There are rooms with a view, and then there are rooms with rotundas with a view. My corner Wintergarden suite at the Andaz has a little turret nook with a chaise lounge, a carpet the color of autumn leaves and windows all around; I can close the doors and gaze down at the red trams rattling across Senovážné Square: a little lighthouse view of the New Town street scene. Set in a former insurance HQ, empty for two decades, the Andaz landed in 2022, bringing a bright new dynamic to a quiet part of the New Town—compared to some of the more historically minded hotels here, Andaz felt like a neon burst of Studio 54 energy. Madrid’s Brime Robbins studio have had fun with the design, riffing on local legends such as the Golem (look out for the clay man in the lobby, wearing only trousers) and brave Prince Bruncvik, who defeated the monstrous bird Noh with his faithful lion companion. Sculptures of leonine snouts, wings, and swords decorate the corridor walls (handy for locating your room), while local creatives have made pieces such as the balloon-like installation in the entrance, and the mushroomy glassware, ceramic twists, and Pop Art murals in the open-plan lounge. It’s a visual feast, but never overwhelming, and there’s a Hoxton Hotel–like buzz around the bar and brasserie, which draw in locals and guests alike. In the former, guests are invited to sniff fragrances to tell their cocktail preference; in the latter, the Czech-Japanese menu plates up punchy flavors such as pickled rhubarb salad, rabbit svickova, and kimchi squid. Bedrooms are less busy, calm spaces with forest-green and royal-blue headboards, pink timber flooring, Deco flourishes and brass lights; the Wintergarden Residence Suite, though, is a time-capsule replica of the private boudoir of 1930s film star Adina Mandlova, with original mahogany marquetry, rose-patterned wallpaper, and the secret door she used to usher her many lovers out. If Adina was around today, she’d no doubt be found in the Karla Rott basement spa, waiting in the wood-slatted sauna for her anti-aging facial.
