The Modani Spa Hotel

Here at IsraelGuest, it's not often that we're blown away by luxury hotel designs and news in Israel. After all, we try to keep our pulse on developments worldwide, and therefore, a new hotel in Israel, while noteworthy, is all relative to a new hotel in New York, Paris, or Dubai. We often try to check our jadedness, making sure to sound genuinely excited about these "five star" hotels in Israel, even as we know that elsewhere they would be barely four stars (and likely half the price). It's not hard work when we love hotels, and all hotels. We are genuinely excited. But every so often, we do long for a nice Four Seasons or an Aman or a Mandarin Oriental, a hotel that is five-stars by international standards. [To combat the outcry and jeering looks, we'll just clarify that the Ritz Carlton Herzliya is indeed very nice, but not mind-mindbogglingly so]. Our first reaction from hearing about the Modani Spa Hotel was, well, lukewarm. We expected to see some renderings of a small hotel with a nice pool on the beach (in Havatzelet Hasharon), with no-doubt exorbitantly high rates to justify the "spa" aspect. Reading the description online, "The Modani will be the first of its kind in Israel: a world-class resort known for integrative wellness and unprecedented luxury. With our fresh, local cuisine, restorative treatments, and unmatched level of personal service, it will be a place that brings out the pure potential of our guests, helping them reach a level of vitality they will continue to carry with them long after their stay. And that’s what The Modani is all about—gratitude for life, and the ability to live it fully," we could be forgiven for thinking that we've heard all this before (see a long list of new spa hotels in Israel). But the level of luxury in this hotel, at least as depicted, is second to none. Renderings show a sea front pool with cabanas, a porte cochere with a koi pond and a fountain, oversized guestrooms and marble bathrooms with double vanities and deep soaking tubs, suites with private pools, french country design with herringbone floors, and a public spaces that could just as easily be those of a five star resort in Nevis or Miami Beach. We liked the descriptions, too, including "Start the day with a brisk walk on the beach, accompanied by several professional trainers." We can just see little ole' us strolling on the beach with a bunch of trainers in tow. Interestingly, the hotel also offers guests "the opportunity to be whisked through customs directly to their own limousines. In less than an hour, they pass through the gates of the hotel and are ushered to their room—no check-in, no waiting, just the level of service you expect." Clearly, they're aiming for the jetsetting types. The hotel is being developed by the Silverock Group, a U.S. based investment company that is focusing on real estate in Israel.

A Third Isrotel in Tel Aviv

Isrotel has been aggressively working to expand its portfolio of hotels in Israel. Although the brand has long dominated the market in Eilat, with nine hotels there ranging from the luxurious Royal Beach to the budget Riviera Club, in the past few years the brand has added more and more hotels throughout the country. Its luxury properties, branded under the Exclusive Collection, have been the main focus of this expansion, with Beresheet, Cramim Spa and Wine (as it is now called, apparently), Isrotel Jerusalem (under construction) and the Royal Beach Tel Aviv coming in to supplement the Royal Beach in Eilat and Carmel Forest. But for those fearing that the main brand was being neglected, Isrotel recently broke ground on an exciting four star hotel in Tel Aviv, which will be the third for the brand in the city. The Isrotel Port Tel Aviv, as it is purportedly being called, is located on Hayarkon Street near the Tel Aviv Port, a popular dining and shopping scene. The two dunam lot was previously home to a well-known club, Little Tel Aviv. The hotel is expected to cost 60-70 million shekels and will open in about two years. The 16 story structure will include 121 rooms and 3 penthouse apartments, all designed by go-to hotel architects Feigin Architecture. It will also feature a ground floor restaurant and cafe, and will likely cater to business travelers. For us, while any new hotel is a good hotel, we're a bit disappointed by the bland architecture of this project, which would be at home in any major city. We also hope that being that this is a four-star hotel and not a five star, it will be priced accordingly. Thoughts?