Sharing the highlights of my hotel year 2024
Selected by RG Awards 2024
2024 turned out to be a really great hotel year on my end where I had the opportunity to stay at some new favorites. A couple of them managed to snag a spot in my unofficial top-25-of-all-time list which is BIG achievement considering how many fantastic hotels I have had the opportunity to stay at over the years. Just how tough it has been this year to land a top spot in the different categories is evident when looking at some of the hotels that didn’t make it. We are talking about gems such as The Standard Bangkok, The Henrietta Experimental, Hoxton Brussels, Tipografia do Conto & Sparrows Lodge
So, back to the awards. Which ones of all of the hotels from 2024 will earn a coveted Selected by RG Award? This is the fifth time since I started this blog that I am doing this and I will present my front runner in ten different categories:
Alpine hotel
Rural hotel
Hotel by water
Historic hotel
Urban hotel
B&B/Cabin/Apartment hotel
Budget hotel
Gastro hotel
Sustainability focused hotel
Unique Award
My favorite alpine hotel of 2024…
…and the winner is: Tierseralpl, Italy
This hotel is truly far off the beaten path. The only way to get here is by foot where you hike over Alpine meadows, up a mountain and over a ridge to arrive at the destination, Tieseralpl. A mountain refuge combining classic Alpine design with South Tyrolean hospitality in a truly stunning location.
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at Tierseralpl.
My favorite rural hotel of 2024…
…and the winner is: Aggershøj, Denmark
I love the Danish islands! The island of Ærø was a new acquaintance for me and so was this cozy hotel. A place oozing of that Danish “hygge”, packaged in beautiful design where Line and Karsten offer world class service and a mean Aperol Spritz in their lush garden. A place to return to, again and again and again…
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at Aggershøj.
My favorite hotel by water of 2024…
…and the winner is: The Barö, Finland
This hotel is located right by the water in south west Finland. A hotel made up up charred wooden cabins, hidden under pine trees connected by a walkway. A hotel off the beaten path where you can come to disconnect and relax, while enjoying the vast Finnish nature.
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at The Barö.
My favorite historic hotel of 2024…
…and the winner is: The W Budapest, Hungary
The old Drechsler Palace in central Budapest is a cream colored Neo-renaissance building dating back to the end of the 19th century. It, used to house the Hungarian Institute of Ballet but was recently, under the reigns of the W chain, transformed into one of their statement hotels, showcasing the new face (and era) of this world famous chain. And I am here for it!
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at The W Budapest.
My favorite urban hotel of 2024…
…and the winner is: Amour, France
Hotel Amour in Nice, is located just a couple of blocks from the beach. This is a a really amazing urban hotel. No, it is actually perfect. Many urban hotels tend to lean on the impersonal or generic side. This is everything but. Amour has so much personality, so much style, great design, a relaxed vibe and is a popular watering hole for the local hipster crowd (btw, is anyone using the term hipster anylonger?). This to me is a perfect urban hotel.
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at Amour Nice.
My favorite cabin hotel of 2024…
…and the winner is: The Bolder, Norway
This cabin hotel is litterally hanging from the edge of a cliff. The sleek designer cabins are standing on stilts where the feeling is that they could slip of the mountain at any second. Of course that will not happen but this feeling does add a certain kind of edge when lying in your bed looking out over the rugged Lysefjorden.
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at The Bolder.
My favorite gastro hotel of 2024…
…and the winner is: VYN, Sweden
Daniel Berlin, who is the mastermind behind VYN, has been one of the best chefs in Sweden for many years. He used to run a Michelin star restaurant in a nearby village that he decided to close down due to personal reasons. VYN is his comeback, this time with a hotel attached, and the place wasn’t even one year old when he received his first new Michelin star. And if fine dining isn’t your thing, there is a second, more relaxed option on the site.
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at VYN.
My favorite budget design hotel of 2024…
…and the winner is: Lermooser, Austria
I have said this before. This is my favorite category. I love to highlight hotels that offer great design with a more reasonable price tag. When really nice design isn’t only for the rich. Lermooser Hotel, situated in an old train station in the cute little Alpine village of Lermoos is a great little boutique hotel with minimalist but warm and really good-looking design where you don’t have to sell a kidney to be able to spend the night.
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at Lermooser.
My favorite sustainability focused hotel of 2024…
…and the winner is: Majamaja, Finland
This cabin hotel is located just outside Helsinki and is a real circularity and sustainability frontrunner. We are talking rain water collection, solar panels, a circular water clean up system. An example of how minimizing the carbon footprint can be combined with great looking design.
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at Majamaja.
And the final one, the Unique Award of 2024…
…and the winner is: l’Arlatan, France
This category is in a way a combination of all the other categories. Some hotels are just too unique to fit into only one category. And my favorite in this category of categories this year is l’Arlatan in Arles, France. An explosion of colors and truly unique design where the subtle exterior hides an unexpected interior. I don’ think I have ever snapped more photos when staying at a hotel. Everywhere I turned there was something new, interesting and unexpected to discover. Basically a feast to your eyes.
Here is a link to my blog post where you can read all about my stay at l’Arlatan.
It is time to close 2024 and like always, I look forward to what will hopefully be another really good year for all of you, and a great hotel year for Selected by RG. I hope you will join me as I continue to explore more of all the wonderful, unique hotels out there.
If you are curious to read about which hotels stood out to me in in my previous annual Selected by RG Awards, you can find those post here:
What to look forward to in 2025? There will be a lot of focus on our current country of residence, Italy but I have already made plans to visit three new countries this year; Slovenia, Croatia and Japan where I have booked some great (I hope…) hotels. So stay tuned for more unique hotels!
Happy new hotel year!
//RG
