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  • Luxury hotels with a front row to history

    Luxury hotels with a front row to history

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    (CNN) — Hotels offer us the chance to check out of our daily lives into something more glamorous and exhilarating, to wrap ourselves in the drama and allure of past guests and events.

    While many hotels have rich and varied stories behind every door, there are a few around the world that stand out for the momentous, scandalous or even tragic scenes which once unfolded there, but have now become a key part of their appeal.

    Here are 13 of our favorites.

    Hotel Chelsea, New York

    Manhattan’s legendary Hotel Chelsea reopened earlier this year after a major refurb that’s revived the 134-year-old grande dame while losing none of its bohemian spirit.

    With the opening of its first ever Lobby Bar — the vibes are vintage chandeliers, original mosaic floors and wood-paneled walls — anyone can now swing by to soak up the atmosphere of this legendary spot whose long-stay residents have included Mark Twain, Jackson Pollock, Arthur Miller, Bob Dylan and Madonna.

    Morbid pilgrimages to Room 100 — where punk scenester Nancy Spungen was stabbed, with her boyfriend Sid Vicious later charged with murder — are curtailed by the room being demolished. Trysts, such as Janis Joplin and Leonard Cohen enjoyed on the fourth floor (inspiring one of Cohen’s most poignant songs) are fine, though.

    Cliveden House & Spa, Berkshire, England

    This award-winning five-star stately home hotel sits on 376 acres of British National Trust grounds and declares proudly on its website that “our story is one of over 350 years of powerful personalities, iconic parties and scandalous affairs.”

    The most famous of these is the Profumo Affair of the Swinging ’60s, when a prominent British politician embarked on a liaison with a 19-year-old model, rumored to have connections with a Russian spy, after meeting by the Cliveden pool.

    The hotel is more decorous these days, but still attracts the most elite of guests: Meghan Markle spent the night here in 2018 before her marriage to Prince Harry. Read more about Cliveden’s colorful history in our CNN Travel feature.

    Watergate Hotel, Washington DC

    The Watergate Hotel’s Room 214 — now named the Scandal Room — is where in June 1972 the orchestrators of the infamous Watergate break-in kept in touch by radio with the burglars at the Democratic National Committee headquarters across the way.

    The room was made over in 2017 by “Scandal” costume designer Lyn Paolo and is now a stylish homage to the 1970s and America’s greatest political upset. Would-be spies can enjoy the Scandal Suite’s binoculars, manual typewriter, reel-to-reel tape recorder and curated book collection, or simply indulge in the regular amenities like plush robes, 300-thread count sheets and the spa-like bathroom.

    Casa Malca, Tulum, Mexico

    Casa Malca is a chic boutique hotel in the ever-popular Caribbean coastal town of Tulum, filled with contemporary artworks from art dealer owner Lio Malca’s personal collection.

    The mansion is believed to have been previously owned by a very different kind of dealer, a man you may be familiar with from the TV show “Narcos.” Yes, this is reputed to have been drug lord Pablo Escobar’s seaside hideaway, abandoned after his death in 1993. Reinforced bullet-proof walls and escape tunnels are out; Persian rugs, tree bark-covered walls and meditation spaces are in.

    There is an eclectic mix of 71 suites and beach rooms to choose from.

    Casa Malca, Km 9.5 Hotel Zone Tulum-Boca Paila, 77780 Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    Ritz Paris, France

    The Coco Chanel Suite starts at $56,000 per night.

    The Ritz Paris

    Princess Diana ate her last meal here in the Imperial Suite. Writer Marcel Proust wrote sections of his epic work “Remembrance of Things Past.” King Edward VII is said to have got wedged in a too-small bathtub with his lover. And when Paris was occupied by Germans during World War II, this most eminent of hotels was — like many other desirable locales — taken over by high-ranking members of the Nazi party, including Hitler’s second-in-command Hermann Goering.

    Fashion designer Coco Chanel lived at the hotel for 34 years, with her residency beginning in the pre-war times of 1937. She became cozy with the occupying Germans and is alleged to have worked as a Nazi informant.

    Legend has it that in 1944, the American writer Ernest Hemingway, a long-standing fan of the Ritz, took it upon himself to “liberate” the bar from the Germans, invading the bar and freeing plenty of dry martinis — although the Nazis by that time had already vacated the premises.

    Ritz Paris, 15 Place Vendôme, 75001 Paris, France

    Belmond Cadogan Hotel, London

    Irish playwright Oscar Wilde is said to have decried the “harsh and ugly light” of the new-fangled electrics at the Ritz Paris, but London hotels featured among his favored haunts. He frequented the Hotel Cafe Royal on Piccadilly — which today has an elegant lounge named in his honor, serving afternoon tea — and the privacy of its hotel rooms were ideal for clandestine assignations with the capital’s male sex workers.
    However, it was at the Cadogan Hotel in Knightsbridge where the celebrated wit was arrested on charges of sodomy and gross indecency, leading later to his trial and imprisonment. His final address, in exile, was at the now chic boutique L’Hôtel (formerly L’Hôtel d’Alsace) in the Paris neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Pres; an oft-told story has it that he declared himself at the end as “dying above his means.”

    Belmond Cadogan Hotel, 75 Sloane Street, Chelsea, London

    Europa Hotel, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Belfast’s Europa Hotel celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021 and it had more to celebrate than most: This plucky survivor is known as the world’s most bombed hotel. It opened at the height of the 30-year conflict known as The Troubles, during which many of Northern Ireland’s hotels were bombed or forced to close, and was targeted 33 times between 1970 and 1994.

    Then-US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary chose the Europa as their base on their 1990s visits to encourage the peace process and the suite they used is now named after them.

    In modern, peaceful Northern Ireland, the Europa’s turbulent past is thankfully long behind it: It’s now a polished four-star stay offering guests a warm welcome in one of this friendly city’s best locations.

    Europa Hotel, Great Victoria St, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT2 7AP

    Hôtel des Mille Collines, Kigali, Rwanda

    The name Hôtel des Mille Collines might not ring a bell but “Hotel Rwanda” — the 2004 film it inspired starring Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo — probably does. During the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi people during the Rwandan Civil War, this luxury hotel in the Rwandan capital became a shelter for around 2,000 people.

    The fast-growing tourism destination of Rwanda is known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills” — or “Milles Collines” in French — and the poolside rooms at this four-star hotel offer impressive views of that celebrated rolling countryside.

    Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles, California

    The Chateau Marmont has long been the discreet hideaway of Hollywood's elite.

    The Chateau Marmont has long been the discreet hideaway of Hollywood’s elite.

    Araya Doheny/Getty Images

    Billed on its website as “always a safe haven,” the near-century-old Chateau Marmont’s reputation was built as being where Hollywood high-rollers went for hush-hush high jinks. Jean Harlow, the original “blonde bombshell,” took up residence in 1933. “Psycho” actor Anthony Perkins and his boyfriend Tab Hunter were able to enjoy the freedom of a discreet affair. But the spotlight swung on the Marmont in 1982 when the comedian John Belushi died there of a drug overdose.

    These days things are a little calmer — although Lindsay Lohan did still check in after her arrest for drunk driving in 2007. Rooms are pure Golden Era Hollywood, although online reviews suggest some visitors are less impressed by a little tarnish around some of the hotel’s gilded edges.

    The Villa Casa Casuarina, Miami Beach, Florida

    This luxury $1,000-plus-a-night boutique hotel on Ocean Drive was, until 1997, the home of fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was shot dead on the front steps by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.

    Guests can now sleep in Gianni’s former bedroom, or the bedroom that belonged to his sister Donatella. And then there’s the suite Madonna used when she came to visit. Or, for a lower budget way to enjoy that trademark Versace opulence, have a drink in the Onyx Bar — once Versace’s kitchen — or sit down for a meal at Gianni’s restaurant.

    El Cortez Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

    Las Vegas is a byword around the world for lurid excess and high living and, at Sin City’s longest continually running hotel and casino and the only casino listed on the US National Register of Historic Places, there’s been more than 80 years of romping.

    Once owned by mobster Bugsy Siegel, El Cortez recently underwent a $28 million renovation, including updating its 47 original hotel rooms to their mid-century glory. If you win big on the tables, the suite to stay at is the $1,500-a-night Jackie Gaughan Suite. Casino magnate Gaughan lived there in the 1980s and today it’s 2,700 square feet of pastel pink upholstery, brass fittings and oversized velvet and shag pillows.

    El Cortez Hotel & Casino, 600 East Fremont St, Las Vegas, Nevada 89101

    Hotel Majapahit Surabaya — MGallery, Surabaya, Indonesia

    Founded in 1910 as Hotel Oranje, when Indonesia was under Dutch rule, it was renamed Hotel Yamato during the World War II Japanese occupation of Indonesia and used as the headquarters of the Japanese forces.

    It then stepped into history with the “Hotel Yamato incident” of 1945 when pro-independence revolutionaries are said to have torn away the blue stripe of the Dutch flag above the hotel to create Indonesia’s red and white standard. The next month, the Battle of Surabaya would be a key moment in Indonesia’s ultimately successful War of Independence.

    Saint Georges Hotel & Resort, Beirut, Lebanon

    Saint George hotel, Beirut

    The Saint Georges in its heyday.

    PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images

    While it might seem surprising today, back in the 1950s and ’60s Beirut was a playground for the international jet set. The Saint George was the first beach club to open on the coast of Beirut in the 1930s and Brigitte Bardot, Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif were among the superstar names who hung out at this Middle Eastern hotspot. Read more here in our CNN Travel story from 2015.

    Sadly the hotel was ravaged during the 1975-1990 civil war and a long-running legal dispute with government-backed development and construction giant Solidere has stalled reconstruction efforts, perhaps permanently.

    The Saint Georges is located in Ain el Mreisse, at the end of Zeitouna Bay complex, Beirut, Lebanon

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  • These Maldives resorts are leading the charge on sustainability

    These Maldives resorts are leading the charge on sustainability

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    Editor’s Note — This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy.

    (CNN) — As the lowest-lying nation in the world — with much of it sitting just a few feet above sea level — the nearly 1,200 Indian Ocean islands scattered across the Maldives’ sun-soaked atolls are famed not just for their magazine-cover-ready beaches and bungalows, but for their increasing vulnerability to rising sea levels.

    According to reports from NASA, as much as 80% of these islands could be uninhabitable by 2050.
    And that’s not the only pressing environmental threat. The island nation’s remote setting and limited refuse facilities — combined with a large influx of tourists (numbering more than 1.7 million annually, pre-pandemic) — has led to improper waste disposal, with the Maldives tourism board going so far as to encourage visitors to carry out their own nonbiodegradable waste.
    The delicate coral reef ecosystem, too — a huge lure for divers and snorkelers — has been experiencing damage en masse: A scientific survey in 2016 found that climate change-induced coral bleaching had damaged more than 60% of the country’s reefs.

    “A large draw for tourism is the healthy ocean environment that visitors come to see. Clearly this type of environment must be preserved in order to continue attracting high-spending tourism,” says James Ellsmoor, CEO of Island Innovation, an agency that helps stakeholders in small island destinations — including in the Maldives — achieve sustainable development goals.

    Indeed, this nature-based tourism is something of a paradox here. While much of the nation’s 540,000 citizens rely on related revenue for their livelihood, the tourism industry is frequently blamed for exacerbating the environmental crisis. Maldives resorts claim high energy and resource demands, and turn out excess waste production — and perhaps most grievously, are dependent upon emissions-heavy, long-haul flights to bring the tourists in.

    As a result, many of the country’s 150-plus, luxe-leaning resorts aren’t just choosing to “go green” for good PR optics — experts say that in the Maldives, operating as sustainably as possible is essential to a business’s long-term survival.

    Plus, some resort initiatives, like those toward clean energy infrastructure, are also good for their bottom line.

    “The high cost of importing fuel to power noisy, polluting generators simply does not make sense when compared to the much lower cost of solar, wind and battery storage,” says Ellsmoor.

    Today, several Maldivian resorts are leading the pack on innovative sustainability actions that are helping to minimize impact — while proving that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand.

    On-site recycling facilities

    Historically, much of the nation’s waste has been poorly managed, relegated to open burn pits or disposed of at sea, creating air pollution, damaging the marine ecosystem, and/or washing back ashore in the process. Thankfully, the government has taken steps to remedy these issues.

    Meanwhile, research shows that tourists are the highest generators of garbage in the Maldives, per capita. In response, some island resorts are now employing creative solutions to waste management.
    Eco-pioneering Soneva Resorts, for instance, which operates two properties in the Maldives, has a robust composting program and also operates their Eco Centro — an on-site waste-processing facility that recycles around 90% of the resorts’ plastic, aluminum and glass waste.

    Everyone gets on board with recycling at Soneva.

    Soneva

    The company also launched its Makers’ Place concept at Soneva Fushi last year, where makers and artists repurpose “waste” into sellable arts and crafts, like wall tiles and glassware.

    Fairmont Maldives, meanwhile — which aims to be the “first zero-waste-generating resort” in the country — launched its Sustainability Lab earlier this year, which likewise focuses on reimagining resort- and ocean-salvaged plastic, glass and aluminum waste into tourist keepsakes and local products (like turtle-shaped luggage tags and stationary for area schools).

    The facility is destined to become a regional recycling center for the surrounding communities, with a further mission of educating local schoolchildren on recycling and conservation.

    Sam Dixon, in-house sustainability manager and resident marine biologist at Fairmont Maldives, says that the school partnerships are important, as they’re “encouraging the next generation to care passionately about protecting the ecosystem and marine life that inhabits it.”

    Solar energy installations

    One resource that the tropical Maldives has in abundance is sunshine, offering a path to renewable solar energy generation that more resorts are looking to tap into.

    In 2018, Kudadoo Maldives Private Island became the first resort in the country to be fully solar-powered, thanks to nearly 1,000 solar panels that cover the rooftop of “The Retreat” (a hub for dining, wellness, and retail).
    Other properties that have integrated substantial solar projects include Dusit Thani Maldives, where solar panels blanket the roofs of main resort buildings; The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, which operates mainly on solar (guest villas come capped with panels); and LUX* South Ari Atoll, which claims the world’s largest floating solar power plant at sea (bonus: the eco-friendly solar platforms provide a sort of artificial reef for marine life).

    And it’s not just resorts that are transitioning to solar. Earlier this year, Gan International Airport also announced plans to become the Maldives’ first fully solar-powered airport.

    ‘Zero-Food-Mile dining

    With limited agricultural infrastructure, most food items served in the Maldives have to be flown in. To help offset some of that carbon footprint, reduce associated packaging waste and save costs at the same time, several resorts have stepped up to the (kitchen) plate to develop homegrown “zero-food-mile” solutions.

    Amilla, for one, has a host of sustainable dining initiatives that go beyond the more standardized veggie and herb gardens to include a banana plantation, hydroponic garden, mushroom hut, coconut processing facility and a choose-your-own-eggs “Cluckingham Palace” chicken coop.
    Patina Maldives, Fari Islands, bills itself as “purveyors of conscious cuisine,” with an on-site organic permaculture garden that’s open to guest foraging; zero-waste kitchens; dining menus that promote plant-based diets; and an in-house water-bottling facility.
    Patina Maldives: delicious and green.

    Patina Maldives: delicious and green.

    Patina Maldives, Fari Islands

    Guests dining at the Zero restaurant at Sun Island Resort & Spa, meanwhile, are promised a nearly zero-food-mile dining experience, with an emphasis on produce plucked from the hotel garden and fishermen-fresh seafood — all served at a table tucked into the treetops.

    Guest conservation programs

    Zoona Naseem is the Maldives’ second certified PADI course director. But rather than working with tourists, she opened a dive center for local women and children.

    With the Maldives facing such dire environmental stakes, many travelers feel compelled to pitch in to help.

    Marteyne van Well, regional general manager at Six Senses Laamu, says that Maldives visitors are increasingly seeking out sustainable resort brands that offer conservation initiatives and education.

    “Travelers are looking for more local experiences, as they want to feel that they are contributing to local communities,” she says, noting that, today, such resort sustainability initiatives are simply “a must in order to even start engaging a potential guest.”

    Six Senses Laamu visitors can hobnob with the largest team of marine scientists in the country, part of the resort-led Maldives Underwater Initiative (MUI), a group that has successfully protected hundreds of sea turtles and mantas and more than a million square feet of seagrass.

    Resort guests can sign up for an array of marine conservation-minded activities, including regular reef cleanups, weekly conservation lectures, marine biologist-guided snorkeling outings and a junior marine biology program for kids.

    Other impressive resort conservation programs include those led by the Coco Collection, with two Maldives properties behind the veterinarian-led ORP Marine Turtle Rescue Centre and a team of resident marine biologists in charge of ocean restoration. Guests can join in on coral tree planting outings, participate in reef cleanups, or even help rehabilitate rescued turtles.
    Gili Lankanfushi, meanwhile, will launch a new Marine Biology Center later this year with a dedicated research space and expanded coral regeneration program, where guests can participate in hands-on coral reef cleaning and rehabilitation and study conservation alongside resident marine biologists.

    In the end, van Well says, with the rise of more conscious consumers, the Maldives resort’s job is to provide guests “tips and some of our little secrets on how to lead a more sustainable life that they can take home with them — and this takeaway is highly valued and appreciated by our guests.”

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