andel's Hotel Prague

Class: First

Style: Minimalist

Rooms: 239

Andel, Czech for “angel,” is the name of the once-derelict industrial area, now repurposed as a residential and retail district, that the hotel calls home. The interiors, by Jestico + Whiles (responsible for London’s Hempel and One Aldwych) are bright, clean, predominantly white; really, the word “angelic” would not be wholly inappropriate.

The lower levels, housing reception, the bar, the restaurant, and the conference facilities, are mostly glass, making for fine city views, as well as a healthy dose of natural light. The lobby’s floors, as well as the reception desk, are pale limestone, and the white walls and translucent curtains add to the bright, spotless look.

Rooms themselves are incredibly clean, minimal in design, but packed with details like ISDN lines, satellite TV, and electrified laptop safes (for secure recharging). The bathrooms are sleek and modern, with a plentiful helping of stone and glass, and separate tub and shower.

The neighborhood offers a multiplex cinema (also by Jestico + Whiles) and a shopping center, and the Andel metro station affords easy access to the city center’s business and tourist destinations (5 minutes to Wenceslas square).

All in all, a fantastic modern design hotel, with impeccable service, near the heart of the Czech capital, and the legendary Prague nightlife. It is difficult to imagine what more a traveler could possibly demand.