Hotels Where You Actually Want to Do the Homework

HAP Weekly

Hotels Where You Actually Want to Do the Homework

Boutique properties taking "teach a man to fish" to the next level, the most impactful brand takeovers happening right now, and the London hotel we're obsessed with.

Our Top Reads This Week

HAP WEEKLY

The Best Souvenirs Don’t Fit in a Suitcase

By Stacey Leasca

No need to pack your Trapper Keeper, because this year, boutique hotels are handing out syllabi and school materials—and the homework is a lot more fun than anything you did in ninth-grade math class.

Lifelong learning is critical to brain health as we age, which means it’s always a good idea to try something new. And at spots like Ordovician Beach Resort on Panama's Isla Grande, that’s easy, as the 47-room retreat just opened a PADI-certified dive center. Here, owner Rick Hill explained that guests learn everything from buoyancy control to underwater communication and reef navigation before ever touching open water, with options ranging from a Discover Scuba class to a full Open Water certification. "Some of the most meaningful travel experiences are the ones where you leave having learned something new," Hill said. "It's an experience involving education, discovery, and stewardship, one that stays with our guests long after they return home."

At The Meadows on Rock Creek in Philipsburg, Montana, they take the adage “teach a man to fish” to a whole new level with their fly fishing program. At the resort, guides teach guests to read water and study fish behavior, along with basic entomology, so guest anglers understand what's actually hatching on the creek that day. "Just as importantly, we hope to pass along to our guests the deep respect we have for the land and water that make this experience possible," General Manager Will Hensley said.

In Piedmont, Casa di Langa sends guests into the forest with a local trifolao and trained Lagotto dogs, then brings them back to the kitchen to shape pasta by hand with whatever fungi they find. It’s an experience executive chef Francesco Clerico designed himself. "In the morning, you're out in the forest harvesting truffles. By afternoon, you're in the kitchen learning to shape traditional pasta from scratch," Clerico said. "At dinner, the whole story comes together at the table with a glass of local wine."

And just up the road in Montefollonico, La Chiusa Tuscany offers the chance to dive deep into beekeeping, suiting up guests to go face-to-face with the buzzy critters across the property's 12 active bee houses—honey tasting included. "Guests can spend an hour with our resident beekeeper and discover the fascinating world of our estate's pollinators," co-owner George Meyers said.

Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa on St. Barts takes a different approach, teaching guests a valuable skill they can take home and use forever: how to waste nothing. Its zero-waste cooking classes turn vegetable peels into chips and lobster shells into bisque, ensuring each piece is used±and loved—in the meal. "Guests learn techniques like transforming trimmings into purées, peels into chips and shells into rich bisques, often incorporating herbs foraged here on the island," Executive Head Chef Guillaume Gillan shared.

And outside Épernay, Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa turns a sip session into a lesson in Champagne production. Its "Mysteries of Champagne" experience pours two cuvées that differ by a single variable, so guests can taste exactly what lees aging or dosage changes in the glass. "It was an enriching experience not to know much about Champagne, because I asked myself questions that I wanted to answer through a collection of unique experiences," Head Sommelier Philippe Marques said.

So consider your fall reading list officially replaced. All you need to do is pack your bookbag and go.

HAP WEEKLY

Not Your Average Logo Slap—Why the Best Brand Takeovers Create Worlds, Not Advertisements

By Ruby Gregg

Gone are the days of the bad brand takeover — the lazy logo towel, the branded tote nobody asked for. The best hotel-brand collaborations right now don't slap a name on a pool float and call it a day. Instead, they build an atmosphere that's uncopyable, unbuyable, and gone the second the season ends.

Just look to Monte-Carlo Beach, on the French Riviera, as the prime example, where Jacquemus has created one of the best brand takeovers in hospitality in partnership with the property’s legendary 1950s seaside club. The mint blues, soft milky whites, and perfectly geometric striped loungers communicate the brand’s core qualities—nostalgia, minimalism, and storytelling. However, this visual branding masterpiece will only be around until September 27, so if you were toying with a last-minute trip to the South of France, this is your sign.

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In Mayfair, London, Brown’s Hotel opened the Paul Smith Grand Suite over the summer, designed specifically for the unconventional traveler—bold design choices, eccentric details, and yes, a banana-shaped door handle. Designed by fashion designer Sir Paul Smith in collaboration with Rocco Forte Hotels' Director of Design, Olga Polizzi, the creation overflows with colors and textures and features chairs sourced from Smith’s private Covent Garden office, along with custom rugs. One night in the three-bedroom suite feels more like sleeping in a private collector's living gallery than a traditional corporate sponsorship.

And at Oku Ibiza, Italian fashion house Missoni recognized an opportunity to promote its resort-style, Euro-summer pieces by creating Missoni Resort Club. The hotel’s pool is framed by Missoni's signature deep blue, ocean turquoise, and emerald green—thoughtfully placed accents that elevate the classic beach club feel with a brand that inherently radiates a summer state of mind. (And really, where better than Ibiza to lie on Missoni towels, under Missoni umbrellas, and contemplate what could only be a Missoni purchase in your near future?)

A truly seamless collaboration does more than just look good; it gives you an experience you simply can’t find anywhere else—and enough Instagram cred to garner at least a few likes and comments.

HAP WEEKLY

Every hotel claims wellness now. Almost none of them earn it. Brandon Berkson and Courtney Wittich of S.P.A. go live on his personal Substack, Hotel Espresso—Saturday, 10am PT / 1pm ET. Subscribe here.

Hotel Spotlight

The Boutique Hotel We're Obsessed With—The Hari London

By Ruby Gregg

Belgravia is full of grand historic facades, but behind the doors at 20 Chesham Place, The Hari evades traditional London starchiness for something far more relaxed. Styled by interior designer Tara Bernerd, the 85-room property features lush green velvets, exposed brick, custom art, and a light-filled Garden Terrace hidden in the center of town. It is an easy place to settle into, especially with homemade ravioli at il Pampero and deep marble soaking tubs waiting upstairs.

PSA: Mark your calendars for August 31 at 10:00 AM GMT. To celebrate a decade since opening, the hotel is releasing 10 of its 5-star rooms for just £10 on a first-come, first-served basis. The 10th-anniversary push continues from September 7 to 13 with a culinary crossover, as Chefs Jeffy and Yu fly in from Zoku at The Hari Hong Kong to host a week-long takeover at The Hari Bar & Terrace.

HAP WEEKLY

A Convo on Members' Clubs & Hotels With the Man Behind The Aster in Los Angeles

By Brandon Berkson

Hotels Above Par Founder Brandon Berkson here. Hollywood and Vine has been coasting on its own name for the better part of a century. It's a corner best experienced from a moving car. Which is what makes The Aster so disorienting: you enter, the noise drops away, and you're standing in a sensational hotel and private members' club sharing one address—rooftop pool, Lemon Grove for dinner, recording studio, cinema, fitness center, Pilates corridor, and recovery downstairs. A confluence of amenities, to say the least.

Los Angeles is not suffering a shortage of clubs. So I put the obvious question to Managing Director Bill Doak, along with a few less obvious ones: who gets the rooftop table when a member and a hotel guest both want it on a Friday night, and what does he notice in someone else's lobby that tells him everything?

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Brandon: For someone who's never walked in—what is The Aster?

Bill: "The first impression of The Aster is probably not what someone expects to find in Hollywood. You walk in from the energy of Hollywood and Vine and immediately enter an environment that feels warm, rich, residential, and reminiscent of an intimate luxury hotel or a traditional members' club. That first experience is shaped by the reason for your visit, whether you are checking into the hotel, meeting a member for lunch, attending an event, or arriving as a member yourself. Color, texture, art, comfortable furniture, music, and a genuine sense of hospitality fill the space. Most importantly, the service is genuine. You are greeted, recognized, and made to feel that you have arrived somewhere special without it ever feeling overly formal. The Aster is designed to create an emotional response and is a place where you want to stay rather than simply pass through."

Brandon: LA has San Vicente, Soho House, Chateau, Heimat, Crossroads, Bird Streets. What makes the case for the city needing another members' club? What makes The Aster different?

Bill: "Los Angeles does not necessarily need another version of an existing members' club. The opportunity for The Aster is to be something different. Geographically, we occupy a very distinct position in Hollywood rather than on the Westside, placing us close to Larchmont, Hancock Park, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and the creative and entertainment businesses surrounding Hollywood. That gives us both a different neighborhood and a different community.

The Aster seamlessly brings together the experiences of a private club and an intimate all-suite luxury hotel with rooftop dining at Lemon Grove, a rooftop pool, work and meeting spaces, entertainment, fitness, Pilates, wellness, and increasingly sophisticated recovery and restorative experiences. Our hotel positioning and private membership establish an appropriate level of exclusivity, but what ultimately defines The Aster is access – to people, experiences, wellness, creativity and a genuine sense of community."

Brandon: What's one trait that makes a good members' club?

Bill: "Belonging. A successful club must make people feel that it is genuinely theirs. It is a community where members feel recognized when they arrive, comfortable using the Club in different ways, and connected to both the people who work there and the people around them. Great design and amenities may initially attract someone, but belonging is what makes them continue to come back."

Brandon: When a hotel guest and a member want the same rooftop table on a Friday night, who wins?

Bill: "The member relationship is at the foundation of The Aster, so protecting member access is extremely important. At the same time, our hotel guests are staying at The Aster specifically because they want access to the Club and its experiences. In that circumstance, we believe good hospitality should prevent it from becoming a winner-and-loser situation. We have to manage reservations, inventory, and the rooftop intelligently so members retain meaningful access while hotel guests receive the experience they were promised."

Brandon: Let's talk about the hotel—what type of person stays in the suites, and for how long?

Bill: "Our hotel guests tend to be people who want to experience Los Angeles differently, from creative and entertainment executives, artists, entrepreneurs, business travelers, and people coming to Hollywood for projects, production, or extended stays. Some stay for a few nights, while others stay for a week, several weeks or return frequently enough that The Aster becomes their home in Los Angeles.

The suites are particularly important because they are considerably larger and more residential than a conventional hotel room. Guests can actually live, work, meet and entertain comfortably rather than simply sleep there."

Brandon: What do you think is the most unique thing about the hotel?

Bill: "You are not simply booking a hotel suite, you are temporarily becoming part of a private club. A guest can wake up in a large residential suite, work from the Club, train or take a Pilates class, use wellness and recovery amenities, spend the afternoon at the rooftop pool, have dinner at Lemon Grove and attend an event without ever feeling like they are moving through a traditional hotel.

That combination of residential-scale accommodations and access to an entire lifestyle environment is what makes the hotel particularly distinctive."

Brandon: What is your personal hotel red flag—what do you notice in someone else's lobby that tells you everything?

Bill: "The lobby tells you almost immediately whether anyone is truly paying attention. I notice the energy first: Is someone looking up when you enter? Does the team acknowledge you? Is the lighting right? Is the music right? Does it smell good? Are the flowers fresh? Is the furniture positioned correctly? Is everything clean?

Those details may sound small, but collectively they tell you whether a hotel has a culture of hospitality or is simply operating a building. You can usually understand a hotel within the first few minutes of walking through its front door."

Brandon: Any plans for The Aster to expand to different locations?

Bill: "Our priority today is making The Aster in Hollywood exceptional. We believe there is still tremendous opportunity to continue developing the Club, particularly around wellness, programming, dining, and the overall member experience.

There are certainly elements of The Aster that could translate very well to other neighborhoods or markets in the future, but for now, we are not interested in expansion simply for the sake of adding locations."

Editor's Note

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Brandon Berkson, Hotels Above Par