Phaidon, Monacelli, and The Leading Hotels of the World Launch 'Design: The Leading Hotels of the World' Series
Phaidon, Monacelli, and The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) are pleased to announce Design: The Leading Hotels of the World , the first in a multi-volume series created in close collaboration with LHW and the New York-based media company The Slowdown. With this richly illustrated first volume, discover more than 70 of the world’s most sumptuously designed hotels, all carefully selected from LHW’s legendary portfolio.
Since 1928, LHW has pioneered exceptional luxury hospitality, encompassing more than 400 hotels across 80 countries. Design: The Leading Hotels of the World celebrates this unparalleled heritage, combining LHW’s incredible properties with contributions from today’s top travel, design, and culture journalists. The book opens with a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger, situating the significance of design within a hotel’s aesthetic character. Spencer Bailey, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Slowdown, presents an introduction that highlights the exquisite range of the book’s featured hotels. Cynthia Rosenfeld, a long-time journalist and travel-trade veteran, serves as the project’s executive editor, curating destinations and travel tips that are on-point, compelling, and relevant. Interviews pairing Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm with fashion designer Gabriela Hearst, as well as architect Michel Rojkind with fashion designer Carla Fernández, are also included.
Each hotel in this lavish volume embodies LHW’s commitment to extraordinary design and architecture. Organized geographically, hotels receive multi-page spreads replete with stunning images, delving into the hotel’s architectural splendor, interior design, and location. Accompanying texts provide insight into how each hotel evokes a tactile, thoughtfully crafted experience. Whether journeying to Jean-Michel Gathy’s lush gardens and grand rooms at the Chedi Muscat in Oman; Eduardo Souto de Moura’s indulgent interiors at the Bairro Alto Hotel in Lisbon; or Axel Vervoordt’s Zen-inspired The Greenwich Hotel in New York City, these LHW properties inspire in their breadth and singularity. As Spencer Bailey writes in the introduction: “This book lays out an expansive, otherworldly view of hospitality design, one full of sumptuous surprises and alluring details at each turn.”
The book also offers more intimate and in-depth glimpses into LHW’s design philosophy through five feature stories with new photography commissioned specifically for the project. Ambiente A Landscape Hotel in Sedona, Arizona, harmoniously blends into its surrounding desert landscape, with architecture and experiences that emphasize its site specificity. Uniting a historical sensibility with a contemporary vision, Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp repurposes a medieval hospital into a true urban oasis. La Réserve Paris epitomizes French grandeur and classic ornamentation, complete with private views of the Eiffel Tower. Initially constructed in the 16th century, Portrait Milano radiates with local heritage, showcasing Milan’s vibrant past and present. The Okura Tokyo, a beacon of Japanese hospitality, celebrates heritage and craft, whether integrating traditional teahouse rooms or ikebana flower arrangements. No matter their location or aesthetic, these five hotels showcase the diversity, innovation, and allure of design across LHW’s collection.
“For nearly a century, LHW has inspired curious travelers with captivating tales of our remarkably uncommon properties and the outstanding individuals who bring them to life,” says Shannon Knapp, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Leading Hotels of the World. “From paper pamphlets in the early 1900s to in-room directories over the past decades, we’ve always been proud to share these narratives. Now, we are elevating the cherished tradition with a series of engaging books with Phaidon/Monacelli that resonate with LHW’s thematic pillars, starting with Design. These extraordinary volumes will reflect the remarkable quality and independent spirit of our 400-plus hotels worldwide.”
Packaged in a luxurious, patterned cover and designed by the award-winning firm Pentagram, Design: The Leading Hotels of the World offers compelling evidence that design critically informs a hotel’s essence. Gorgeously photographed, exquisitely arranged, and expertly edited, this breathtaking volume celebrates hotels that will astound and inspire for years to come.
Spencer Bailey is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Slowdown, co-host of the Time Sensitive podcast, and former editor-in-chief of Surface magazine. He is the author of In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials, published by Phaidon.
Paul Goldberger is an architecture critic, educator, and writer. A contributing editor at Vanity Fair, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism at the New York Times and was previously the architecture critic for The New Yorker.
