Le Royal
In 1923/24, the construction of a 55-room hotel in Phnom Penh was proposed. Architect Ernest Hébrard, who was largely responsible for creating modern Phnom Penh, had his very own ideas about its construction A visionary planner, h...
The magnificent Ball Room A perfect network of overnight sleeper trains connects major Central European cities with Florence. When my train pulled into Florence station, the first rays of the sun created this stunning silho...
In Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat - like near the pyramids in Egypt - virtually every hotel group of note operates a hotel. The most notable and the only of historical relevance is the Grand Hotel. Since 1932, a visit to the ancient Angkor temple...
"Stay at the Imperial and feel like an Emperor," said Charlie Chaplin during his visit. The former private palace of the Duke of Wuerttemberg, completed around 1866 and never inhabited by the duke, was converted into a hotel for the 1873 world exposi...
Overlooking Hyde Park, the London Hilton on Park Lane stands tall but never still. In 1963, when it opened its doors, it was a novelty, a scandal, a sensation ... and a temptation. This Hilton hotel revolutionized British inn keeping. A suite on the ...
The Mena House presented us with a remarkable challenge — we had to verify its opening date which appeard to be wrong (1865?). We unearthed its true opening date, had to alter the published date from 1865 to 1896, and came across some...
"The Metropole is one of the last grand hotels of the so called exotic East. I have returend to the Metropole many times. While researching its history I have - romantically - fallen in love with many elements of its past. I think you...
The 2026 edition of the Caledonian Edinburgh At the end of Princess Street presides the Queen of Edinburgh, the 'Caley'. Lush green gardens offer a walk in the park to museums, shops and the old castle district on the hill. After che...
"The Excelsior - like the Colisseum or the Vatican - is a synonym of Rome. Located at the apex of the Via Veneto, the Roman avenue made so fashionable by Fellini in La Dolce Vita, the hotel still rises regally above the street commanding Fellinesque ...