Jeryl Brunner
Poolside cabanas you'll be loathe to leave
Remember when lounging poolside at the hotel meant parking yourself on a flimsy plastic lounge chair (maybe even staking claim to two)? Or if there was a cabana, it was little more than a shack to store your stuff.
That was so last century. Welcome to the world of high-tech, super deluxe, seriously swanky hotel cabanas. Many of them are now designed to be serious extensions of your guest room and then some. And they often feature the same creature comforts: Wi-Fi, plasma TVs, DVDs, plush living room furnishings, stocked refrigerators, spa treatments, and a dedicated butler to tend to your every whim.
“Sometimes when you’re staying at a hotel, the moment you leave your room you feel like you are disconnected from the whole experience and on your own,” explains Thom Filicia. “The cabana adds another layer to the luxurious hotel experience and makes you feel part of the club.” Host of the Style Network’s Dress My Nest and the Queer Eye design guru, Filicia helped to redesign the W Los Angeles (which included a sleek and sophisticated makeover of the cabana and pool areas)...
Poolside cabanas you'll be loathe to leave
Remember when lounging poolside at the hotel meant parking yourself on a flimsy plastic lounge chair (maybe even staking claim to two)? Or if there was a cabana, it was little more than a shack to store your stuff.
That was so last century. Welcome to the world of high-tech, super deluxe, seriously swanky hotel cabanas. Many of them are now designed to be serious extensions of your guest room and then some. And they often feature the same creature comforts: Wi-Fi, plasma TVs, DVDs, plush living room furnishings, stocked refrigerators, spa treatments, and a dedicated butler to tend to your every whim.
“Sometimes when you’re staying at a hotel, the moment you leave your room you feel like you are disconnected from the whole experience and on your own,” explains Thom Filicia. “The cabana adds another layer to the luxurious hotel experience and makes you feel part of the club.” Host of the Style Network’s Dress My Nest and the Queer Eye design guru, Filicia helped to redesign the W Los Angeles (which included a sleek and sophisticated makeover of the cabana and pool areas)...
Jeryl Brunner Poolside cabanas you'll be loathe to leave Remember when lounging poolside at the hotel meant parking yourself on a flimsy plastic loung... more
6
CURRENT RANK
CURRENT SCORE
less stats more stats88.01
Rank (best ever) 1
Score (all time) 5515.00
Created 07/28/08
Views 5465
Votes [disabled]
view list history
1
The Cove, Atlantis
Paradise Island, Bahamas
At Kerzner International's new resort on Paradise Island, Jeffrey Beers of Jeffrey Beers International designed 20 luxury cabanas featuring teak louvered retractable walls, porcelain flooring with sisal rugs (to keep your feet warm), vinyl sofas, Bose entertainment systems, flat screen TVs, DVDs and two patios. The cabanas also offer glass-tiled bathrooms, a quartz café style dining table, and outdoor showers with teak screens. Tucked into private walkways, Beers explains, “we designed the cabanas to cater to guests’ every delight, whether it is an open-air party by the pool or private retreat by the beach.”
2
TAO Beach at the Venetian
Las Vegas
Considered an extension of TAO Nightclub, TAO Beach offers seven cabanas with plasma screen televisions, surround sound, an assortment of DVDs, X Box consoles, Internet access, customized mini-bars, Wolfgang Puck Catering cuisine, iPod rentals and massage services. By night, the 18,000 square foot lair transforms into a nightclub with fire columns and DJs. Guests nurse TAO-tinis and TAO-jitos as orange and red sheer cabana curtains billow. As TAO Beach designer Thomas Schoos notes, “the pool deck is like an airplane and cabanas are the first class seat.”
3
The Breakers
Palm Beach
In March 2006, after an extensive $15 million makeover to its oceanfront, the Breakers unveiled its beach bungalows and grand cabanas. Measuring 300 square feet, the beach bungalows offer complete bathrooms with open-sky showers, changing areas, hairdryers, Acqua Di Parma bath products, sofas, tables, Wi-Fi access, cordless telephones, 32-inch LCD flat screen TVs, DVD/VHS players, and personal concierges to handle all your requests. “People love the bungalows because they’re a place for kids to shower and put on sunscreen or you can watch a DVD. The concierge may offer cookies to the kids, or frozen lemonade,” says Nick Velardo, Director of Food & Beverage and Club Operations. “Cabanas are even popular on rainy days. They really make the beach experience special.”
4
The Delano and The Shore Club
South Beach, Miami
“After a night out, our guests might come in at 4 AM and then they’re up at 8 AM to hit the pool and will spend the entire day there. So the cabana is even more important than guest rooms,” explains Mark Tamis, General Manager and Area Vice President of Morgans Hotel Group, which operates the Delano and The Shore Club. At the Delano, cabanas featuring billowing curtains, giant pillows and ceiling fans lie on the edge of the pool. “It attracts celebrity guests who can be as public as they like or take a siesta,” says Tamis. At the Shore Club, a pergola containing giant daybeds separates the high-energy sexy pool and smaller more serene one. “There’s an airy and breezy feel to it. You feel skinny no matter what you weigh,” says noted designer Thomas Schoos. At both properties a full time pool concierge caters to your needs (and can plan your evenings too).
5
W Los Angeles
Los Angeles
“Cabanas are romantic and sexy and they offer a luxurious, sort of fantasy experience,” explains Thom Felicia. “From a revenue perspective, it’s a great opportunity for a hotel to offer services and from the guest point of view, it’s a way for a guest for to feel special.” Felicia, who hosts the Style Network’s Dress My Nest, partnered with the W’s design team to redesign the W Los Angeles and unveil new cabanas with DVD players, flat screen TVs and spa services offered by Bliss. Guests can order food via an intelliChaise® Personal Ordering System by Tiare Technology. Using a wireless touch-screen guests can order food or hotel services without getting up.
6
The Pool, Harrah’s
Atlantic City
“Every guest wants to feel like a VIP. And The Pool lets you live that out while having your own sense of privacy in a public space,” says Karolyn Shields, an interior designer at Steelman Partners who helped design The Pool at Harrah’s Atlantic City. A dozen cabanas are housed in state-of-the-art 23,000-square foot glass-doomed indoor pool space with lush foliage and hot tubs. The cabanas offer a plethora of amenities including cream and teal daybeds, dark wicker lounge chairs, tables, iPod docking stations, bottle service, flat screen TVs and sweeping cream semi-opaque curtains. “The environment is comfort controlled for guests and the temperature is a constant 80 degrees with the humidity controlled at 50%-60%, even during wintertime,” offers Shields. “It’s a year-round pool, which is rare in Atlantic City.”
7
The Viceroy
Santa Monica
“When I designed the cabanas at the Viceroy, I wanted them to be beautifuland luxurious yet serve a purpose,” offers designer Kelly Wearstler, who created the Viceroy’s cabanas. “These are the perfect mix because they shield guests from the sun, but are still open and airy.” Draped in black and white sailcloth and appointed with candles and comfortable cushioned banquettes, the cabanas offer manicure and pedicure services, flat screen TVs and customized tasting menus from Viceroy Chef Warren Schwartz. And ever since they debuted, they have been the ideal spot for celebrity watching (Demi Moore, Nicky Hilton, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Mira Sorvino have been seen poolside).
8
The Resort at Singer Island
Palm Beach County, Florida
The oceanfront Resort at Singer Island opened in April 2007. The cherry red cabanas lining the adults-only formal pool are beyond luxurious and offer stellar water views. Picture sleek brown woven furnishings with cream colored extra plush cushions, flat screen TVs and stocked refrigerators. Personal pool butlers serve up specialty libations including the Bermuda Triangle and Asian pear martinis. Masseuses are on hand for foot massages.
9
St. Regis Resort Monarch Beach
Dana Point, Calif.
For guests including Julia Roberts, Pierce Brosnan, and Hilary Swank, the blue and white striped cabanas offer the ideal spot for gazing at the Pacific. Pool attendants are on hand to offer to fresh fruit, bottled water, frozen treats and frosty frozen cocktails. Each cabana features a 32-inch flat screen television, DVD player, CD Stereo, Wi-fi Internet, cordless telephone, and of course, a private patio.
10
Red Rock Resort and Green Valley Ranch
Las Vegas
The plunge pool is just steps away from the cabanas at Red Rock Resort, so it almost feels like it belongs to you. “You can touch water very quickly, faster than anyone with a lounge chair,” says Albie Colotto, Director of Design for Friedmutter Group and the lead designer for both Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock Resort. Your cabana comes with a designated cabana host, fruit basket, Naked Juice, newspaper, bottled water, TV and Red Bull drink. Throughout the day, goodies like chips and dip and refreshing frozen fruit is dispensed. At Green Valley Ranch (Red Rock's sister property), guests are cooled off with tropical smoothies, Evian Body Mists, cold towels and frosted grapes.
[source: https://www.forbestraveler.com/luxury/pool-cabanas-story.html ]
Not watching this list (get updates on this list).
(all people watching this list)
).
MORE LISTS
RECOMMENDED LISTS
COMMENTS
