At the western end of Piazza San Marco, just behind the Napoleonic Wing that houses the Museo Correr, sits one of the oldest hotels in Venice. Hotel Luna began life in the twelfth century as the Osteria della Luna. It was a simple house near th...
EUROPE 1906: Welcome to South Tyrol, the health resort of the middle and upper class and of the nobility of the mighty Austrian-Hungaro empire under the aging emperor Kaiser Franz Joseph I. We are in the city of Meran, surrounded by 2000-3000 metres ...
By Adrian Mourby Bologna’s oldest hotel celebrated its centenary in 2012. A university city with a long musical tradition that encompasses Mozart, Rossini, Verdi , Wagner and Respighi, Bologna never became a major nineteenth century tour...
Adrian Mourby visited the city of the World Expo 2015, only to spend all his time at the Grand Hotel sipping Martinis. Can we continue to support such a man? We can. Recently I visited Milan while the city was in the grip of Expo 2015. Many new hote...
Adrian Mourby travelled to Rome and landed in history. In search for a decent 'albergo', two books of The Most Famous Hotels library came to aid. At the time of Italy's Unification in 1870, Rome was already a city of hotels and inns. The...
The view of Rome from the rooftop terrace of Grand Hôtel de La Minerve is justly celebrated. In 1917 Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Picasso’ s future wife Olga went up there to take photos. At the time Picasso and Cocteau were staying a...
A terrace with a view: Maria della Salute opposite of the Europa & Regina. VENICE: Recently I was booked for dinner at Venice’s Westin Europa and Regina. Many famous people have dined here, including Claude Monet, Marcel Proust and...
During the 1870s, a new 'movement' was to be observed in England. The English suddenly travelled in larger groups than any other nation. Only a few decades ago travelling was almost exclusively reserved for a small elite, the upper class. W...
Fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, and marginally fluent in Russian, Chinese and Japanese, Aloha Wanderwell – nomen est omen – was the first woman to drive around the world in a customised Model T Ford. Aloha Wan...
Johannes Baur, born in Austria in 1795, was a visionary entrepreneur who profoundly shaped Zurich’s hospitality industry. In 1837, at the age...Read More
The historic building (top, slide to the right): The "new" Raffles main building in 1899. It opened on 18 November 1899, featuring the all new...Read More
Since decades “The Oriental”, as it is affectionately known by travellers from all over the globe, leads the lists of most...Read More
In 1952, a group of wealthy individuals including Donald Deskey, the fabled designer (among his works the Radio City Music Hall); Harvey Firestone,...Read More
You don your safari gear during the day, but you always dress for dinner. Because Mount Kenya Safari Club Nanyuki is an exclusive retreat. High on...Read More
