, colours softened. Yet the overall feeling remains the same, as does the splendid view over the city.

“When we were given the commission, the question was never what shall we change, but rather how has time itself already changed this place, and what can we reveal of that silent maturation. It was not about adding novelty. It was about discerning what needed to remain untouched, what called for transformation, and what simply hoped to be carried forward with greater gentleness,” Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku say.

It is perhaps in the rooms that the renovation of the hotel becomes most clearly visible. While the shapes of the spaces remained untouched, the inside flow was facilitated through the use of muted tones, subtle light additions, and custom-made furniture. The central cabinet, one of the hotel’s characterising features, was kept yet softened.

As far as the suites are concerned, the Tokyo Suite was restored to its original design, the Diplomat, Governor’s, and Presidential Suites were given an overhaul, and the new Park Suite was added to the list of options.

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“The Park Hyatt Tokyo is not only architecture. It is an atmosphere. A particular way of being in the world. A verticality that soothes. A light that absorbs. A silence that holds. We sought to prolong that presence, to make it more human, more tactile, to free the hotel from what felt too austere without ever weakening its inner strength. To understand this transformation, one must follow a visitor, perhaps the one from the film, perhaps another, arriving for the first time or returning after twenty years, and sensing in every space a different vibration, as if the hotel itself had learned to breathe in a new way,” Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku conclude.

The 5-star Park Hyatt Tokyo, with its 171 rooms (including 29 suites), pool, and unbeatable views, is once again open for business. Room rates start at about $800-$1,000 per night.

L’article Park Hyatt Tokyo reopens after renovation, preserving ‘Lost in Translation’ legacy est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The new venture, backed by Minor Hotels, will mark the first hotel under The Wolseley brand, transforming the well-known Piccadilly restaurant into a global hospitality concept. The property will be located in Midtown Manhattan, close to Bryant Park and the Theatre District, and is expected to serve as the cornerstone of an international expansion strategy. 

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The Wolseley Hotel New York will feature 76 guest rooms and suites, alongside a restaurant and bar that will introduce the brand’s signature dining experience to the US for the first time. Plans also include a cellar-level speakeasy bar and a wellness centre, designed to evoke what the company describes as a “refined elegance and understated glamour”. 

Housed in a historic building at 130 West 44^th Street, originally constructed in 1905 as The Lambs Club, the hotel is closely tied to New York’s theatrical heritage. The location has long been associated with Broadway’s creative community, adding cultural significance to the development. 

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Dillip Rajakarier, chief executive of Minor International, said the move signals a new phase for the group. “The launch of The Wolseley Hotels marks an exciting new chapter,” he said, adding that the New York property “establishes our first flagship and sets the standard for the brand’s global expansion.”

The hotel concept is rooted in the enduring appeal of the original London restaurant, known for its upscale service and European chic. “Our vision is to create hotels anchored in culinary excellence, architectural character, and a genuine sense of occasion,” Rajakarier added. The brand aims to reinterpret its legacy by combining “British sophistication with New York’s cultural energy and architectural pedigree,” the hotel group stated.

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The launch represents a significant step for Minor Hotels, which acquired the restaurant group behind The Wolseley in 2022 and has since sought to expand the brand internationally. The company has positioned the New York opening as the starting point for a carefully curated global rollout, with additional sites planned across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. 

L’article The Wolseley to open first flagship luxury hotel in New York est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

It will be the first luxury hotel in Japan to be created from a former prison. The building is one of the so-called ‘Five Great Prisons’ constructed during the Meiji era when Japan was modernising its judicial system. Of the five, Nara is the only one to survive in its original form; the others were either demolished or altered beyond recognition over time.

In 2017, the complex was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan, a status that imposed strict preservation obligations on any future development. Though it was not until 2024 that the final design details attracted widespread international attention, the transformation was set in motion in 2017, following an agreement with the Ministry of Justice.

This explains the inclusion of the Nara Prison Museum on site, which will allow visitors to explore the facility’s history through guided tours and exhibitions – a reflection of the kintsugi philosophy, in which “scars of a difficult past”  are woven into the experience rather than concealed.

Designed by architect Keijiro Yamashita, the prison has a radial layout inspired by the Pennsylvania System, with a central administrative building that extends outwards in a fan formation to enable surveillance from a single point. The facility operated for more than a century before closing in 2017 when the Japanese Ministry of Justice decommissioned it.

Those hesitant at the idea of sleeping behind former bars may be reassured by the extensive refurbishments and renovations. Azusa Sekkei led the architectural redesign, while the Onsite Planning and Design Office handled the landscape planning. The focus was on keeping the structure’s defining elements, namely its red-brick façades and exposed steel frameworks, while softening the interiors at the same time.

The 48 suites were created by combining nine to eleven former solitary cells to form rooms measuring approximately 50 to 60 square metres. Original brick walls and steel beams remain visible, contrasting with wooden panelling, warm lighting and soft textiles. Each suite has distinct sleeping, dining and living areas that subtly reference the building’s former layout without replicating its austerity.

The former dining hall has been reimagined as a restaurant serving Japanese-French fusion cuisine, and communal spaces now function as a guest lounge.

Founded in 1914 with the opening of its first ryokan in Nagano Prefecture, Hoshino Resorts remains family-run into its fourth generation. Today, the group operates over 60 properties across six brands in Japan and abroad.

Room rates start from ¥147,000 (approximately €800) per night. Reservations have been open since January. Ahead of the hotel’s official opening, the on-site museum is scheduled to open to the public on 27 April. The café will serve Western-influenced Meiji-era dishes inspired by early 20^th-century culinary exchanges, and the museum shop will offer souvenirs and historical publications related to the site’s past.

L’article Japan’s former Nara prison to reopen as luxury hotel in 2026 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.