My Top Five 2021 Favourite Hotels

🔝5️⃣. Here we are back at the beginning of a fresh year, and therefore my most recent collection of annual Top Five’s.

In 2020 I stayed in just 4 hotels, but in 2021 I stayed in 19, and the counter only started in June. It was good to get back out there, but a warning for those yet to throw money at hotel stays — there are still many hospitality restrictions depending on the hotel and location, and do not expect the same level of service(s) as hotels struggle with staffing and personnel. Also, as you’d expect very little investment has being going into hotels within the past two years, so also presuppose tired and neglected properties at inflated prices as hotel owners attempt to claw back some money.

I do love a good hotel, and will happily overspend on a hotel room, and scrimp on a flight. I do hope for better experiences in 2022, and there are many new properties that have opened or are being developed. Three of the nineteen hotels were in the UK, one in Bermuda which we used for a staycation and the rest Stateside. So, here were my Top Five 2021 Favourite Hotels 🏨

1️⃣ Great Northern Hotel, Kings Cross, London

This was a random choice. My bother and I only stayed here when we were back to visit our parents and watch football in November because it was located perfectly in between St. Pancreas and Kings Cross Stations. Newly renovated, the rooms were small but perfectly formed. The interior design was arty and the whole hotel had a soothing ambience about it. Great staff and plenty going on close by, which was handy as every eating and drinking option in the hotel on the Sunday night was shut.

2️⃣ The Setai, Miami, Florida

We chose this hotel only because friends had booked it for an August weekend away. Asian influences combine with Art Deco design and contemporary looks. The service was excellent with lot s of nice pre-Covid touches. We arrived late and went straight to dinner to be met by a full on show at the restaurant Jaya, which was a lovely bonus alongside great dumplings and other Asian fare. We also really liked the Ocean Grill restaurant too, right on the boardwalk.

3️⃣ TWA Hotel, JFK Airport, New York

Another surprise one in that I didn’t plan to stay in this hotel, but was forced to after my flight got pushed back to the next day. Whilst my work travel person umming and ahhed on the phone and Delta staff were packing other passengers off on buses, I called the TWA Hotel and booked myself in.

The 512-room hotel is in the historic Eero Saarinen’s TWA Flight Center building completely restored and utterly instagrammable. The hotel is uber cool utilizing all of the original architecture, and each room has floor to ceiling windows with airport views and seven layers of triple-glazed insulated glass!

4️⃣ The Ivey, Charlotte, North Carolina

This was a stopover enroute home from Miami as flights in and out of Bermuda are now so limited. The Ivey was once a department store but now a boutique hotel with a sophisticated feel. Good size rooms had a balcony and the next door 5Church restaurant was a nice bonus and the hotel also had it’s own lounge bar complete with a grand staircase.

5️⃣ Four Seasons, Miami, Florida

I have stayed here many times occupying the 3rd highest building in Florida, and although now showing a little age (it opened in 2003) the hotel has some great amenities and is close to the ever flourishing Brickell City Center. Rooms are a good size, and the Edge Restaurant is excellent and family friendly.