Europe’s 5 most fashionable hotels

For travellers with an eye for aesthetics, these hotels will place you in the lap of sartorial luxury. Located in five cities that are renowned for their sense of style (and where the fashion week alone is worth travelling for), these five urban retreats are guaranteed to please those partial to fine design.

Le Bristol, Paris is renowned for its exceptional service and style. Found on the fashionable Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, it’s a distinguished establishment that opened in 1925 and that still serves as a popular urban retreat for visitors coming to town for fashion week. The interior is quintessentially Parisian; think rich, delicately-patterned textiles, Louis XVI armchairs, classic chandeliers, polished marble, ornate floral arrangements, plus a white Burmese cat and hotel mascot named Fa-Raon. Stroll around the hotel’s manicured garden, with finely sculpted topiary, groomed lawns and fountains, relax in the indulgent La Prairie spa, and dine at the three Michelin-starred restaurant, Epicure, led by French chef Eric Frechon.

The Mandarin Oriental, Milan, is everything you’d expect from a grand hotel in Italy’s fashion centre. It’s in the midst of the Montenapoleone district – just a short walk from the Duomo, La Scala Opera House, and many of the city’s finest high-end fashion boutiques – yet you wouldn’t guess the central location from the sense of serenity once you step inside. The hotel is housed within several merged 18th-century Milanese palazzos, the décor defined by plush fabrics, dark wooden shutters and circular bathtubs in bathrooms adorned with orchids and contemporary chandeliers. Other highlights include Michelin-starred dining (you can dine al fresco in the leafy courtyard at Seta restaurant), an elegant spa and a swish, indoor rooftop swimming pool. Not to mention the glamorous Mandarin Bar & Bistrot – perfect for a refreshing Negroni come aperitivo hour.

The Henrietta Hotel is a small, exclusive hotel just a stone’s throw from Covent Garden, providing an exquisite haven in the heart of London for anyone with a penchant for luxury and beautiful design. The look is modern European with a touch of retro glamour, with a colour scheme made up of earthy reds, ochres and pastels. Dainty, potted ferns and rose-pink velvet furniture contrast with brass light fittings, while marble skirting boards are offset by leopard print statement wallpaper.

Danish design is one of the world’s most sought after aesthetics and the capital, Copenhagen, is known as a hub of this minimalist, forward-thinking style. Hotels that embody the sophisticated Scandi look are peppered all over the city, such as Hotel Skt Petri, found in the heart of the Latin Quarter amid cobblestone streets and pastel-painted buildings. Guests enter Skt Petri via a smoked green glass escalator, which leads to a vast atrium bedecked in sumptuous hues of green, navy blue, black and grey; picture curved, emerald-coloured velvet sofas, geometric-patterned marble floors, and hanging tropical plants. Past the atrium, the courtyard is decorated with olive and fig trees while Norwegian design studio, Anemone Wille Våge, has added touches of gold to the suites for added glitz. Hire a bike to explore the city’s ubiquitous concept stores and design boutiques, and return to enjoy some of the hotel bar’s fantastic cocktails, or the downstairs sauna and steam room.

In the leafy confines of Berlin’s Grunewald suburb (just outside the city and sat next to a sprawling forest), Schlosshotel provides a sanctuary for fashion-conscious travellers visiting the city. The hotel is set within a historic villa and private garden, and was acquired in 2014 by Berlin fashion designer, Patrick Hellmann, who renovated it to all its former glory, and more. The grandiose lobby with carved wooden ceiling and staircase, towering windows and imposing, glittering chandeliers is a magnificent sight, while the spa with Finnish sauna overlooks the surrounding pine forest for an incredibly soothing experience. The design of the suites themselves demonstrates impressive attention to detail, featuring antique libraries, restored, original frescoes and gilded bedheads. But perhaps the main attraction is the Karl Lagerfeld Suite, designed by the late fashion icon in the 1990s, and furnished with ostentatious Art Deco touches, an enormous pink bed and a beautiful stone balcony.