Well. We sincerely apologize if looking at the title got you a bit excited that all of these hotels were open for business. They're not. As far as we know, not a single one has opened its doors to the public, and we'd venture to guess that it'll still be a while till these hotels are good and ready for opening. But what today brings is a series of cool renderings for each, which we thought we'd share with you. First, check out the breathtaking design for Kishleh from Ara Design. First, for those unaffiliated, Ara is a big, big player in the hotel design world. They've done stuff for many major chains internationally, and in Israel, they've worked on some of the best hotels including the InterContinental David Tel Aviv, the Isrotel Royal Beach, the Scots Hotel in Tiberias, and Beresheet Resort. Now, in the Kishleh project in historic Jaffa (here's to hoping for a name change), the designers have embraced the original stone details of the structure, integrating gothic-style pointed stone arches into the lobby design and leaving some stone walls and arches exposed in other areas.
If the renderings are any indication, the resulting hotel will feel luxurious and intimate, with a true Middle Eastern quality. But they're not afraid to use color and modern styles, either. Check out the wild turquoise sofas in the lobby bar, the sleek desks in the guestrooms, and the peekaboo bathrooms (oh, no!). Now this is a hotel we'd be happy to stay in. All the renderings can be viewed at http://www.aradesign.co.uk/kishleh.html . Next, and also from Ara Design, we found some great renderings of the Kempinski Tel Aviv. Now, we will first caution that having walked past this property a few weeks ago, we can safely bet that they need to finish digging the foundation before opening up. So it'll likely be a few years for this one. Here it's all about sophistication and showy elegance. Check out the grand chandeliers and the intricately lit feature wall behind the marble front desks. Or look at the airy guestrooms (which aren't really our taste, fyi), with lots of crisp whites and clean beige elements. The huge mirror in the foyer also suggests that these rooms will be smallish. We hope not! Check it out at www.aradesign.co.uk/david.html
But anyway, if the guestroom design fails to excite, take a look at the Sir Benjamin! Karim Rashid, the Egpytian designer known for his wild designs, is behind this hotel, and it'll be interesting. The fuschia egg chairs, yellow tables, wavy floors, and curvy lines of the walls suggest that this hotel will be a fun place to hang out. We just can't wait for it to open, so that we can criticize it in more detail. Kidding. Please open soon?
