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Atlantis The Royal Dubai with its stacked architecture on Palm Jumeirah

Asia

Atlantis The Royal – A Vertical Resort Above Palm Jumeirah

Dubai is known for architecture that refuses to disappear into the background, and Atlantis The Royal might be one of its boldest examples. Standing on the outer crescent of Palm Jumeirah, the resort looks less like a traditional hotel tower and more like a collection of enormous blocks stacked high above the waterfront. Terraces, pools and open spaces appear between the different sections, while a dramatic skybridge connects the two sides near the top. The result is massive, luxurious and instantly recognizable — even by Dubai standards. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), Atlantis

09/03/2026 No Comments

ME Dubai by Meliá inside The Opus designed by Zaha Hadid

Asia

ME Dubai by Meliá: A Futuristic Landmark by Zaha Hadid

In a city filled with extraordinary architecture, ME Dubai by Meliá still manages to look different. The hotel is housed inside The Opus, one of Dubai’s most recognizable contemporary buildings and a striking example of Zaha Hadid’s fluid architectural style. From the outside, the structure begins as a simple glass cube. But its centre appears to have been carved away, creating a huge curved opening that completely changes the building’s character. It is this contrast — between a precise exterior and a free-flowing centre — that makes The Opus so memorable. The building was

09/02/2026 No Comments

South Africa

Kagga Kamma Eco Lodge: Hidden Among the Rocks of South Africa

Hidden among the dramatic sandstone formations of South Africa, Kagga Kamma Eco Lodge & Spa looks less like a traditional hotel and more like a natural extension of the landscape. Its most recognizable feature is a collection of Cave Suites built directly against the rocks. Their rounded shapes, earthy colours and stone-like surfaces follow the landscape so closely that, from certain angles, the rooms almost disappear into their surroundings. There are no grand façades or dramatic modern structures here. Instead, the architecture feels quiet, simple and surprisingly natural. The Cave Suites may look like natural

08/27/2026 No Comments

Storii by ITC Hotels Jaisalmer sandstone architecture in Rajasthan

Asia

Storii by ITC Hotels Jaisalmer: A Desert Palace in the Golden City

In the golden landscape of Rajasthan, Storii by ITC Hotels Jaisalmer looks as though it belongs to another time. Built in warm sandstone tones and inspired by traditional Rajasthani architecture, the hotel feels somewhere between a desert palace and a historic fort. Its character comes from details that immediately connect it to Jaisalmer: carved balconies, arched openings, domed pavilions and long sandstone façades. Instead of introducing a completely modern shape into the landscape, the hotel takes familiar elements of local architecture and gives them the scale and comfort of a contemporary resort.

08/26/2026 No Comments

ONDA Boquete cylinder rooms surrounded by tropical greenery in Panama

Central America & Caribbean

ONDA Boquete: A Tropical Mountain Stay in Panama

At first glance, ONDA Boquete looks very different from a traditional hotel in Panama. Set among the green mountains of Boquete, its unusual concrete cylinder rooms immediately give the property its own character. The most memorable part of the property is undoubtedly its cylinder-shaped rooms. Large concrete tubes have been turned into compact accommodation, with circular openings, warm wooden details and dark metal frames. Some are stacked across two levels, connected by elevated walkways and stairs. It is an unusual idea, but the result does not feel overly futuristic. The raw concrete is softened by wood,

08/12/2026 No Comments

North America

AZULIK Tulum: Organic Architecture Between Jungle and Sea

Most hotels in Tulum follow a script. Macramé, Edison bulbs, cenote yoga. Azulik wrote that script — then threw it away. What they built instead doesn’t look constructed. It looks grown. The Architecture 48 villas rise through the Mayan jungle canopy above the Caribbean coast. No straight lines. No right angles. Every curve, every wall, every walkway is shaped from Bejuco vine and untreated wood — organic materials that weather slowly into silver and amber, blending deeper into the canopy each year. The structures don’t sit in nature. They extend from it. Pathways wind

07/22/2026 No Comments

Dancing House Hotel Prague exterior — deconstructivist glass and stone towers by Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry on the Vltava riverfront

Europe

Dancing House Hotel Prague: Sleep Inside an Architectural Icon

The building Prague argued about — and then fell in love with. In 1996, a glass tower began to curve above the Vltava riverfront. It looked like it was mid-step. Half of Prague hated it. The other half couldn’t stop staring. Thirty years later, the Dancing House is a national landmark — and you can sleep inside it. Built to Move The Dancing House Prague stands on Rašínovo Embankment, next to the birthplace of Václav Havel. The site had sat empty since 1945 — bombed during World War II, then caught in decades of debate

07/21/2026 No Comments

Aerial view of Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel terraced into the cliff above Port de Sóller bay, Mallorca

Europe

Jumeirah Mallorca: Clifftop Design Above the Mediterranean

The cliff doesn’t stop at the edge of the building. At Jumeirah Port Soller, it runs straight through it. Set above Port de Sóller on Mallorca’s northwest coast, this hotel doesn’t sit on the cliff — it follows it. The structure steps down the rock face in terraced layers, matching the natural gradient of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains. From the bay below, the building almost disappears into the stone. That’s the point. Built Into the Cliff The architects at Arditecnica designed the hotel as a series of low-rise terraces cascading down the mountain’s slope.

07/20/2026 No Comments

Mushrooms Inn exterior — eight giant mushroom-shaped houses in Semporna, Sabah

Asia

Mushroom Inn Semporna: Giant Mushroom Houses in Malaysia

Some hotels borrow from architecture. This one is the architecture. Mushrooms Inn in Semporna, Sabah, is built as eight separate mushroom-cap houses — full, rounded caps sitting low over a garden. The shape is not decorative. It defines every room inside. Built Around an Idea The concept is literal. Each structure takes the form of a large mushroom, cap and all, with loft-style rooms inside the curved interior. The proportions are precise — wide enough to feel open, low enough to feel held. On the exterior facade, a hand-painted mural of Mario, Luigi, and other

07/19/2026 No Comments

Stella Island Crete aerial view of lagoon pool floating hotel resort Hersonissos

Europe

Stella Island Crete: Overwater Luxury in Greece

They didn’t build a hotel with a pool. They built an island. At Stella Island, the water comes first. Every structure — guest wings, communal spaces, bungalows — was arranged around an enormous free-form lagoon of roughly 5,000 square metres. Walk out of your room and the surface is right there, level with your feet. This is one of Europe’s few true overwater stays. Built on water — by design The site sits in Analipsi, about 25 km east of Heraklion on Crete’s north coast. The terrain was flat. The shore was distant. Architect

07/19/2026 No Comments