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Historic Hotels Blend Past Charm with Modern Luxury

Created at 27 Jul · 9:31 AM1 source↑ Market-relevant
IN SHORT

New hotel openings in Seattle, Nara, and Palm Beach are reimagining historic buildings, from former warehouses and prisons to a century-old landmark, offering guests a unique blend of historical ambiance and contemporary comfort.

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Key Numbers

1926Year The Vineta Hotel was originally built
41Number of rooms and suites at The Vineta Hotel
1936Year the shop that forms the bones of 21 Carpenter was founded
2023Year 21 Carpenter hotel opened
2025Year of the President's Design Award won by 21 Carpenter

Who's Involved

Oetker Hotels
Family-owned hospitality group managing The Vineta Hotel
Reuben Brothers
Partner in the development of The Vineta Hotel
Tino Zervudachi
Designer of The Vineta Hotel's renovation
Spina O’Rourke & Partners
Architects for The Vineta Hotel renovation
Brian Rodriguez
Executive Chef at Coco's restaurant in The Vineta Hotel
Sébastien Broda
Executive Chef at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, collaborating on Coco's menu
Tarek Ahamada
Pastry Chef at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, collaborating on Coco's menu
Woha Architects
Firm behind the design of 21 Carpenter hotel
Richard Hassell
Co-founding director of Woha Architects
Historic Hotels Blend Past Charm with Modern Luxury

↳ Why This Matters

These hotel openings highlight a trend in the hospitality industry to preserve and reimagine historical structures, offering travelers unique experiences that blend heritage with contemporary luxury and design.

Key facts

  • The Vineta Hotel in Palm Beach, originally built in 1926, has reopened after a century and extensive renovations.
  • The Vineta Hotel features 41 rooms and suites designed by Tino Zervudachi, blending Mediterranean and Palm Beach styles.
  • 21 Carpenter hotel in Singapore, a former remittance house, opened in December 2023 and features laser-etched archival letters on its facade.
  • The 21 Carpenter hotel won the Design of the Year award at the President’s Design Award 2025.
  • New accommodations are also opening in Seattle (restored warehouse) and Nara, Japan (former prison).

The Vineta Hotel in Palm Beach, a landmark originally built in 1926, has reopened its doors after a comprehensive renovation under the stewardship of Oetker Hotels. The property, which has a history dating back to the Lido-Venice and later The Chesterfield, now returns to its original name and sensibility. The redesign of its forty-one rooms and suites, led by designer Tino Zervudachi and ZRM in collaboration with architects Spina O’Rourke & Partners, balances Mediterranean influences with quintessential Palm Beach style. Features include terrazzo floors, custom Venetian plaster walls, shell motifs, and ceilings adorned with starry constellations. A hidden leopard motif in the new restaurant, Coco’s, subtly references the space’s past as the Leopard Lounge. The restaurant's menu, overseen by Executive Chef Brian Rodriguez, features dishes developed in collaboration with Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc’s Executive Chef Sébastien Broda and Pastry Chef Tarek Ahamada.

In Singapore, the 21 Carpenter hotel, imaginatively redesigned from a former remittance house for the Teochew diaspora, opened in December 2023. Named after Carpenter Street, the hotel's facade is laser-etched with lines from archival letters, translating the local history of grief and grit into architectural poetry. Woha Architects, responsible for the design, aimed to capture the historical sense of shopfronts covered in carved signs. The hotel's interior design incorporates calligraphy motifs and salvaged materials from the original structure, with custom carpets evoking brush strokes and stylized segments of the Chinese character for home (家) above the beds. The hotel was recognized with the Design of the Year award at the President’s Design Award 2025.

Beyond these two properties, other new accommodations are offering unique historical settings, including a restored warehouse in Seattle and a former prison in Nara, Japan, all providing intriguing surroundings with modern comforts.

Frequently asked questions

Originally opened in 1926 as the Lido-Venice, it later became The Vineta for nearly fifty years before being known as The Chesterfield. It has now returned to its original name after a renovation.

Its facade is laser-etched with lines from archival remittance letters of the Teochew diaspora, and its interiors draw inspiration from calligraphy and the concept of 'home'.

The renovation was led by designer Tino Zervudachi and his firm ZRM, in collaboration with architects Spina O’Rourke & Partners.

It was named Design of the Year at the President’s Design Award 2025.

What Happens Next

01The Vineta Hotel's pool is expected to be a visual centerpiece.
02Further details on the Seattle and Nara hotel openings may be released.

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Cadence

How It Developed

The Vineta Hotel in Palm Beach, originally built in 1926, has reopened after extensive renovations.
The Vineta Hotel, now under Oetker Hotels, features 41 rooms and suites designed by Tino Zervudachi.
The hotel's design incorporates Mediterranean influences and Palm Beach style, including terrazzo floors and custom Venetian plaster walls.
A hidden leopard motif in the new restaurant, Coco's, nods to the space's previous life as the Leopard Lounge.
Coco's restaurant offers a Mediterranean menu developed with input from Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc's executive chef.
Carpenter hotel in Singapore, a reimagined former remittance house, opened in December 2023.
The 21 Carpenter hotel's facade is laser-etched with lines from archival letters, reflecting the Teochew diaspora's history.
The hotel's interior design draws inspiration from calligraphy and the Chinese character for home (家).

Sources

T1
At 5 New Hotels, Glimpses of the PastThe New York Times
T2
21 Carpenter hotel: Teochew diaspora heritage | The Straits Timesstraitstimes.com
T2
Inside the New Vineta, Palm Beach's Reborn Landmark - Palmer PBpalmerpb.com

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