Inside Tel Aviv’s Newest Luxury Hotel, a Bauhaus Ode to the City’s History
Tel Aviv’s luxury hotel scene is booming, and R48 Hotel and Garden is the newest ultra-cool stay on the block. Located on Rothschild Boulevard, the beating heart of the hip Israeli city, the 11-suite hotel feels more like you’re staying in your stylish friend’s home.
The intimate hotel is housed in a restored 1930s Bauhaus-style building, originally built in 1933 during a time when many European architects brought the architectural approach to the city. In fact, Tel Aviv is nicknamed the “White City” for the thousands (2,000+ to be more exact) of white Bauhaus-style buildings here. R48 Hotel and Garden is the passion project of Toronto natives Heather Reisman and her husband, Gerry Schwartz, who sought out to create a serene escape. It’s a stone’s throw away from some of Tel Aviv’s most important history, including the location in which David Ben-Gurion declared the State of Israel.
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“My husband and I own the building, which was a perfectly wonderful Bauhaus building but totally derelict,” Reisman tells Robb Report. “The renovation was all about restoring it to its original sensibility. Then, we extended the size of the building by creating this glass box which surrounds it.”
For the project, they enlisted AN+ architects who worked on this extension restoration in accordance with the Israel Conservation Authority and maintained several original details that are hallmarks of the Bauhaus architectural style, including wraparound balconies, thermometer windows, a curved white staircase and much more. R48 also features a striking glass facade that highlights views of the city and lets in plenty of natural light.
“The entire project was about creating an environment of quiet luxury for our guests—the ultimate home away from home,” she says.
The interiors and furnishings were thoughtfully executed by Studio Liaigre in an elegantly subdued palette with high design at the forefront. Each suite has full living and dining rooms, spacious bathrooms and light-filled bedrooms. Materials include travertine slabs, granite, tulipwood, African teak, walnut and silk in various parts of each residential-like accommodation. The design aesthetic is clean and light. The outdoors were equally as important and were imagined by renowned landscape architect Piet Oudolf, who designed the High Line in New York City, among many other famous spots around the world, and the gardens offer a quiet respite from the city.
“Both Oudolf and Studio Liaigre, in their own ways, have a commitment to a kind of simplicity and calmness in what they do,” she says. “Both are also committed to reflecting the local reality. The gardens, of course, are done with local flora and fauna, and the building materiality was done with a respect for Tel Aviv. They create spaces that reflect their style but also fit the environment.”
Amenities include a garden-rimmed rooftop pool overlooking the city, two restaurants, a fitness center, a meeting room and an art collection with pieces from Israeli artists that can be viewed throughout the hotel. Both public and private spaces feature 25 unique pieces of art, sourced by art curators Art Source. Artists include Ori Gersht, Tal Schocat, Anisa Ashkar and more. R2M Group, a hospitality group from Ruti and Mati Broudo that is responsible for some of Tel Aviv’s most notable hospitality ventures, is managing the project.
R48 will open its doors to guests in January, and rooms start at $1,500 per night.
Check out more photos of the property below:
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