We have asked Kara Franker, beach-obsessed blogger at Kara On The Coast and editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury, to share her thoughts with us about her love for hotels, and Amberlair, of course. And before you ask, a #BohoLover is a Boutique Hotel lover… just like us!

How do you choose a hotel when you travel?

Location and style. I want to be within walking distance to the best hotspots in the area and I want the property to exude a distinct sense of style that makes it stand out from the rest. That could be artsy, luxurious, beachy, chic or some combo!

If you had to choose 3, which were the most special (boutique) hotels you have ever stayed at and what made them so special?

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa is by far the most amazing property I’ve ever stayed at. It’s on a private island in the Florida Keys that’s only accessible by yacht or seaplane.

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in Key West. Photo by hotel.

Convento do Espinheiro, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa in Evora Portugal blew me away because of the history, charm and architecture.

Convento do Espinheiro in Portugal. Photo by hotel.

Convento do Espinheiro in Portugal. Photo by hotel.

Eau in Palm Beach is an exceptional stunner because the spa is like a wonderland for the all senses.

Eau in Palm Beach in Florida. Photo by hotel.

If you had your own boutique hotel, what 3 things would you make sure existed?

• A welcome glass of Champagne for every guest.
• Spectacular views from every room.
• Club lounge style access with multiple food presentations.

Name 3 things you loved in hotels you stayed in before…

1. I’m obsessed with club lounge food presentations at all The Ritz-Carlton properties (that’s worth mentioning again! Lol).
2. At the Naples Bay Resort, they gave me access to my own boat for every night of my stay…amazing.
3. The romantic details the at the Henderson Park Inn in Destin, Florida comes to mind. They bring you a bottle of wine upon arrival, fix the most amazing brunch spread each morning, there are no children on the property (perfect for couples) and the beach views are second to none.

Name 3 things you wouldn’t want to experience in a hotel ever again.

1. One time a window washer showed up unannounced on my balcony right after I stepped out of the shower. Not good.
2. It baffles me when I show up to a luxury hotel and the service is sub par. It still happens though.
3. I think it’s ridiculous when upscale hotels nickel and dime you for every little thing like beach chairs and umbrellas, bicycle rentals, etc.

How do you feel about the Amberlair concept?

I love it! I think it’s a brilliant idea.

Where are you off to next?

Four Seasons Resort Nevis for their 10th Annual Sea Turtle Weekend. I’m very excited!

Kara Franker is a Miami-based, beach-obsessed blogger at Kara On The Coast, editor-in-chief of a bridal magazine and a recovering lawyer who ditched the courtroom to be a writer.

You can find Kara Franker tweeting and posting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We have asked Polina Steier of Caviar Affair to share her thoughts with us about her love for hotels, and Amberlair, of course. And before you ask, a #BohoLover is a Boutique Hotel lover… just like us!

How do you choose a hotel when you travel?

Our bespoke luxury traveler readers rely on my colleagues and myself to inspire them with exceptional and extraordinary properties around the world, exceptional experiences and itineraries. I seek out hotels that our readers would love to stay in and return to. The hotels I seek  must have a personal approach to excellent, not stuffy, and discreet service. They must have a strong sense of place with strong ( non-cookie cutter)  design that evokes a sense of place. Fast, free WiFi is always a plus. Free, well curated minibar items. Must have a boutique intimate feel, even if it’s a large grand property. Must have insiders VIP access to hard-to-get into places and connection to bespoke local experiences. The bedding absolutely must be high quality with fine hand feel sheeting and duvets (mattresses could be luxury and locally crafted – like a great horsehair mattress). Towels as well – Oversized thirsty plush towels. I like a “modern cocooning” type of hotel that offers the highest levels of creature comforts after a day of adventurous “roughing it” exploration. I love to swim, so a pool or nearby access to a pool is always a plus.

If you had to choose 3, which were the most special (boutique) hotels you have ever stayed at and what made them so special?

I can’t choose  just three —

Royal Mansour in  Marrakech – The King of Morocco treats his guests  lavishly at his townhouse-suites.
I love the intricate local artwork throughout the villas and the amazing food at the restaurants. Your personal butler also offesr a delicious  tea  that you can enjoy from your rooftop sunken Jacuzzi overlooking the Marakkech skyline while the haunting call to prayer is heard throughout the city. Lavish breakfast is served in your private  courtyard fountained garden.

Royal Mansour in Marrakech. Photo by hotel.

Royal Mansour in Marrakech. Photo by hotel.

Townhouse Galleria in Milano for their outstanding high level of service and their embrace of modern design without touching the centuries old façade and special interiors.

Laucala in Fiji for the warm full staff musical singing welcome when your private plane touches down, and for their marvelous attention to service such as squeezing freshly picked mangoes and papaya  for your morning  juice and fishing at your whim  for your fresh sashimi. The lavish delicious breakfasts under a thatch roof on your private villas beach is dreamy. I love the electric jeep they give you to tool around the private island.

Laucala on Fiji islands. Photo by hotel.

Las Ventanas al Paraíso in Los Cabos – For their freshly garden foraged salads, just-caught seafood, and freshly squeezed margaritas. The villas are incredible and the “director of romance” helped me plan a surprise for my husband with a wonderful special “only at Paraiso” experience. I love how this resort lights up with flickering candles at night.

Las Ventanas al Paraíso in Los Cabos. Photo by hotel.

Minaret Station in New Zealand – For their elegant romantic tented suites in the New Zealand alps –  and helicopter only access.

The Efendi in Akko, Israel – for the gorgeous design and incredible rooftop views of the sea, souks and mosques.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about one other all time favorite hotel –

The Singita Grumeti in the Serengeti.  For it’s cocooning luxury tents and cabins  and a birds eye view of the great migration from your back porch. Imagine thousands of wildebeest passing right by your tent in the morning  as you sip warm tea, mesmerized.  The cashmere clad hot water bottles they provide in your bed after dinner is also a wonderful touch.

Each perfectly evokes what I seek in a hotel.  The common golden thread in all the hotels chosen above is their unique  experiences available only at or through the properties, their exceptional intuitive attention to details and your needs/desires and their outstanding sense of place.  And, of course, great food!

If you had your own boutique hotel, what 3 things would you make sure existed?

• Welcoming, warm, unobtrusive service with a fine eye towards detail and the needs of guests
• Exceptional in suite amenities  such as free, fast wifi, locally sourced bath products, sumptuous sheets, duvets and pillows and terrific curated (free) minibar items
• Offering unique bespoke one-of-a kind culinary/spa/area exploration experiences found only through or at the hotel

Name 3 things you loved in hotels you stayed in before…

1. At Laucala in Fiji  – I loved my birthday  private champagne filled yacht ride around the gorgeous island of Laucala followed by a private fireside chefs sumptuous  bbq  (complete with amazing personal cake) and  local musicians  To cap of the evening – a petal strewn bath awaited in my villas hand carved Indonesian wood tub.
2. At Townhouse Galleria  in Milano, I loved my personal butler’s attention to detail from what I wanted in the types of bed sheeting, to the exact temperature of the drawn bath, to the personal chef prepared midnight snacks (caviar topped roasted potatoes, of course!) . I also loved my butler -led private insiders tour of La Scala.
3. At the Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, I loved waking up in the early morning to two long purple tongued giraffes poking into  our second story  window,  and feeding them from a treat filled bucket in the suite.
4. At the Peninsula Hong Kong, I loved seeing the mesmerizing junks float by below  our suite  and swimming in their gorgeous pool. Their high tea is amazing, too.

Name 3 things you wouldn’t want to experience in a hotel ever again.

Unclean.  Flimsy threadbare sheeting. Minibar charges.

How do you feel about the Amberlair concept?

This is a novel concept that will be warmly embraced. To create boutique hotels and exceptional experiences stemming from the feedback, advice and input of like-minded ultra-luxury travelers would be outstanding. I am looking forward to seeing (and experiencing)  Amberlair’s debut.

Where are you off to next?

Finland to enjoy the Northern Lights from incredible  ice igloos,  and Tatarstan to stay at my uncles dacha with family.

Polina Steier founded Caviar Affair magazine as its Editor in Chief in 2005 to inspire a like minded community of  voyagers  seeking unique luxury,  bespoke,  highly personalized travel and culinary  experiences and extraordinary hotels  worldwide.  She oversees the award-winning editorial and design staff and freelance journalists  of the magazine’s  print and digital editions.
Caviar Affair  magazine inspires its readers to create their own memorable journeys and discover and rediscover the world through food, wine and wonderful hotels with a sense of place.

Polina lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

We have asked Fernanda of Try The Sky to share her thoughts with us about her love for hotels, and Amberlair, of course. And before you ask, a #BohoLover is a Boutique Hotel lover… just like us!

How do you choose a hotel when you travel?

Travel Guides, friend recommendations, blogs and social media are my go-to’s when looking for a place to stay. I look for a convenient location like a cool neighborhood if going on city-break or an unique place if going to the countryside/isolated area.

I really look into amenities, pictures and comments and compare price tags before. I am not into 5$ rooms and will not pay 500$ either, so I try to find unique places with cool vibes.

Recently, I’ve found myself looking for accommodation on Instagram, from bloggers I love and on Airbnb. I reach to Instagram because of the visual side: I want to sleep in a nice place ! I will refer to bloggers I can relate to, so I’m sure it’s on my same taste-level. I’ve seen that more and more cool small (boutique) hotels are on Airbnb offering lovely places you wouldn’t find otherwise !

If you had to choose 3, which were the most special (boutique) hotels you have ever stayed at and what made them so special?

I will always keep an amazed luxurious-oriental-exotic souvenir of the Palais Jamaï in Fez, Morocco where I got to spend a family vacation a few years ago.

Palais Jamaï in Fez, Morocco. Photo by hotel.

Palais Jamaï in Fez, Morocco. Photo by hotel.

More recently, I loved Be Playa boutique hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, a sophisticated yet cool and relaxed, boho-chic hotel in the beautiful Riviera Maya.

Be Playa in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Photo by hotel.

Be Playa in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Photo by hotel.

Last but not least, the boutique hotel Casa Cordoba in Cartagena, Colombia, where honey-mooned with 40 friends. The main house, Casa Estrella, is a stunning colonial mansion in Cartagena where we were treated like royalty. They also have a beautiful private island on the Rosario archipel not far from Cartagena : Casa Baru has a natural pool, private chef and caribbean coziness, all you need to be happy.

They all made me hope to stay longer or wish to go back and they all gave me the sense of living an unique experience.

All of them are rare or unique properties like a luxurious Palace in the Fez medina, jacuzzi in-room at Be Playa or a 300years-old mansion in Cartagena, they all made me feel I was sleeping in unique places. They also had unique decors and designs with local touches that made them feel authentic: baroque furniture and fresh flowers in Cartagena or boho textiles in Playa del Carmen are details giving that extra thing that makes you smile. We had no problem with service or reservations whatsoever and the staff was super friendly. In Cartagena, the hotel manager kindly booked all the activities we asked her and got us a brand new BBQ the night we wanted to cook ourselves. Service is key to a great hotel experience !

If you had your own boutique hotel, what 3 things would you make sure existed?

• A great shower in a beautiful tiled bathroom. To me, bathrooms are the most important part of my hotel room. A great shower can make or break my day and being in a neat and beautiful bathroom is essential. Why are there beautiful hotels with old and bad showers?!
• Healthy and lean breakfast with natural and local products. I will also make sure to have a short (but good) tea list on the menu for non-coffee drinkers like myself. I still have to struggle with mediocre tea in most hotels and would not let that happen anymore!
• A great bar or hang-out spot. If possible, a rooftop bar or an open-air space like a terrace or balcony where guests could hang out and have a drink or a cup of coffee tea… and why not meet new people, a place I would actually enjoy being at and not being forced to lock myself in my room.

Name 3 things you loved in hotels you stayed in before…

1. Quality Bathroom products. Those automatic soap-dispensers need to go to cheap shampoo hell. In Germany I was greeted with Bulgari beauty products: I was one happy guest.
2. Included amenities and activities like bikes, canoes… I hate being asked extra pennies to get a bottle of water by my bed. In Roatan island, we got a complimentary cell-phone during our stay, in Colombia’s coffee valley we got a bird-watching guide to go on our own : no extra fees!
3. Restaurant flexibility. There is nothing as frustrating as being hungry and facing a “Closed Kitchen” sign. In Antigua Guatemala they arranged for us a “meal-box” with sandwiches, water and fruit for our 3 A.M wake up call for example.

Name 3 things you wouldn’t want to experience in a hotel ever again.

1. Artificial orange juice. Seriously?!
2. Over-packaging, plastic diner-ware, plastic useless bags… I hated my hotel in Costa Rica just because everything was plastic. Please, stop this.
3. Buffets need to go to hotel nightmares hell along with old and dusty bread for breakfast. Change that buffet for a daily 2 options menu :)

How do you feel about the Amberlair concept?

It’s so exciting! It looks like a fun concept with a lot of hard-work behind it. I believe every traveler has at some point said “I’d like to have my own hotel” so the Amberlair initiative sounds like a step closer to living that dream. Can’t wait to see this great story unfold !

Where are you off to next?

Soon to explore Mayan ruins in Belize and Tikal (Guatemala) for an exotic jungle-forest and caribbean beach kind of journey. Then I’ll be off to San Francisco for the first time to explore Death Valley and Sequoia and Yellowstone National Parks on a 15-day road-trip to Las Vegas… before going back home to Paris and Berlin to head for another European summer trip.

Fernanda of Try The Sky is a travel lover who writes about hotels, restaurants, shopping and unique travel experiences around the globe. Born in Guatemala and raised in a Colombian family, she grew up in Spain before living in Bolivia and Egypt.

She is now living between Paris and Central America as a full-time International Consultant in non-profit, human rights and gender issues… and as a half time traveler around the globe! Fernanda created Try The Sky to connect with other travelers looking for authentic experiences, beyond hostels and upper-luxury, in charming and unique corners of the world.
When Fernanda is not tweeting, she’s sharing travel adventures on Instagram and Facebook in Spanish, French and English.

We have asked Neha Wasnik, Public Relations and digital marketing strategist for luxury hotels, to share her thoughts with us about her love for boutique hotels, and Amberlair, of course. And before you ask, a #BohoLover is a Boutique Hotel lover… just like us!

How do you choose a hotel when you travel?

Before planning a trip I comb the hotels on Google Maps, Expedia and take suggestions from a community of travellers on Gogobot.com, Expedia Local Expert etc. After I have whetted the hotels I check their social media sites and websites to get a feel of their operations and prompt responses to guests. As a hotelier I know that hotels love it when prospective guests write to them directly and shop for rooms and facilities. The response from the hotel (time and content) will give you a good insight on how happy their staff are to welcome and accommodate your needs.

If you had to choose 3, which were the most special (boutique) hotels you have ever stayed at and what made them so special?

Baglioni in London
Nira Caledonia in Edinburgh
Francis Hotel in Bath

They were quite intimate and had a familiar home like atmosphere. The staff was exceptionally caring and wasn’t over doing their bit.

Nira Caledonia in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by hotel.

Francis Hotel in Bath, England. Photo by hotel.

If you had your own boutique hotel, what 3 things would you make sure existed?

The interior would be quite like staying at a home for the holiday or business, The rooms would have a bedroom like feel and not hotel room feel for e.g our closets at hoe aren’t next to the door when we enter nor is the TV on the writing desk or the power stations not sparsely available at odd locations in the room. A space for just tea or coffee in room which is like a small pantry. Hotel team to be assisting as members of the home and not staff. A cosy library and drawing room in the hotel.

Name 3 things you loved in hotels you stayed in before…

The interior of rooms were cosy, the public areas in the hotel were more like rooms in a manor home, the people made all the difference and were really caring.

Name 3 things you wouldn’t want to experience in a hotel ever again.

Over bearing staff, cookie cutter concept of the hotel chains, scanty amenities in room.

How do you feel about the Amberlair concept?

As a hotelier I haven’t experienced anything like it. It is a disruptive concept to shake the inertia of the hotel industry into the same old speedy cookie cutter phenomenon from the 2000s. Bringing travellers and hoteliers much closer and empowering the guests to choose their hotel based on personal experience is a great idea. Travellers know about the hotels much more than hoteliers themselves since they are too close to the nerve centre.

Where are you off to next?

Rajasthan, India – the land of dunes and colours and magical fables and folk music not to mention a large platter of delicious food.

Neha Wasnik is a Public Relations and Digital Marketing strategist for luxury hotels who believes her love for travel and narrating a good story have led her into the beautiful world of hospitality.

After leading the department of PR and Digital Marketing for leading hotel brands the recent one being Director PR for Four Seasons in Mumbai, she is currently enjoying her new found passion for revenue management. Loyal to her first love of writing and travel she has been working with Gogobot – travel app where a passionate bunch exchange their experiences in travel as well as book hotels directly from the app. She is also a contributor for The Lux Insider – a luxury travel and lifestyle blog from the perspective of luxury professionals. 

Keep up with Neha on Twitter and Instagram.

In this series, we wanted to do something different: we wanted to find out what drove global citizens to move to Italy or what keeps them always going back. (we shall call them #Italyboholover)
The third up is beauty and travel blogger Nadine Jolie Courtney!

Nadine at lake Como

Do you regularly visit Italy? What makes it so special?

I visit Italy every few years, and each trip is more memorable than the last. I know my reasons for loving Italy are basically the same as everybody else’s but it’s hard NOT to fall in love with Italy: the scenery is so stunning, the food ingredients are so fresh, the wine is oh-so mouthwatering.

Do you have a favourite region in Italy? What do you love about it?

I have a special place in my heart for Rome. Not only do I love the food (fried or stuffed artichokes, yum!) but there’s just something magical about the energy there. It’s the messiest, most vibrant, most passionate big city I’ve ever visited that still manages to retain its sense of elegance and occasion. And as a fan of Roman history, it’s very humbling to walk in the shadows of all those ghosts.

Nadine at lake Como

Where in Italy do you think the first Amberlair hotel should be located? Why?

I’d love to see something in Rome or on Lake Como—just for purely selfish reasons, since I love to visit those areas!

Castle Sant Angelo in Rome

In terms of special features, what would be the one thing you would ‘demand’ on the first Amberlair hotel?

Standard 1 pm check-out. I don’t want to have to wake up early after a night of drinking delicious wine! And if you’re a night person, yes, an 11 am—or even noon—check-out is early!

Nadine with her husband Erik at lake Como

Nadine Jolie Courtney is a freelance beauty and travel writer. A former magazine editor for Lucky, Ladies’ Home Journal, FHM, and Jane, Nadine currently freelances for Robb Report, Town & Country, Yahoo, Fox News, The Hollywood Reporter, Angeleno, and GQ, and she specializes in international SPAs, luxury hotels, high-tech skincare trends, and city guides.

Nadine and her husband Erik starred on season 2 of Bravo’s hit show Newlyweds: The First Year. The New York Post dubbed her “the poster child for the blogger generation” for her blog, Nadine Jolie Courtney, widely considered to be the first beauty blog, and she regularly posts photos of her chubby baby Aurelia on Instagram.

You’ll also find her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.