Founder, Pretty Hotels
Tell us about you and your company.
Pretty Hotels is all about beautiful places to stay. We recommend hotels that we think meet the taste of a certain group of travelers looking for “that pretty place.” We like the less-is-more approach and appreciate hosts who run their timeless properties in a more sustainable fashion.
I had previously worked as a journalist, mainly in travel and hospitality. I used to receive a lot of invitations from luxury hotel brands whose marketing and PR are super professional, but for me, these properties felt a bit like guarded grand homes with a ton of staff. Not everyone has the budget to stay at the Georges V. I always had a crush on more creative and authentic hotels. Especially in the mountains and in some hidden beach towns, there is a new breed of hotelier with a true passion for their regional history, local food and wine. I wanted to give them a platform so that they can find guests who appreciate their effort and ideas.
Over the past few years, Pretty Hotels has become a wonderful venture with ten employees and more than 130 member hotels. Throughout the year, we get roughly 400 requests from hotels, chalets and holiday homes but, after visiting, we only accept a few. Because I am based in Germany, most of the members are in Central Europe, but I’d be open to slowly expanding to other continents.
Underrated location, overrated location?
In recent years, I’ve visited South Tyrol many times and I always find new, hidden treasures. The landscape is so beautiful and the fact that you are in Italy makes it very special. We have six member hotels in and near Merano, all of which I can wholeheartedly recommend (Ottmanngut, Schwarzschmied, Villa Arnica, 1477 Reichhalter, Zum Riesen, Miramonti). There are also four restaurants to die for (i.e., Wirsthaus zur Blauen Traube, Miil), and great mountain huts and vineyards. Everyone I’ve sent in August and September writes to say, “Thank you so much. We just fell in love and will be back soon!”
Overrated: I would say Maldives, although I understand that a CEO who has a 24/7 schedule and lives in a big city loves the idea of staying in a beach villa where everything is organized and the water temperature is 25 degrees. I just don’t like the fact that they are building one luxury resort after another and pretend that every single one is so unique and sustainable that they are now saving the planet.
How about a recent discovery and personal favorite?
I just came back from Catalonia, Spain, where I met the lovely owner and host of a new boutique hotel in Begur, right by the sea, called La Bionda. I must admit, it doesn’t happen very often that I like everything in a hotel: it’s a mixture of Wes Anderson/Soho House/Costa Brava/Paris 1920s style, one of these places where you just want to move in.
Regarding my personal favorite: A tour from Cuzco to La Paz, staying at simple family houses and ending at Chacaltaya Peak at an altitude of 17,785 ft.
Do you have a favorite wellness hotel?
Wellness hotels in general attract a weird group of mankind who never leave the hotel. But there are three places in South Tyrol I would highly recommend. The Miramonti Boutique Hotel, where the local owners and hosts Carmen and Klaus see wellness from a more creative and design-led perspective. And the two 5-star Adler Lodges (Adler Lodge Ritten and Adler Lodge Alpe). Everyone loves them. P.S.: They are opening a new outpost on the beach in Sicily this summer.
How about a family-friendly hotel?
Kids need a pool and/or a beach. I would always send families to Forte dei Marmi in summer and urge them to rent a house there. The bagni on the beach are as beautiful as ever and the kids can deposit their pail and shovel by the beach chair. The place is still full of style and for the parents there is the artsy town of Pietrasanta, only five minutes from Forte Dei Marmi. We will be adding a new member here in spring, called Albergo Pietrasanta, owned by local art collectors. It’s very classy and old school—I discovered it last year by accident.
The hotel you most want to steal something from—and what?
Cutlery from the Suvretta House in St. Moritz. I once ran into the Swedish Queen there, and knowing that so many kings and counts have used the cups made it seem quite cool.
Hotel with the most epic view?
Last summer I received a request from a place called L’ Escale du Ciel. It’s a 30-minute drive through the mountains behind Cannes and Nice on the Côte d’Azur. Host Judith owns and runs this small B&B (rooms from 180€) with great passion. It has a unique swimming pool on a slope. If you jump in before sunrise, it’s a view you will never forget. And it’s Provence, after all.
Food worth traveling for? In recent years, Austria has become an epicenter for food and wine lovers. We are planning a gourmet tour by bike to go from west to the east across the country and dine and stay in our best gourmet hotels. We will start at Gasthof Hirschen in Schwarzenberg, one of these discoveries you have to fall in love with. Drop me a note if you are interested in joining—robert@pretty-hotels.com. One of the best is Mesnerhaus in the Lungau valley. Don’t be irritated by the absence of Michelin stars here—they definitely deserve one or two. In Austria you can only receive a Michelin star if your place is located in Salzburg or Vienna.
How about a hotel that most defines a destination?
Bertarello Country Home, one hour north of Rome. It’s the most authentic experience you can have. Owner and host Beatrice Peruzzi runs a restaurant and a bar in Milano and converted this rural castle into a country residence for sophisticated travelers.
What is your biggest pet peeve in a hotel?
I have always had trouble with the lighting system in 5-star hotels. I often used to sleep with a light on, because I wasn’t able to switch it off. Most of our member hotels have bedside lamps from 1930. You push a button to switch it on and then switch it off with the same button. It’s incredible.
What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers?
I am just happy that we are able to hop on trains, planes and boats again. As for my hoteliers: I would recommend that some people from certain countries have a drink (or two) before they check into a hotel. Sometimes not everything is perfect when you arrive at a place. But it’s always good when we just smile and tell the host or the person at check-in that it is absolutely no problem. Because in the end, you’re on holiday and that’s very nice.
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