Guests Come First?
No one hangs out at the Radisson hotel bar or in the Courtyard lobby.
Read MoreGood Hotel London
What makes me want to consider staying at the Good Hotel again is that, as the “social good” hotel is seemingly becoming more of a thing, it’s one of the only in which I’ve stayed that I believe is sincere in its mission; it doesn’t feel like simply a marketing ploy.
Read MoreThe Artist Residence
I ordered a number of small plates, including a bowl of anchovies accompanied by nothing more than a small stash of toothpicks with which to eat them. It may have been the best thing I have ever eaten. Fresh, simple, bountiful. (I dream about that bowl of anchovies.) By the time my room was ready, I was giddy. And it wasn’t just the orange wine.
Read MoreWythe Hotel
There are hotels — like Wythe, At the Chapel, the Beekman hotel in New York, the NoMad in LA — that are particularly beautiful and well-designed because it's clear that the designers recognized, revered — and likely studied — the material with which they had to work. They didn't destroy what came before them, they lured it out gently and brought it into a new era. Living in a city (Seattle) besieged by the destruction of older buildings to make way for giant, overpriced apartment buildings that look like dorms for spoiled rich kids, I've built up a keener appreciation for this approach.
Read MoreAt the Chapel
It’s the difference you can feel when you arrived at a dinner party hosted by a family who loves and enjoys each other versus one that was fighting five minutes before you arrived and will likely pick it up again once you leave — and hopefully no sooner.
Read More166 Beds
Eventually, taking a picture of every bed you sleep in does something to you. Or at least it did something to me. I felt driven to find new beds, pretty beds, remarkable beds. I resented hotels that looked like every other hotel — because so did their beds. (This does not make for a compelling Instagram stream.)
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