heritage meets contemporary | town hall hotel

We are all a summation of the stories that came before us. Origins cannot be erased but only re-formed. Walking through the arched metal gate of Wilmina hotel in Berlin feels a lot like seeing the foundations of the past illuminated with the vision of the present. The property is a former women’s prison in Charlottenburg. Grüntuch Ernst Architects took its remnants and transformed into a peaceful haven in the middle of Berlin.

Former cell windows overlook a lush garden courtyard. It’s serene and quiet which you’ll also find inside the building. It’s minimalist with marble accents. The neutral colour palette and elegant lighting act as a blank canvas for the character of the hotel’s former life. Reminders of the prison remain in the metal doors, the aged staircase and unfinished patches on the walls. The contrast between old and new is incredibly well done and makes for a unique stay. The hotel’s subtle homage to its history proves that there is no need to start developments from scratch when thoughtful renovation has so much to give. 

Adjacent to the main hotel property are spacious, modern apartments. These provide the independence you’d get from an Airbnb with the convenience of overlooking the hotel, which is also connected to a bakery and a cafe. The apartments are new and sleek with concrete ceilings and large balconies that give a view of the hotel’s rooftop terrace. However, if you’re looking for a boutique hotel experience that feels entirely catered to you, you may not find that here as service feels a little removed.

When it comes to hotel perks, there is a rooftop pool and freshly baked cakes in the lounge every afternoon. The lounge has a handy shared kitchen with fresh fruit and coffee, as well as generous cosy seating areas that feel like you’re in someone’s living room. Wilmina is perfect for the business traveller, with plenty of areas to work uninterrupted, or for those looking for a weekend city break in uninterrupted peace. 

photography. Courtesy of Wilmina hotel
words. Shama Nasinde

Yago Castromil and Federico Magadan Enríquez.

Casablanca has never hidden its love affair with holidays. Ever since Charaf Tajer launched the brand, the label has built an entire universe around sun-drenched glamour, leisurely afternoons and the romance of travel. This summer, that world arrives on the shores of Ibiza through a new residency with Six Senses Ibiza, taking over the resort’s iconic Rocky Beach cove in the Cala Xarraca bay.

Perched on the island’s rugged northern coastline, Rocky Beach is already one of Six Senses’ defining spaces, shifting effortlessly from a peaceful daytime retreat into one of Ibiza’s most atmospheric sunset destinations. For the season, Casablanca is subtly weaving its unmistakable visual language into the landscape, bringing together French sophistication, Moroccan warmth and the laid-back spirit of the Balearics.

Yago Castromil and Federico Magadan Enríquez.

The takeover embraces understated luxury, with bespoke loungers, reimagined beach furnishings and soft accessories that reinterpret Casablanca’s signature aesthetic; while a dedicated sunset lounge creates the perfect vantage point for golden hour overlooking the Mediterranean. The bar team has even developed an exclusive wellness drink for the duration of the residency named ‘Casaway’, which processes beetroot, fresh pineapple, mango, matcha and coconut cream into a nutrient-dense, crimson-hued blend.

Music, naturally, sits at the heart of the collaboration. Tajer himself takes on the role of artist-in-residence, curating the soundtrack throughout the summer with a programme designed to celebrate the island’s creative energy. The residency opens with a special launch event hosted by the designer alongside a surprise guest before continuing with a series of intimate DJ sessions and collaborative recordings inside Six Senses Ibiza’s onsite studio, bringing together artists from across Casablanca’s expanding cultural universe.

Yago Castromil and Federico Magadan Enríquez.

For anyone planning a late-summer escape, this may be one of Ibiza’s most stylish new destinations. After all, if Casablanca has taught us anything over the past few years, it’s that holidays are never just about where you go – but how good you look while getting there.

Find out more here.

photography. courtesy of Yago Castromil and Federico Magadan Enríquez for Casablanca 
words. Gennaro Costanzo

There is a priceless charm that only nature can provide. It’s weaved within the hum of a river flowing over centuries of stone and in the distant chime of cow bells as they graze among alpine meadows. This is what it feels like to traverse through the winding roads that lead to Lech am Arlberg in Austria. The landscape is perhaps the closest things you’ll find to a storybook paradise, filled with lush greenery, roaming horses and trees that tower so tall, you’re reminded of how awe-inspiring the world is outside of a big city.

Although winter is high season for the Austrian Alps, there is just as much to explore during summer, like breathtaking mountain views, serene hikes, and if you stop by Rote Wand Gourmet hotel, there’s a foodie hotspot nestled within the town’s magical landscape. Ran by Josef Walch, Rote Wand is a picturesque wooden property with a bold design sensibility. Inside, there’s a contrast of alpine practicality with eccentric touches like crimson hallways that look straight out of a Kubrick movie.

“When we built our first underground connection between the main house and what are now the family lodges—formerly the old horse stable—we wanted to reference traditional methods of protecting wood. In the past, timber was sometimes treated with animal blood as a natural weatherproofing technique,” Walch tells Schön! about their signature red. “We even considered recreating this historical approach, but quickly realised it was not exactly the most practical solution. Instead, we chose a deep red colour that visually recalls this tradition while giving it a contemporary interpretation.”

There is a fluidity between Rote Wand and the environment that surrounds it. The mountainous backdrop informs every detail of the hotel down to its name. “The name Rote Wand already existed long before the hotel. It refers to the beautiful mountain at the end of the Zug Valley, near Lake Formarin. In the afternoon sunlight, the mountain takes on a beautiful reddish glow because of its mineral composition,” explains Walch.

Rote Wand has built a reputation for attracting the crème de la crème of gastronomy. They hold several culinary events throughout the year with menus curated by world class chefs. “Chef’s Table has become one of the leading culinary destinations in the Alps, and Rote Wand has built a strong international reputation. For ambitious young chefs, working here provides an exceptional platform to develop their skills and gain international recognition,” says Walch.

It’s an amazing playground for a foodie to try local wine and gourmet cuisine from talent across the globe. Schön! visited during the hotel’s Sommerfest in June which included a diverse array of food-centred experiences like dinner roulette where guests taste the menus of various chefs at different locations across the property. Guglielmo Chiarapini (Ristorante Gilioli), Francesco Dolcetta (FEG Kitchen) and Laura Santosuosso (Sandi Ristorante) collaborated on a menu that reimagined authentic Italian cuisine using ingredients forged from the local land. It was experimental and impressive, using unexpected ingredients to replicate familiar Italian flavours. While Julian Stieger crafted a refined local menu for the Chef’s Table, accompanied by wines from Weinskandal.

Rote Wand exists in tandem with the local environment, so on walks throughout the area you’ll find the wooden home where the chickens sleep and the newborn calves of the cows who produce the milk and butter for the hotel. Everything about the area is interconnected and tells a story of the people who care for the land. “We do not see ourselves as a hotel that simply protects local culture, traditions, heritage, or the environment. We actually live these values every single day. We are not preserving traditions simply because they are old. We believe they remain highly relevant today and can play an important role in shaping the future,” says Walch.

The property is a family affair and the local community is tight knit. Thanks to Walch’s deeply personal connection to the area, there is an ethos preservation rather than exploitation that the tourism industry is so desperately in need of. “Tourism can only be successful in the long term if the local community also benefits. When people in the region thrive, they support tourism, and this creates a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for everyone,” he says. Community so clearly sits at the heart of every single decision in the area, from what time local buses are allowed to operate to preserving the architecture that makes Lech am Arlberg so memorable. 

photography. Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel/ Lucy Deverall
words. Shama Nasinde