London, September 3, 2008 – TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel community, today announced the top 10 hip fashion hotels in the world, according to traveller popularity and TripAdvisor editors. 

1. Raising the Bar: Hôtel Costes, Paris, France – Average Nightly Rate: £330
With a world-renowned bar – confirmed by its own popular CD collection – Hotel Costes is draped in gold and purple with beautiful dangling chandeliers. Stay during Paris Fashion Week and you’re guaranteed to knock champagne glasses with some mingling fashion editor. As one TripAdvisor traveller put it, “There are so many fab hotels in Paris, but we love Hotel Costes for its gorgeous courtyard, where we eat, meet our friends for drinks, and people watch too!”

2. Bullish on Bulgari: Bulgari Milano, Milan, Italy – Average Nightly Rate: £577
A short dash to the fashion quarter, Bulgari Milano exudes style with a lobby featuring black marble falls, white walls, green accents and a fireplace to warm the scantily clad. Before hitting the fashion shows, feel like a god or goddess by indulging in the Bulgari Spa, accented with a gold mosaic pool and green glass hammam (or bath). As one TripAdvisor traveller said, “A palace of super cool luxury. Gorgeous finishes in absolutely every nook and cranny, charming detail to hospitality (yummy house scent as a gift, sumptuous fabrics everywhere, signature Bulgari toiletries) and simply awesome spa.”

3. Bow to the Bowery: The Bowery Hotel, New York City, New York – Average Nightly Rate: £330
Shunning popular minimalist interiors, the Bowery Hotel embraces regal opulence by indulging in the past. Popular with fashion’s finest, the baroque-style living area – doused in reds, lanterns and dark woods – provides a lounge area not to be missed. One TripAdvisor traveller recommended, “Overall, the hotel is fabulous - a bohemian hideaway providing an authentic New York experience.”

4. Making Hay: Haymarket Hotel, London, U.K. – Average Nightly Rate: £328
Bursting with bold colors and prints contrasting with oak floors and steel sculptures, Haymarket Hotel features a modern English interior, designed by duo Tim and Kit Kemp. For a drink, head to the lively bar Brumus, or stroll downstairs to the magnificent pool area, featuring a pseudo-sunset light installation and stainless steel bar – where you’re sure to make a splash. According to one TripAdvisor traveller, “The lounge areas are comfortable and, again, stunningly decorated. The pool is fab.”

5. Top Heavy: Hotel Unique, Sao Paulo, Brazil – Average Nightly Rate: £279
Living up to its name, there is no hotel that resembles the Hotel Unique, which has four rooms on the second floor and 30 rooms on the top floor. With an audacious structure and boasting a truly unusual interior, even the most avant-garde outfits will blend right in. As one TripAdvisor traveller said, “The hotel is extremely beautiful, with very modern architecture, a beautiful lobby and really nice and clean modern rooms. The restaurant on the top is very trendy and serves an amazing (but expensive) breakfast.”

6. Deluxe Digs: Lux 11, Berlin, Germany – Average Nightly Rate: £143
Situated in the heart of Berlin’s hip fashion district and designed by London duo Claudio Silvestrin and Guiliana Salmaso, Lux 11 embraces luxury and style with stark-white interiors, open-plan rooms and clean lines. The in-hotel amenities, including a salon, spa, and clothing store, make primping convenient, especially with one of Berlin’s most popular meeting spots on the ground floor. According to one TripAdvisor traveller, “Cutting-edge style and urban sophistication make this hotel a fitting complement to trendy East Berlin/Mitte.” 

7. Park’s the Place: Park Hyatt Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan – Average Nightly Rate: £326
Nothing compares to the perfection of the Park Hyatt Tokyo, with its uber-chic gadgets (temperature-adjusting toilet seats) yet relaxed atmosphere. Enjoy magnificent scenery at the New York Bar, where the beautiful mingle and the Tokyo skyline appeases as the backdrop. As one TripAdvisor traveller said, “The service is flawless and unobtrusive. The style of the place is modern, but nothing like a spaceship.”

8. Fish Story: Hotel Arts Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain – Average Nightly Rate: £331
With its inside-out facade (steel beams reflect the sun), the Hotel Arts Barcelona is an extraordinary building designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. A true Spanish hotel, Frank Gehry adds his touch with a fish-inspired structure – fittingly adjacent to the pool. As one TripAdvisor traveller said, “The Hotel Arts is directly on the Mediterranean and stands like a monument to modern luxury. High-tech and chic, this hotel is stunning in a multitude of ways. The men and women working look like Vogue ads or GQ models but act like true professionals.”

9. Water Works: BLUE Sydney, Sydney, Australia – Average Nightly Rate: £136
Sip a cocktail in the BLUE Sydney at the Water Bar, a popular spot for the fashion elite, complete with plush ice-blue cushions and open lounge areas. The spacious lobby creates a relaxed and inviting environment, while integrating the wharf-planks and all. According to one TripAdvisor traveller, “The hotel is stylish and very well-presented and the rooms are comfortable. There are also great views from the city-facing rooms.”

10. Star Gazing: Chateau Marmont – West Hollywood, California – Average Nightly Rate: £260
Half the fun is star gazing at the Chateau Marmont, where you’re bound to rub elbows with an “A” list celebrity, but follow Hollywood legend Harry Cohn’s advice, “If you must get in trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont.” Modelled after a chateau in the Loire Valley, it’s no surprise that fashion’s international elite would feel most at home here. As one TripAdvisor traveller commented, “What you get when you stay here is access to a fun world of musicians and movie producers hanging out, an historic and beautiful setting, and some of the nicest hotel rooms I've ever stayed in.”

"These hotels are guaranteed to be the top spots to stay during fashion weeks across the world," said Luke Fredberg, director of communications for TripAdvisor, Europe. "The unique nature of these hotels draws fashion industry luminaries, models and their admirers to eat, drink and party, turning the hotels themselves into a runway."