Europe Grand Hotels

Longlisted for the 2023 DUBLIN Literary Award "[Grand Hotel Europa] calls to mind Nabokov, Tom Wolfe, Baudrillard, Umberto Eco, Wes Anderson . . . [a novel of] incorrigible high spirits." —Rand Richards Cooper, The New York Times Book Review A sweeping, atmospheric novel about European identity, centered on a hotel that encapsulates the continent's manifold contradictions. The love of my life lives in my past. Despite the alliteration it’s a terrible line to have to write. I don’t want to come to the conclusion, just as the hotel I’m staying in and the continent it is named after, that the best times are behind me and that I’ve little more to expect of the future than living off my past. A writer takes up residence in the stately but decaying Grand Hotel Europa in order to contemplate where things went wrong with Clio—an art historian and the love of his life. His recollections take him back to when they first met in Genoa, his wanton visits to her in Venice, and their dulcet trips to Malta, Palmaria, Portovenere, and the Cinque Terre in their thrilling search for the last painting made by Caravaggio. Meanwhile, he becomes fascinated by the mysteries of the Grand Hotel Europa and the memorably eccentric characters who inhabit it, all of whom seem to hail from a halcyon era. All the while, globalization is laying claim to even this place, where a sense of lost glory hangs sulkily in the air. Grand Hotel Europa is Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer’s masterly novel of the old continent, where there's so much history that there hardly seems space left for a future. Cinematic, lyrical, and brimming with humor, this is a novel about the European condition, which like the staff and residents of the Grand Hotel Europa may have already seen its best days.

An ebook from "Hermit's confessions (film "No-Shows" postscriptums)", n° 19 "Singuliers" magazine – ISSN 0992-2881.

"The diversity among Europe's cultures is reflected nowhere better than in the way the contingent's top hotels are presented. Whether the glamorous luxury of legendary grand hotels that have been rejuvenated by contemporary interiors or the avant-garde hotels designed by international star architects, they are in themselves worth a sojourn. This magnificent volume shows the 94 best hotels from Moscow to Lisbon on 396 pages, and how each so uniquely combines excellent service with distinctive style. With designs that intrigue and amuse, these accommodations highlight the absolute best in groundbreaking architecture and design. Stunning photographs showcase bold use of materials, innovative artworks, hip furnishings as well as creative color combinations. Each hotel is a true microcosm of the cutting edge aesthetic. The fantastic pictures, accompanying texts and useful information perfectly prepare you for your next holiday, short vacation or business trip. Indispensable information and inspiration for the hip traveler A valuable, extensively illustrated reference for design lovers and professionals alike ."--Publisher's website.

This is a book for lovers of remarkable hotels. Whether you are a long-term luxury hotel addict, or just fantasising about a visit to one of the world's great hotels, this book is for you. This book features stories about great, grand and famous hotels sourced from history, legend and the occasional snippet of gossip. Take a peek inside and discover a treasure trove of famous or forgotten anecdotes. See the dramas unfold in lobbies, dining rooms, bars and ballrooms, or behind the closed doors of guest rooms and Presidential Suites. Marvel at those who made these hotels what they are: daring financiers, visionary owners, inventive architects, cutting-edge designers, devoted hoteliers and renowned chefs. Remember the great, grand and famous celebrity guests and meet the new breed of visionaries who are creating the great hotels of the future. Visit historic hotels, including The Ritz, Paris; the Waldorf-Astoria, New York; the Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles; the Savoy, London; the Hassler, Rome; The Peninsula, Hong Kong; Raffles, Singapore; Mena House, Cairo; Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur; Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta; the Cipriani, Danieli and Gritti Palace, Venice; Reid's Palace, Madeira; and the Baur au Lac, Zurich, alongside modern masterpieces such as The Burj al Arab, Icehotel and other futuristic hotels. The book is intended to give the traveller a better understanding of, and greater insight into, the hotels they admire and love. It is also a reference book for the passionate hotel professional and provides knowledge for young hoteliers, helping them to understand the history and the development of their industry. Combining four years of research, assisted by many students in various hotel schools around the world, and with contributions by six travel writers, it is hoped this book will entice more people to seek out the world's great, grand and famous hotels, and to stay in them for an unforgettable experience, not just as a place to spend the night.

This second volume in the series Collection of Architecture that started very successfully with 1000 x European Architecture presents the diversity of European hotels today. The wide range of hotel types is shown with opulent illustrations, plans and drawings as well as a short description. 1000x European Hotels reveals what unites and divides European hotels by exploring its variety with regard to style, architecture and design: famous Grand Hotels, stylish business accommodations, innovative youth hostels, superb country houses, romantic bed & breakfasts, extravagant luxury hotels as well as quite unusual places such as a timbered tree house, a former jail, a cave or a repurposed drain pipe.

Who minds sleeping under a mosquito net when it's royally draped over the bed in a lush Kenyan, open-walled hut, fashioned from tree trunks and shielded from the sun by a sumptuous thatched roof? This selection of the most-splendid getaway havens nestled throughout the African continent is sure to please even the most finicky would-be voyagers. Photos.