Leonardo Plaza Netanya, Brown Beach House, and Sir Hotels

Another month, another new hotel. This time, though, we have some tipsters to thank. HotelChatter (hotelchatter.com) first alerted us to the Sir Hotel in Tel Aviv. And, an anonymous comment on this blog told us about Brown Beach House. Thanks guys! The Leonardo Netanya, though, is all us. And it's the only one of the three that's open. So we'll start with it. Heralded as "the only luxury hotel in the Sharon region", the newly-opened hotel has 151 beautifully decorated rooms, if we do say so ourselves. Headboards are covered with a large scale beach and ocean scenes, while opposite it wood panels and lime green drawers add texture and color to the beige- heavy design. The hotel is located near Independence Square in the heart of Netanya (read: noisy), unlike the Ramada and the Island Suites, which are more removed from the town. Some rooms even have oversized terraces. In addition to amenities like free WiFi (free Wifi!), the hotel also offers a dining room, a fitness center, large sclae meeting facilities, and a drop-dead gorgeous rooftop pool. Reviews seem pretty positive, although apparently the service and the food could use some improvement. Rates are amazingly affordable, starting at $119 for a Deluxe Room. We'll take two. Or actually, we'll take a suite. Moving on, the ever-popular Brown Hotel TLV (winner of IsraelGuest's Best Rooms award) is bringing their hip luxury brand beachside. The hotel will be small, with just forty rooms and suites. Don't fear, because plenty of design will be packed into those rooms. Renderings show wild black and white carpet, retro lighting, mustard accents, and contemporary four poster beds. We're loving the sleek luxury of the marble bathrooms as well. The hotel will also have an "Urban Beach" indoor lounge (we got no idea, either), a restaurant, and a spa. Early opening rates start at $195, but we won't be surprised if they shoot up to the $300+ range like Brown TLV in the summer. And lastly, there's Sir Hotels, a new brand designed for the "new breed of upper class, individuals who have all the trappings of aristocracy but none of the pretensions." Whatever that means. They're opening in Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Tel Aviv, all in central locations. The website is full of taglines, like "social gathering places in vibrant cultural neighbourhoods where travellers meet the locals." But real, useful information (like opening dates) and renderings are disappointingly missing. All of the hotels are designed by the Israeli firm of Baranowitz Kronenberg, meaning that they will likely share the same sexy, rustic-modern look as the Sir Albert in Amsterdam (yes, each hotel has a name. The Tel Aviv one is Sir Benjamin). Even if we don't have the trappings of aristocracy, we're looking forward to this one.

Ibis Styles Jerusalem

Here at IsraelGuest, we tend to think that we have a pretty good hold on things in the hotel world. In Israel, at least. We comb through the internet for announcements and press releases, we search major chains to see if they have anything planned, and we depend a good deal on walking around on foot and seeing what we can see. We even spent a good hour reading a magazine in French to glean details on the upcoming Sea Hotel in Bat Yam (all we figured out is that they are selling hotel rooms for private ownership and that the hotel will be very luxurious and 26 stories high). For all these reasons, when a major hotel opens totally under our radar, it's pretty shocking. Such was the case with the ibis Styles Jerusalem. Granted, we knew that some new hotel rooms from Accor where coming to the capital. We knew that two new hotels were on their way, including an ibis. Yet the fact that it opened unbeknownst to us and even more the fact that it opened in East Jerusalem came as total surprises. But yes, the 91- room hotel in Sheikh Jarrah is now open. And it looks really nice. For those familiar with the low- cost, no frills European brand, Ibis Styles is the funkier sister, which typically offers a heavy dose of, well, style, while maintaining rack-bottom rates. We're loving the colorful interiors and the hints of Jerusalem stone in the rooms, as well as the cutout Jerusalem skyline headboards. Amenities are limited, but include free Wifi, parking, and a children's playroom as well as a dining room. Rates are low, starting at $85 per night. Our only qualm is the location. Although the website claims the hotel is in the "city center," our snobby selves would probably prefer to stay a little closer.

Hotel upkeep

There's something funny about hotels in Israel. While the standard hotel in the United States and in much of the western world operates on an eight year renovation cycle, hotels in Israel seem to wait much, much longer than that. Even the venerable international chains, with their strict upkeep standards, tend to adapt to the local practice once they descend upon the Holy Land. And why not? If travelers are still willing to pay top dollar (and yes, Israel has some of the highest priced hotels in the world and lowest value, in our opinion), then why bother renovating? The result has been abysmal for travelers who expect international standards and are then disappointed when they see the state of their hotels and their guestrooms. For guestrooms are often the least updated rooms, with the logic being that guests don't spend enough time in their rooms to warrant much attention to detail and upkeep. Yet in two instances, we have begun observing an even worse practice: hotels will renovate some of their guestrooms and then charge extra for them, as a deluxe category of rooms. Recently, the Hilton Eilat Queen of Sheba unveiled beautifully renovated Executive and Superior Rooms, which retail for $30-50 more than the standard rooms. Suspiciously, the images that depict the standard rooms are missing on the website, perhaps luring unsuspecting travelers into thinking that the standard rooms resemble the renovated varieties. Yet the Hilton is not the only culprit. The Sheraton in Tel Aviv, former home of Justin Bieber, finally renovated some of its rooms. All over the website are pictures of these gorgeously designed rooms, with sleek woods and warm stone elements. The website notes that "the Executive Club Rooms are the most exclusive accommodation option, having been refurbished and redesigned by Bert Haler in 2014. The refreshing room designs are reminiscent of Jerusalem architecture and feature the world famous Jerusalem Stone." These "club" rooms go for a whopping $90 more than the standard rooms. It seems like robbery to charge guests for what should be standard. Guests have a right to expect a pleasant, well kept guestroom that is up-to-date and maintained. And even non-international hotels are using this trick. The legendary King David Hotel in Jerusalem offers its renovated "Top Floors" guestrooms for a $60 premium. The Dan Panorama in Jerusalem offers renovated "Deluxe" rooms for an additional $35 a night. Luckily, some hotels score in our books with hotel-wide renovations, like the Hilton Tel Aviv (still ongoing) and the David Intercontinental.

Isrotel Jerusalem Launches Residences

We've often dreamed about living in a hotel. We would walk into the lobby, where people would whisper "Oh, there goes so and so. He has a room here." Gasps and stares would follow, as we would make our way to the elevator. Once in our room, we would sit around in a bathrobe and maybe order room service, and mess up the whole room with the knowledge that housekeeping would be in shortly to make it pristine again. If we got bored of the room, we could head down to the hotel's amenities: maybe a gym, a pool, a library? Of course, we acknowledge that this might not be too realistic of a scenario. At some point, we'd probably need to pay the bills. But anyway, if funds aren't lacking, and this kind of vision sparks your fancy, the new Isrotel under construction in Jerusalem is offering eleven residences for a discerning buyer. Rest assured, you won't just be getting a hotel room. You'll have your very own apartment (starting at a three bedroom, 127 meters) in one of two four story buildings being constructed specifically for this purpose. Prices range from 8.7 million shekels (2.2 USD) to over 23 million (5.9 USD). Owners are welcome to take advantage of the hotel's amenities, including the restaurants, spa, lobby, fitness room, and rooftop pool. We just wonder if you can arrange for butler service, like at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem's residences. The whole complex is expected to open in late 2015, although we find that a little optimistic.

Stay Smart at SMARTHOTELS

It's no big secret that IsraelGuest has a certain, err, fondness/love/obsession with hotels. But if there's anything we love more than hotels, it's brand new hotel chains. Chains usually mean that more hotels will be built, and that hotels in the chain will have to keep up to certain standards to stay in (except for Leonardo Hotels, which has remarkably few requirements for franchised hotels). Chains also help strengthen independent hotels by giving them wider publicity and better poising them against competition. So anyway, we've been stalking the new Smart Hotels chain ever since we spied on their newest property, the 68- room Eyal in downtown Jerusalem. We actually scored an exclusive tour of the hotel, including the lobby, dining room, rooftop deck, and two types of guestrooms. We were really bowled over by the modern and elegant European-style design, and of course we wanted to find out more about the other properties in the chain. Here's what we've got: Smart Hotels currently has four properties and no website. In fact, the Smart Hotels name and logo is only used on the Eyal's individual site. Three of the hotels, the Montefiore, the Eyal, and the Jerusalem Inn are located in... Jerusalem. The fourth property is the fledgling Ramon Suite Hotel in Mitzpe Ramon (not to be confused with its more prominent neighbor, the Isrotel Ramon Inn). All of the properties are renovated or new and pleasant, and each is defined by its star rating. The Eyal is by far the most luxurious option, and claims to be four stars. The Montefiore and Ramon are three stars, and the Jerusalem Inn is categorized as a budget hotel. Reviews for all of the properties are very positive, and it seems that they offer great value. Interested? We found rates for two at the Eyal for $215, $189 at the Montefiore, $165 at the Ramon Suites,and $129 at the Jerusalem Inn.

Almost There...The Elma Arts Complex Luxury Hotel

Which still needs a new name. That is a mouthful. Maybe the hotel portion could go by The Elma? Too bad they've already hired a super-fancy design studio, Natie, to work on branding for the hotel. The result does look nice, with the Elma logo gracing the stationary, uniforms, website, and promotional material. More importantly for us, their website also provides us with some much-needed photos and renderings of the project (although one photo, of a meeting room, was clearly "borrowed" from a Westin somewhere- note the Westin logo in the bottom left!). But I digress. The hotel has also launched its very own website and a Facebook page, all flaunting the signature feminine stripes design courtesy of Natie Studios. We were also finally able to score a photo of the exterior of the hotel, which has given the old decrepit structure on the hilltop a new life. The circa 1972 building, designed by noted architect Yaakov Rechter, has sat desolate for many years while the project was being conceived. And it looks like, come November, at least part of the complex will be open to guests. The hotel is accepting reservations online starting January 1st. Rates start at $240 for a standard room and can climb to $780 for a two-story premium cottage. All rooms have patios or balconies with views and "original works of art." We're eagerly awaiting the public response to this bold project. In the meantime, feast your eyes on some photos.

7 Kook Boutique Hotel

It's not too often that we take the time to write about an twelve room hotel. Maybe, if it was uber-luxurious with butler service and infinity pools and located on a private island off the coast of...Israel. We'll keep dreaming. Meanwhile, a new hotel has opened in Jerusalem and we're opening the floor to our readers to figure out just what constitutes a hotel. Does a hotel require a minimum of two rooms? Do we need a front desk or other services? Not so clear. But anyway, 7 Kook Boutique Hotel is open for business and is rocking the hotel title. The hotel boasts free WiFi in all of the rooms and public areas, which is a nice touch. Until you consider that providing Wifi for a twelve room hotel probably costs the same as Wifi-ing a small house. But I digress. Of the twelve, there are studio rooms, deluxe rooms with balconies, family rooms, and suites. All have flat screen televisions and A/C and are decorated in a warm (if generic boutique) style in various shades of beige. The hotel's own restaurant has not yet opened, but will in the future. The hotel can also accommodate events for up to eighty people. 7 Kook offers several services for a fee, including airport pickup, wine tastings, beauty treatments, and restaurant reservations. Location is nice, right off of Jaffa Road in the City Center, in a quiet enough area. TripAdvisor reviews are gushing about the hotel's staff members, calling them "so kind and helpful" and praising their ability to "make everything perfect." Furthermore, guests find the rooms to be clean, large and nicely furnished. For what it offers, though, rates seem to be very high. A standard room goes for $188 this week, compared to the larger and full service Dan Boutique for $164 a night, (although the Arthur across Jaffa Road goes for $198).