The Dandelion Chandelier Luxury Travel Calendar highlights new luxury hotel openings and new travel experiences around the world in April 2019. For the rest of the Luxury Calendar, click here. And for our list of the top 10 luxury travel destinations in April, click here.
the best in the world of luxury travel this april
April’s travel calendar is bringing the heat.
In Europe, Norway will see two significant hotel openings, including the Amerikalinjen in Oslo. On the West Coast, California gets its first Edition hotel with the arrival of the West Hollywood Edition. Nobu Los Cabos opens, marking the hotel group’s first Mexican property.
In Asia, the ultra-luxurious Capella Bangkok has laid claim to a gorgeous spot along the Chao Phraya River. Finally, in Dubai the long-anticipated Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah finally opens on a slice of coveted beachfront.
What are the top news and events in luxury travel in April?
1. Europe
The historic Brittania is re-opening in Trondheim, Norway following a multi-year $160 million renovation. In the past, the hotel has welcomed distinguished guests from presidents and Nobel Prize winners, to Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, to Beyoncé and Jay-Z – Apr 1
Although the look is contemporary, one of the inspirations for the new Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere in Austria was Prince Eugene of Savoy. He’s the 17th-century nobleman who established the Belvedere Palace and its world-famous art collection. Hotel guests will find exhibits by local artists and designers, as well as homages to Vienna’s historical arts and culture.
British Airways is debuting a twice-weekly seasonal service between Charleston, South Carolina and London Heathrow. It’s just in time for the kick-off of the summer-long Underbelly Festival on the South Bank of the Thames. This marks Charleston’s first transatlantic flight – Apr 4 – Oct 24
The Amerikalinjen in Oslo is now open, after taking over the former headquarters of the Norwegian America Line. The hotel has 122 rooms and suites, all with high ceilings and Art Deco touches that hearken back to the golden age of ocean travel.
London’s One Aldwych has undergone a complete floor-by-floor refurbishment of its guestrooms and suites – re-opening Apr 25
The newly-opened Mystery Hotel in Budapest is an 82-room Hungarian hideaway located in a 19th century Freemason building in the city’s central 6th district . It capitalizes upon its mystical heritage with elements like decorative optical illusions.
Amerikalinjen
2. us
The West Hollywood Edition opens this month; its the brand’s first West Coast property. Designed by John Pawson and conceived by Ian Schrager in partnership with Marriott International, the 190-guestroom hotel features an art filled lobby lounge and bar, basement club, spa, fitness centre and roof top pool with 360-degree views of the Los Angeles Skyline
Just in time for the Jazz Fest is the opening of Maison de la Luz in New Orleans. The hotel has 67 suites, all with original art, locally sourced minibars with a selection of curated products, custom bath amenities and hand embroidered bedding
Opening on 24 acres of Knights Key in Marathon is Isla Bella Beach Resort. It is the first full service luxury hotel in the area and has nearly a mile of private sand beach, a spa, four restaurants and bars, five swimming pools and Atlantic views from all 199 of the rooms and suites
The London based Soho Warehouse is the second House in Los Angeles and third in California. Located in the Arts District, Soho Warehouse spans more than 110,000 square feet, making it one of the biggest standalone Houses and the first with bedrooms on the West Coast. The property also includes a gym, club spaces and a rooftop with a pool.
The new West Hollywood Edition
3. asia
Following locations in Shenzhen and Beijing, Japanese design brand MUJI is opening its third hotel. Like the unfussy wares MUJI peddles in its stores, MUJI Hotel Ginza’s ethos is to provide “a reasonably priced space in which you will sleep well, restoring both mind and body, as well as services that naturally connect you to the locale”
The remote island of Sumba in Indonesia’s Eastern archipelago is the setting for Lelewatu. The spa hotel features 27 Sumbanese villas each outfitted with a private pool
Taj Rishikesh has opened in the sacred city of Rishikesh in India. The area is considered one of the yoga capitals of India so it only makes sense that this property is grounded in wellness and includes a Jiva Spa, which works Ayurvedic practices into its offerings
Ultra exclusive brand Capella has opened a new hotel on the banks of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River called Capella Bangkok. The property has 101 suites and villas, each with river views. The hotel also has a riverfront gourmet restaurant overseen by Michelin starred chef Mauro Colagreco, as well as a specialty bar serving creative cocktails and desserts.
The Capella Bangkok
4. middle east and africa
One of the most hotly anticipated hotel openings this year in Dubai is the Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah. Found on the Jumeirah beachfront, the hotel features 178 guest rooms and 78 suites, most of which come with private balconies, six restaurants and lounges and a 2,000 square metre spa
Equinox has launched its version of fit retreats, which includes domestic getaways as well exotic week long journeys abroad. Depending on the destination, each trip will focus on a different modality. For example, expect hiking in the Adirondacks, yoga and mindfulness in India and more physically demanding exercise during a trip to Ethiopia that traces the birth of elite running. First up is a trip dedicated to summit-chasing in Morocco this month
The Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah
5. latin america
Nobu Los Cabos marks the hotel group’s first Mexican hotel. The hotel’s 150 guest rooms and 50 suites are decorated in Nobu’s signature minimalist aesthetic and of course it features a Nobu restaurant where guests can enjoy the namesake chef’s signature dishes
Thanks to its breathtaking colonial architecture, a solid restaurant scene and its collection of over 100 museums and galleries, San Miguel de Allende has quietly become Mexico’s cultural capital. Now it finally has a hotel to match thanks to the opening of a luxury five suite inn called Hotel Amparo. The hotel features a high end coffee bar and a rooftop wine bar with an emphasis on natural wines as well as custom made bedding, towels and linens from Hibiscus Linens.
Nobu Los Cabos
6. new luxury travel products
Travellers’ Tales: Bags Unpacked ($95) by Bertil Scali is both a tribute to Louis Vuitton’s iconic trunks, but also to 53 famous voyagers as told through the stories of their luggage. The book is interwoven with vintage LV advertisements and lovely watercolor portraits of each traveler by Pierre Le-Tan.
Paying a fee to your airline for an overweight checked bag is a hassle, but so is finding a place to weigh a bag (especially at the end of a trip when you’ve done a lot of shopping). Thanks to a new polycarbonate suitcase from GetSet Luggage, though, problem solved. The suitcase weighs itself while you pack. Cool.
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Jillian Tangen is the Head of Research at Dandelion Chandelier. Formerly, she was a Senior Research Analyst at McKinsey & Co and Analyst at Shearman & Sterling. She is an avid fan of Nordic design, having owned an independent lifestyle store and sales agency focused on emerging Scandinavian design. Jillian lives in NYC and is married with three young children. She loves cross country skiing, the New York Rangers, reading, travel and discovering new brands.
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