FIRST IMPRESSIONS The first 15 minutes is all it takes to set your impressions of a hotel, from the time you walk in, check in, and enter your room. Hotels are increasingly aware that the first 15 minutes of your arrival set the tone for your entire stay, so are going to new lengths to...

TRAVEL: TREETOP RESORTS For years the rich have vacationed in jungles or on safari, perched high among the trees. WSJ‘s Daniel Michaels reports on upscale and bargain treetop resorts in the US and Europe. To read more, click on WSJ. THE PULSE is produced by LdC Media for TCN The...

HOTEL REVIEWS: DO YOU TRUST THEM? Scott McCartney at WSJ.com looks into online customer hotel reviews and whether you should trust them. Why does TripAdvisor rate a hotel as one of the best, and Expedia ranks the same hotel as one of the worst? THE PULSE is produced by LdC...

BARCELONA: GRAND HOTEL CENTRAL  The Grand Hotel Central in Barcelona‘s El Born district was originally designed in the 1920s by architect Adolf Florensa, and was inspired by the skyscrapers of Chicago and New York. Twenties-style grandeur begins at elegant entrance with original bronze...

MARRAKECH: LA RENAISSANCE  La Renaissance is the tallest building in Marrakech, providing guests with the best view of the city and the Atlas Mountains. In the 1950s and ’60s, the Moroccan elite from Rabat and Casablanca would visit La Renaissance to mix with the international jet set,...

GOTHENBURG: ELITE PLAZA  In a Neoclassical building in Sweden‘s Gothenburg, designers Christer Svensson and Lars Helling have created a modernist hotel within classical surroundings. The original lobby’s English mosaic floor, pillared halls with arches of Italian marble stucco,...

PAPHOS: ALMYRA  Paphos, in Cyprus, is the legendary birthplace of the Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, and one of Mediterranean’s most chic resorts. Situated within eight acres of landscaped gardens on the beachfront is the Almyra, a cool, white building that houses an interior...

HOTELS: THE COSMO, BERLIN The Cosmo is situated in the heart of Berlin’s Mitte district. The design is a juxtaposition between light and dark underground spaces, popular with artists, architects, designers and other creators. A dedicated concierge service reserves tables at the city’s...

HELSINKI: KLAUS K  The Klaus K is a lifestyle experience. Housed in a late 19th-century Romantic era building in Helsinki‘s city centre, it is designed as a series of contrasts, from the Renaissance- inspired Rake Sali ballroom  to the cutting-edge modern Nordic rooms and suites. There...

BRUSSELS: THE DOMINICAN  History and contemporary design are integral to Brussels’ The Dominican hotel.  Located behind the La Monnaie  theatre and opera house, The Dominican was curated and designed by Dutch design duo FGStijl, winner of the Prix Villégiature-Paris for Best Interior...

LONDON: BLAKES  Converted from a collection of Victorian town houses, Blakes is a couture hotel in London‘s South Kensington designed by Anouska Hempel. A fusion of Eastern and Western styles are concealed behind a black Victorian façade, and each of the 47 guest rooms take inspiration...

PARIS: THE KUBE The home of France’s first Ice Bar, the KUBE is designed around an ice cube motif, from the blue-lit igloo in the bar area, and  glass cube reception desk, to the in-room cube-shaped showers, and bedside tables that resemble melting ice. A hi-tech theme is incorporated...