Hidden Doorways

On the night of June 27th, the Grand Masked Ball takes over the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. It’s one of the most spectacular events in the world and guests of Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle arrive as royalty.

Dinner by Alain Ducasse. The best seats in the house with unlimited Champagne. Fireworks over the Night Fountains Show. Costumed and masked, your clients become fully immersed in the regal festivities. And when the evening ends, a return to their suite within the palace grounds.

The ball may be the centerpiece, but the three days surrounding it are extraordinary in their own right. Exclusive evening access to the Palace after it closes to the public, private morning tours of the Domaine de Trianon, the Orangery Gardens, the Airelles Spa, golf carts through the grounds. This is a private Versailles that few ever get to experience.

Space is extremely limited for this special event. If you have a client who has been waiting for the right moment to experience Le Grand Contrôle, this is it.

Reach out directly to our team for more details.

FIRST LOOK: A Secret Room Inspired by Coco Chanel Arrives at The Fife Arms

The Fife Arms, located in the heart of the Scottish Cairngorms Mountains, has added a new bedroom inspired by fashion designer ‘Coco’ Chanel, whose connection to the Highlands inspired her legendary collections.

Akin to the nest of an exotic bird, the bedroom pays homage to this free-spirited and wild character who first came to Scotland in the 1920s during her romance with Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster. Over the next decade, Chanel fell in love with the culture of the Highlands and became an avid fisherwoman and a renowned fly fisher.

Brought to life by Russell Sage Studio, the interior designer behind the Fife Arms, the opulent and elegant new guestroom draws diverse influences from Chanel’s life and designs. Known for her dislike of doors and her placing of screens in front of them in the hope that her guests might forget to leave, the new ‘secret’ room is hidden behind a trompe-l’œil door featuring details from her Paris apartment and discovered by following the path of a special Camelia symbol.

Specially commissioned tweeds in rich greens and burgundy from Linton mill – discovered by Chanel in 1928 and who still have an ongoing working relationship with the house today – feature throughout the room, complemented by decorative touches drawn from Chanel’s 31 Rue Cambon apartment in Paris, including the wheatsheaf chandelier and Art Deco vanity mirror on the dressing table.

The headboard and furniture throughout the room is painted in Scottish Chinoiserie and the wallpaper is a copy from Rosehall Hall, the Scottish manor house near Lairg, which Chanel decorated during her relationship with the Duke.

Warm and romantic, the room also houses a walk-in wardrobe, dedicated bar area, and freestanding copper bath tucked within an arched niche. The bathroom celebrates the monochrome colour palette that Chanel used regularly within her work.

The new room occupies The Fife Arms’ former Family Room, which has also been carefully relocated and recreated in a dedicated space on the ground floor of the hotel.

Click the link below to explore more:
https://hiddendoorwaystravel.com/the-fife-arms-unveils-a-new-secret-room-inspired-by-coco-chanel/

We’re thrilled to share a first look at the thoughtful renovations just completed at The Mercer Hotel in New York City!

Nearly three decades after redefining downtown hospitality, The Mercer’s new look refines the original vision created in 1997 by French interior designer Christian Liaigre. Rather than reinventing the hotel, the updates subtly deepen the residential character that has long defined the SoHo landmark.

The comprehensive renovation encompasses all 73 guest rooms and suites, introducing warmer materials, refined millwork, Vermont Danby marble bathrooms, and hardwood floors throughout.

Upholstered headboards and reimagined seating bring warmth and more relaxed proportions to the rooms, linen drapery filters light more softly through the large SoHo-facing windows, and the palette deepens into olive green, deep burgundy, and warm leather – adding richness while remaining entirely consistent with the restrained aesthetic Liaigre first established.

Newly configured two- and three-bedroom layouts – created through interconnecting rooms with shared foyers – allow the hotel to accommodate longer stays and multi-room living while preserving the intimate atmosphere that has always distinguished the property.

In a neighborhood defined by constant change, The Mercer remains one of downtown New York's most enduring addresses. We're excited to see the hotel evolve as it enters a new chapter.

Click the link below for more details on the updates:
https://hiddendoorwaystravel.com/new-york-citys-the-mercer-debuts-a-thoughtful-evolution-of-its-iconic-interiors/

Condé Nast Traveler just introduced its most selective recognition yet, and we’re incredibly proud to share that twelve of our partners are among its first honorees!

The inaugural CNT Triple Crown collection recognizes hotels that have earned a place on all three of the magazine’s most prestigious lists: the Hot List, the Gold List, and the Readers’ Choice Awards. Out of thousands of candidates drawn from 30 years of editorial history, fewer than 400 properties made the cut.

A huge congratulations to these Hidden Doorways properties for earning their spot on the inaugural list:

✦ Airelles Gordes, La Bastide

✦ The Beaumont Mayfair

✦ The Brando

✦ The Dolder Grand

✦ The Fife Arms

✦ Heckfield Place

✦ Kokomo Private Island Fiji

✦ The Leela Palace New Delhi

✦ Little Palm Island

✦ Song Saa Private Island

✦ SUJÁN Sher Bagh

✦ Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal

Infinity edges, lagoon views, lake reflections. Pool season is here, and we're marking it with ten of our favorite hotel pools.

Click the link below for more:
https://hiddendoorwaystravel.com/take-the-plunge-ten-hotel-stays-where-water-steals-the-show

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The Brando
Bürgenstock Resort
Finca Cortesin
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni - Bellagio
Hôtel du Couvent
The Dolli
Halekulani Hotel
The Leela Palace Udaipur
Lesante Blu, Zakynthos Greece
La Résidence Phou Vao

Airelles Palladio, Venice has made its grand debut!

Marking one of the most anticipated hotel openings of the year, Airelles Palladio, Venice has officially arrived on the peaceful shores of Giudecca island, offering a new vantage point on one of the world’s most beloved cities.

Set within four exceptional historic buildings, the property occupies 2.5 acres of private gardens, a serene counterpoint to the city’s vibrant pulse. Inside, 45 rooms and suites carry the unmistakable warmth of Venetian style, eight restaurants and bars bring acclaimed chefs together under one roof, and an 18,000-square-foot spa provides a sanctuary of wellness.

The ninth property in the Airelles collection and its first outside France, Airelles Palladio, Venice is a debut worth celebrating.

Click the link below to explore this incredible new property:
https://airelles.com/en/destination/venice

Namia River Retreat just launched The Merchant River Cruise & Restaurant and it’s set to become one of Hoi An's most distinctive experiences on the water.

Mornings are reserved for wellness and breakfast cruises, midday for private charters for lunches, retreats, and meetings, and evenings for the main event: the signature Dinner Cruise.

Every night the boat departs at sunset for a 2.5-hour journey. It begins with cocktails and canapés on deck while the light changes over Hoi An, followed by a Vietnamese harvest buffet built around Lang Co oysters, seasonal coastal BBQ, and ingredients sourced from local markets and organic farms.

The experience carries the same spirit as The Merchant Restaurant at the property, so it feels like a natural extension of a stay at Namia. Hoi An has a long history as an ancient maritime trading port, and the cruise leans into that with cultural storytelling woven throughout the evening.

The vessel holds up to 90 guests across two floors and can also be chartered privately for special occasions.

Click the link below for more on this exciting new addition:
https://www.merchanthoian.com/

The family vacation has had a glow-up...

The best properties out there have figured out how to make multi-generational travel not just manageable genuinely exciting.

These are our favorite places where grandparents, parents, and kids each find exactly what they came for, then come back together for the moments that matter most.

From wilderness adventures in the countryside of Hampshire to ocean explorations in the South Pacific to tracking tigers in Ranthambhore, these are the trips worth gathering everyone for.

Click the link below to explore our favorite family-friendly properties:
https://hiddendoorwaystravel.com/adventures-worth-sharing-our-favorite-hotels-for-family-travel/

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Heckfield Place
Airelles Gordes, La Bastide
SUJÁN
Brush Creek Ranch
The Brando
The Fife Arms
Kokomo Private Island Fiji
Pikaia Lodge Galapagos - Relais & Chateaux
Andronis Arcadia
Villa Avellana

We’ve got a sneak peek of the brand new Flâneur Penthouse at The Fifth Avenue Hotel.

The two-bedroom suite spans the entire seventh floor of the hotel’s Fifth Avenue mansion in New York City.

At 1,695 square feet with a 900-square-foot wraparound terrace, it’s the largest and most ambitious accommodation the property has offered to date.

The penthouse centers on expansive living and dining rooms with a working fireplace and a full-wall wet bar, designed with group stays and private entertaining in mind.

It accommodates up to eight guests across two king bedrooms, each with white marble bathrooms and heated floors. Dedicated butler service comes standard.

The terrace is one of the suite’s standout features. Wrapping the building’s historic façade, it includes a Japanese soaking tub with open views of the Manhattan skyline.

The new penthouse is the latest addition to a property that has steadily established itself as one of New York’s most distinctive addresses and is available to book now!

It’s been a whirlwind month of crisscrossing continents for our team, with stops across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Between FAM trips and site inspections, we’ve been putting in the ground work – checking in, exploring, and returning with fresh eyes and a lot of gratitude for the partners we get to work with.