The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
HÔTEL MARTINEZ, CANNES
Welcome to the grande dame of art deco opulence. The five-star Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, housed in a landmark building on La Croisette, was built in 1929 and used to host F Scott Fitzgerald. In recent years, Scarlett Johansson and Robert De Niro have stayed here. Blue and white interiors, sky-high ceilings and opulent chandeliers all contribute to the Riviera glamour, while the Palme d’Or restaurant is a must. Rooms from £170 (hyatt.com)
HOTEL BRITANIA, LISBON
Designed in the 1940s by Portuguese modernist architect Cassiano Branco, Hotel Britania is the only art deco hotel in Lisbon — and boy, is it spectacular. Polished wooden floors and gleaming brass accents, plus period bathrooms with marble tubs accompany old-world touches such as a vintage barber’s shop and a wonderfully cosy library. Plus, it’s perfectly positioned: just off the city’s central street, Avenida da Liberdade, and in easy walking distance of main attractions like Praça do Comércio and Mercado da Ribeira. Rooms from £120 (lisbonheritagehotels.com)
ART DECO IMPERIAL, PRAGUE
The clue here is in the name: the Art Deco Imperial, with its carved façade, towering pillars and sweeping staircase is an architectural wonder. You’ll discover period details at every turn, like the geometric tiled walls and stained glass in the lobby. The main draw, however, is the ornate Café Imperial, once frequented by Franz Kafka. Come here to gawk at the art nouveau mosaic ceiling and sample the café’s signature Imperial Cake. Rooms from £173 (hotel-imperial.cz)
BANKS MANSION HOTEL, AMSTERDAM
A former bank on the Herengracht canal, Banks Mansion Hotel is in the buzziest part of town, a stone’s throw from art deco masterpiece, the Tuschinski cinema, and a 20-minute walk from Sauna Deco, home to the original stairs and gilded decorations from Le Bon Marché department store in Paris. The hotel itself features furniture and jazzy, colourful carpets in the style of early 20th-century ‘Amsterdam School’ designs. Rooms from £181 (carlton.nl)
THE WELLESLEY, LONDON
Everything at London institution The Wellesley, near Hyde Park, has been thought through in microscopic detail, from staff in 1920s costume to rooms named after stars of the era (Josephine Baker and Louis Armstrong among them) and period accents everywhere you look. And there’s no need to book a room to enjoy it: kick back with a glass of champagne and some live music in the jazz lounge, where the velvet walls are draped with rows of crystals, like a flapper’s dress. Rooms from £435 (marriott.co.uk)
