This September the Dutch city of Arnhem will see the opening of a fashion inspired hotel. The 20 room hotel is to be called “Modez” and is a co-operation between a social housing company and ArtEZ, Arnhem’s famous fashion academy. The hotel will be curated by fashion illustrator Piet Paris. Situated in the neighbourhood of Klarendal, each room will be designed and decorated by Holland’s finest fashion and product designers, among them are Alexander van Slobbe, Spijkers & Spijkers, Francisco van Benthum and many others. The opening of Modez will be celebrated with a publication initiated and produced by the ArtEZ Modelectorate, chronicling the creation process of each room.

Pentahotel Hong Kong, Kowloon will open Summer 2013, in the emerging area of East Kowloon, home of the old Kai Tak airport. The 720-room, 32-storey hotel anticipates development earmarked for the Kai Tak area including two cruise terminals, hospital, multi-purpose stadium complex, waterfront promenade, a metro park and subway line extension. As the first pentahotel in Hong Kong, the property will join sister pentahotels in Shanghai and Beijing, along with 13 properties in Europe. Eighty pentahotels are anticipated to be in operation globally by 2020.

The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts reopens Seville’s Hotel Alfonso XIII after a 25$m restoration. Located on the historic Calle San Fernando in the heart of Seville, Hotel Alfonso XIII is considered to be one of the grandest hotels in Europe, originally designed by Sevillian architect Jose Espiau y Muñoz and eventually named after King Alfonso XIII. The extensive 10 month restoration project was led by Demopolis, a renowned local Sevillian architect, and features Arabic-inspired arches, soaring towers and renaissance-style windows. Designed by HBA Design, the interiors fuse history and opulence with original hand-painted Triana and Mensaque ceramic tiles, authentic wood carved furnishings and marble floors.

Bulgari Hotels and Resorts has opened its latest luxury property – opposite Hyde Park in London’s Knightsbridge area. Bulgari Hotel London offers 85 rooms and suites, featuring luxury interiors and amenities including minibars resembling travel trunks, freestanding Marquina marble bathtubs, 42-inch LCD TVs, Nespresso coffee machines, free wifi and Bulgari toiletries. Granite-clad Il Bar has a separate entrance from Knightsbridge Green, and features a hammered silver effect bar, ceiling finished in titanium, and Sapele mahogany walls. A staircase leads down to Il Ristorante, headed up by chef Robbie Pepin, with features including exclusive furniture and Bulgari cutlery, and offering “contemporary dishes, drawing on classic Italian gastronomic traditions”. The two-floor spa features a 25-metre swimming pool, vitality pool, thermal experiences with ice fountains and cooling showers, relaxation room, 11 treatment rooms offering “exclusive bespoke Bulgari treatments”, a fitness centre and nail salon.

Shelter Island is about to get a chic new boutique hotel that is sure to draw some of the stylish set that flocks to Andre Balazs’ popular Sunset Beach resort. Cape Advisors, which has partnered with Balazs in the city and has developed five hotels in Cape May, NJ, is in contract to buy the Chequit Inn, a 37-room mom-and-pop hotel. The $10 million project includes renovating, adding a pool and creating an upscale restaurant, developer Curtis Bashaw told Side Dish. The deal is slated to close this fall.

The Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland, has unveiled a new bar specializing in bespoke cocktails. Named simply Bar, the space was designed in partnership with Wilsdon Design Associates and Gorgeous Group to exude a modern-meets-traditional feel. Period tapestry blends with a transparent onyx bar, antique glass vases sit atop metal and oak shelves and lighting is placed to highlight the space’s decorative moldings and pillars.

The Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC hotel’s only 8 years old, but its rooms needed a design lift. The hotel recently completed a colorful, $2.5 million guestroom overhaul. Gansevoort Meatpacking exchanged its neutral color palette for a vibrant one that will remind Gansevoort fans of the hotel’s sister location, the Gansevoort Park Avenue

Starwood Hotels & Resorts opened The Westin Xi’an in China. The hotel is the first Westin in the world to have its own museum, paying tribute to the ancient history of China with a collection of more than 2,000 artifacts. The Westin Xi’an features 329 guestrooms and 32 one- to two bedroom suites. Accommodations feature flat-screen LCD televisions, rainforest showers, refreshment centers and feature Westin’s signature “Heavenly Bed”. Designed by Neri & Hu Design, The property covers nearly 60 acres and is comprised of the Westin hotel, adjacent museum, and shopping centre. Harmoniously fusing the indigenous culture with modern design, Westin Xi’an showcases a Tang dynasty architectural style. Measuring approximately 80,000 square meters, the main building features a covered porch and garden courtyard. Guests access cafes, restaurants, and other auxiliary facilities via this interior landscape.

Hotel Indigo, InterContinental Hotel Group’s upscale boutique brand announces opening of a second Hotel Indigo in San Diego at Del Mar. Following a multimillion-dollar renovation and rebranding, the 94-room hotel in downtown Del Mar offers guests sophisticated lodging with modern furnishings and a contemporary style, exuding the charm of the Del Mar community. The property boasts a full-service day-spa, two pools, hot tub, sauna and bistro-style restaurant with a full bar, among other amenities. Upgraded guest rooms feature a fresh look with new furniture, luxurious linens, warm colors, tiled bathrooms, granite countertops and spa showers. Guests will feel in harmony with the Del Mar surroundings as each room features indigenous murals depicting elements from the Del Mar Racetrack and local beaches. Additionally, two ocean-view terraces, created by local design firm Design Line Interiors, allow guests to enjoy the temperate Southern California weather, with fire pits available for cooler evenings.

InterContinental Hotel Group also unveiled its largest Holiday Inn to date in Macau, China. Last month Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced its largest Sheraton to date with 4000 rooms, also in Macau. The Holiday Inn “only” has 1,224 guestrooms, including 65 suites. All rooms and suites are decorated in a contemporary style with custom-designed furniture, feature floor-to-ceiling windows and offer a range of facilities, amenities and services. The deluxe rooms and suites overlook the city, providing inspiring views. Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central features 11 restaurants and lounges, 24-hour room service and access to additional 24-hour dining options only a short walk away. Guests also have convenient access to the ample pool deck and to the Health Club, featuring a fully-equipped gymnasium, jacuzzi, and sauna.

We learned that the Bulgari Hotel London, which was planned to open this month, will be opening on June 1. Well, that is in time for the Summer Olympics…

Louisville, Kentucky philanthropists and art collectors Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown announced plans to buy the old First National Building in downtown Lexington and

convert it to a 21c Museum Hotel — a combination boutique hotel and contemporary art museum. They opened Louisville’s 21c hotel in 2006, and Lexington’s will be the fourth in the 21c group of hotels, after Cincinnati (opening later this year) and Bentonville (opening early 2013). The hotel will have a restaurant, a bar, meeting rooms, a ballroom and approximately 80 guest rooms. The museum will be open free of charge, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The 21c Museum is the only museum in the country dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art by living artists. Architect Deborah Berke, whose New York firm Deborah Berke & Partners Architects has done design work on the other 21c hotels, said she hopes construction can begin on the First National Building before the end of the year, and that the hotel would be ready to open in 2014.

Viceroy Hotel for San Francisco: Pepplebrook (a hotel trust) has aquired the Hotel Milano in the SoMa district of San Francisco. Pepplebrook plans to invest between $8.0 and $10.0 million over the next 12 months in a complete renovation and repositioning of the hotel, including all guestrooms, public areas and the restaurant. The hotel’s comprehensive guest room and public area improvements are expected to commence in the second half of 2012 and Pepplebrook plans to rename the property upon completion of the renovation. Pepplebrook has selected Viceroy Hotel Group as manager for the Hotel Milano. Viceroy also manages two of the company’s other hotels: the Sheraton Delfina Santa Monica and the Viceroy Miami.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced that it has completed the sale of the 275-room Atlanta Perimeter Hotel & Suites (the former W Hotel Atlanta-Perimeter) to RockBridge Partners, a division of RockBridge. The property, which will be franchised, is located just north of Atlanta’s city center and will be managed by Wischermann Partners, Inc. The hotel will continue to be affiliated with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The hotel is to undergo an 18 month multi-million dollar renovation and will afterwards will fly the Le Meridien flag.

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts signed an agreement for the new Bulgari Hotel in London due to open in spring 2012.

The luxury hotel located in Knightsbridge, the most prestigious area of Central London next to Hyde Park, is the third hotel project of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, after the opening of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan in 2004 and of the Bulgari Resort in Bali in 2006.

The Bulgari Hotel in London was designed for Bulgari by the renowned architectural firm Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel & Partners, with Squire and Partners as the local architect for the project. With the contemporary style and outstanding service and design for which Bulgari is famous, the hotel will feature sleek lines and refined colour combinations created using a variety of marbles, fine woods, and unique details.

Silver is the dominant theme of the interior design. The ancient yet timeless metal – a tribute to Bulgari’s origins as a silversmith and to Britain’s noble manufacturing traditions – expresses understated, poised elegance in line with the style of the Bulgari Hotels.

The Bulgari Hotel, London has been designed to incorporate the highest standards of environmental sustainability, and it has already been awarded Best Hotel and Development at the prestigious UK Property Awards 2010 in association with Bloomberg Television.

The hotel, with its 85 rooms and suites — including seven extraordinary Bulgari suites, each more than 200 square meters large — will offer a unique combination of refined amenities and exclusive services. Its restaurant and bar were designed to become the destination of choice in Knightsbridge.

The hotel will also feature a large ballroom, a private cinema and a 2,000 square meter SPA and fitness centre with 25 meter indoor pool . Francesco Trapani, CEO of Bulgari Group, said, “We are extremely proud to be able to open a Bulgari Hotel in the heart of London, something that we have wanted to do for a long time. This hotel — the first new hotel built in London in over 40 years – will be another important element in the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts project. I’m convinced that it will be a further statement of our brand in the UK, which is a strategic market for luxury goods.”

Antonio Citterio said, “Constructing a new building in this part of London is an event because the city tends to be extremely conservative due to its consolidated urban plan. The architectural style of the project reflects the rigour of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan: its classic, solid, contemporary style will consolidate the urban landscape in an area of London that is undergoing a profound transformation. In this sense, the use of Portland stone and bronze, which are typical materials of a certain architectural style of public buildings in London, and the precise façade design reveal a rigorous, modern approach to the theme.”

Lord David Puttnam, Chairman of Prime Development, said: ” We are delighted to be working with Bulgari on this extremely exciting project. The hard work and dedication of everyone involved means we are firmly on track for the delivery in 2012 of an outstanding product which will raise the bar for standards of service and elegance within the Knightsbridge luxury hotel market while maintaining a modern approach to sustainability. The vision behind the Bulgari hotel and the attention to detail that characterises its design and construction epitomise the hard work that has been put in THE PROJECT and I look forward to its opening in 2012.

A £350 million property under construction in London’s Knightsbridge area could be flagged by Marriott International’s ultra-luxury Bulgari Hotels brand.

“We confirm that we are negotiating with Prime Hotels for the potential opening of a Bulgari Hotel and Residences in Knightsbridge, however we do not comment on current negotiations,” a Bulgari spokesman tells HOTELS.

The hotel, which is expected to conclude construction this month, would be Bulgari’s first property in the Unitd Kingdom. The hotel is expected to open early next year, in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

The project is officially known as Knightsbridge Palace Hotel, which refers to the original hotel which stood on the site of the new project overlooking Knightsbridge Green and for some time was known as the Hotel Normandie.

Two Bulgari hotels are currently open, in Milan and Bali.