Prologue
A night that becomes an essay

Hemingway's Room: Hôtel d'Angleterre│Paris
Buying a painting at a hotel: Hotel Des Arts Academy et Des Arts│Paris
Time to Love: Hotel Amour│Paris
Gare du Nord at Night: Hotel Les Deux Gards│Paris
Prison Memories: Hotel Vilmina│Berlin
Hopper's Gaze: Linen│Berlin
Hotels as a Branding Method: Audo House│Copenhagen
Bernd Schlacher's Microcosm: Hotel Motto│Vienna
Hello! Hoxton: The Hoxton Brussels│Brussels
When a Monastery Becomes a Hotel: August│Antwerp
Can Venice Be This Hip?: Il Palazzo Experimental│Venice
From the Palazzos of the Great Renaissance Men: Palazzo Castiglioni│Mantua
The Illusion of a Canopy Bed: Corte Mantovanella│Mantua
A Strange Night in an Abandoned Factory: Meister Zimmer│Leipzig
The Rookery, London: A Hotel for the Picky
Cool Luxury: Heckfield Place│Hampshire
A Lump of Aesthetics: The Franklin Hotel, London│London
A Winter Hideaway in the Alps: Aman Le Melézin│Courchevel
Hotels in Paris' 1st Arrondissement: Hotel Madame Reve│Paris
Isolation in a Cabin: Hotel Cabanet│Paris
The King's Hunting Grounds: Maison du Val - Le Maison de Campagne│Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Where Venice's brilliance and darkness coexist: Aman Venice│Venice
Winter Wonderland: Hotel Stalmestaregården│Stockholm
Who Was Clara?: Miss Clara by Nobis│Stockholm
The Ultimate Beauty: Et Hem│Stockholm
I can't imagine a room without art: Hotel Chateau Royale│Berlin
The Mysterious Long-Term Guest: Carlota Apartments│Berlin
epilogue
photo credits

“Through this book, I wanted to convey that a hotel can make a travel destination shine even brighter, and that the memories of a trip and the stories that unfold in a hotel, starring oneself, can enrich one’s life.
“All those many cozy moments spent in a strange city, with the dim light next to my bed, were nights that became essays.”
-From the author's note

What makes the hotels featured in this book so captivating?

The author majored in art theory and has consistently contributed to various media outlets that lead art, fashion, and design trends, such as Harper's Bazaar, Elle Deco, and Avenuel.
He met and interviewed world-renowned artists, architects, and designers, including Lee Ufan, Dominique Perrault, Alain de Botton, and Maurizio Cattelan, and wrote an essay titled “German Aesthetics,” which he wrote about while traveling to various German cities.


Because I have a keen interest in art, architecture, crafts, and design, I never overlooked any of the hotel's sofas, chandeliers, beds, or bathroom amenities when I traveled.
Moreover, these days, there are hotels where you can shop for artwork displayed on the hotel premises.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, newly opened hotels that underwent extensive renovations are at the forefront of architecture, furniture, and design, encapsulating the latest design trends.
This is why 'hotel' can confidently be the theme for travel.


The reasons and motivations that draw authors to specific hotels are more diverse than you might think.
Because it is a hotel where novelists like Hemingway and Jane Austen stayed, because it is right across from the art academy where painter Kim Hwan-ki, who came to Paris in the 1960s, devoted himself to painting, because it was a palazzo of the Castiglione family, a 16th-century Italian royal court, because it is a chateau hotel on the outskirts of Paris where a French writer escaped when he couldn't write, because it is a hotel that was Sweden's first inn built on the queen's hunting grounds, because you can experience products from the Danish living brand Audo...


As you follow the author's chosen hotels one by one, you will naturally empathize with the author's motivations and attractions for choosing these hotels, and a new curiosity will be awakened about the details of the hotels that you previously overlooked.
Above all, the beautiful photos of the hotels in the book capture details more vividly than what you see with your own eyes, making the hotels appear even more attractive.


The latest hotel trends captured by 'Hotel Explorer'!

Madame Reve, a luxury hotel recently opened in the heart of Paris' 1st arrondissement.
This hotel was renovated from the Louvre Central Post Office, and was renovated by the famous architect Dominique Perrault over a period of eight years.
This hotel, steeped in the sensuality and nostalgia of the Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau eras, boasts cuisine by a two-star Michelin chef, as well as Viennese Secession-style chandeliers, golden velvet curtains, and a state-of-the-art system where each room's temperature and lighting are controlled by a single sensor.
Although the cost of a night's stay is not cheap, the author, a hotel enthusiast, could not miss out on a hotel like this.
For her, everything is subject to observation, from the concierge and manager's hospitality, to the furniture and lighting in the lobby, to the beds, sofas, wardrobes, tables, bathroom tiles, and even the brands of amenities in the guest rooms.
Buffet-style breakfasts are gradually disappearing, and the breakfast trend of emphasizing fresh, healthy ingredients and menus tailored to individual customer needs is also not lost.


This book is a fascinating read for readers who love to travel and are interested in the latest architecture and design trends.
Especially for hoteliers and those working in hotel-related fields, it can provide very important and special insights beyond just interest and fun.
This is because they have a keen grasp of not only the latest hotel interiors but also trends in the hospitality industry.