Bal Harbour

G U T T E R C R E D I T T E E K AY C O U R T E S Y H OT E L C I P R I A N I , A B E L M O N D H OT E L , V E N I C E ; P H OTO BY V I N C E N T L E R O U X , C O U R T E S Y A I R E L L E S PA L L A D I O , V E N E Z I A ; FO U Q U E T ' S © PAT R I C K M E S S I N A ( PA R I S ) British aristocrat Lord Guinness funded Harry's Bar owner Giuseppe Cipriani to establish an urban refuge on the island—a 2.5–acre new build that opened as la dolce vita crested in the late 1950s. LVMH-owned Belmond unveiled Phase 1 of its Peter Marino–helmed makeover last May, including a refreshed lobby and 13 rooms and suites. This summer you can experience a new Dior-run spa and a reimagined Oro restaurant. The food may be Michelin-anointed, but don't come here just to eat. Sidle up to Gabbiano's bar for a Buona Notte, one of several cocktails cocreated by George Clooney, who famously bought the place out as a clubhouse for his wedding guests. The 2,024–square-foot Serenissima Suite may be the largest, but savvy guests know better: book the smaller, more charming 1,180–square-foot Palladio Suite—not yet renovated, but it boasts an outdoor plunge pool on its terrace. A pity that the memberships once sold to well-to-do locals are being phased out; their presence by the pool added a spritz of Venetian elegance to the scene. The much-mourned Bauer Hotel once had an outpost here, designed by Andrea Palladio, in a late-16th-century convent complex. When the operating family offloaded its hotel assets, French hotel group Airelles snapped it up. This is the ninth property from hotelier Stéphane Courbit—and Airelles' first outside France. Opening in April, it will offer 45 rooms, three pools, a kids' club, three restaurants, and an 18,300–square- foot spa. It even has its own chapel. There's no star name behind the food and beverage program yet. But the hotel is quietly planning a speakeasy-style bar, helmed by a world-famous talent to be unveiled at opening. You can take your pick from two standalone villas: Though not the largest (that would be the 4,844-square-foot Presidential Suite), the ultra-private three-bedroom, 2,153-square-foot Conventino has its own garden and pool. Airelles' raison d'être has always been a certain only-in-France je ne sais quoi. It's a risky move to import that affect to Italy, especially in a city as singular as Venice. At FOUQUET'S, the distinction is deliberate: This is not merely a five-star hotel, but a palace—an institution defined by human connection and the French art de vivre. A five-star hotel speaks to excellence of service, amenities, and comfort. A palace, however, carries something more intangible and far rarer: cultural authority, history, and a sense of place that transcends hospitality. As the international luxury signature of the Barrière Collection, Fouquet's traces its origins to 1899 on the Champs-Élysées and now extends its lineage to New York, St Barths, and Courchevel. As the general manager of Fouquet's Courchevel describes it, a palace is "human first." Luxury is not simply product, but presence, and the instinct to anticipate. It is service that feels intuitive rather than transactional. Design choices reflect history and storytelling, not trends. There is a sense that guests are entering a private world—one shaped by decades of taste, ritual, and savoir-faire. In Paris, Fouquet's remains an address woven into cinema and society. In New York, it translates that legacy with contemporary polish. In St Barths and Courchevel, it adapts to sun and snow without losing its Parisian core. Together, they form not a collection of hotels, but a modern lineage of four addresses with one palace standard, where guests are not simply booking a room, but stepping into a dynasty. —D. F. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Fouquet's in Paris, Courchevel, New York City, and St Barths The Serenissima Suite at Hotel Cipriani A Junior Suite at Airelles Palladio, Venezia CIPRIANI VS. AIRELLES THE GIUDECCA SHOWDOWN One hotel has long reigned as the grande dame of the Giudecca, just across from Venice's St. Mark's Square, and it's now undergoing a much-needed renovation. The timing is perfect: This spring, a cheeky upstart contender is set to open right next door, aiming to steal the limelight. Here's a quick recap of the standoff. —M.E. WHAT'S OLD WHAT'S TASTIEST WHAT'S NEW WHAT'S BIGGEST WHAT'S WRONG HOTEL CIPRIANI, A BELMOND HOTEL VENICE AIRELLES PALLADIO, VENEZIA BEYOND FIVE STARS BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M

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