My philosophy on Really Good Hotels
Why I plan my trips around beautiful hotels—and how to do the same, without paying full price
Each time I go on a trip, I try to stay in at least one hotel that really makes me feel something.
Whenever I find one on the internet, of course I save it for future inspiration. And if it’s reeeeeally special, It’ll go on my hotel bucket list. But what makes a Really Good Hotel? I tried to figure out their qualifiers, but what it really came down to is: they just have a certain je ne sais quoi that excites my personal taste. Speaking of: I think I have great taste. And judging by the reaction I get when I post one of these Really Good Hotels on Instagram, I’m not wrong.
If I’m being totally honest, finding a beautiful hotel is what gets me most excited to go somewhere. For example: have you ever heard of Saint-Raphaël, the little resort town in the South of France? If someone mentioned it as their next vacation destination, would you have the same knowing reaction as if they’d mentioned Saint-Tropez instead? I’m betting you wouldn’t. But if you knew about the hidden gem of a hotel nestled within its rocky coastline called Les Roches Rouges, you would definitely get it.
Les Roches Rouges first caught my eye back in 2018 via Instagram. I had an instant and visceral reaction to its retro stylings and dramatic backdrop of azure ocean and russet-hued rocks, making it the first photo of a hotel I’d ever added to my vision board. This experience was an awakening of sorts to the fact that hotels could be more than a place to sleep: they could be their own worthy destinations.
When my husband and I started planning our first European vacation together, step one was figuring out where exactly to go. With Les Roches Rouges in mind, I convinced him it should be the French Riviera. It was the first time I'd planned a trip with a hotel as a destination, which has since become a guiding principle in how I plan my travel.
With all that said, now I’m going to put you on to one of my most coveted sources for finding hotel inspiration that *always* hits. Enter: Mr & Mrs Smith, a platform where you can find and book the best boutique & luxury hotels in the world. But make no mistake—this isn’t your typical Kayak or Hotels.com. This is a collection of the best of the best, meticulously curated and hand-picked. Hotels have to apply to be on the site, and I read somewhere that 80% of applicants actually get rejected. Although I’ve only used the site for inspiration (not booking), I’ve stayed at a few of the hotels they list and have come to trust that this site is the top authority on Really Good Hotels.
This is the perfect time to be sharing Mr & Mrs Smith because last year, Hyatt announced they were buying the platform. This means that sometime later this year (the exact date is still TBD), Mr & Mrs Smith hotels will be available to book directly on the Hyatt portal with Hyatt points. I simply cannot overstate how exciting this is!!!
For context: When we were planning our trip to the South of France, we really wanted to book all of our hotels on points. But Les Roches Rouges is not part of any loyalty programs and, thus, does not accept award bookings. So we ended up paying cash for our 3-night stay (worth it). But here’s the key: Les Roches Rouges is also listed on the Mr & Mrs Smith website. If we were to redo this process once Hyatt is fully integrated, we would theoretically be able to book this top-of-the-bucket-list hotel with our Hyatt points.
Given this, here is my urgent call to action: start earning World of Hyatt points as soon as possible so you can redeem them for stays at Mr & Mrs Smith’s hotels!
I opened a World of Hyatt card immediately after staying at two Park Hyatt hotels in Japan—that’s how impressive they were—and now I’m even more motivated to stockpile Hyatt points. As a cardholder, you automatically get Discoverist status, which gives you a ton of great perks like automatic room upgrades, late checkout, and 10% bonus points on paid stays.
Alternatively, if you already have Chase points, you can easily transfer them to Hyatt with a 1:1 ratio. Just go to the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and select “Transfer points to partners.” Then, select World of Hyatt and transfer your points.
In other news related to hotel inspo, looks like we’ll soon have a new gold standard for Really Good Hotels thanks to Michelin. Instead of just handing out Michelin Stars to restaurants, they’ll be awarding Michelin “Keys” to hotels based on rigorous standards for architecture and design, service, value for money—the usual suspects. Director Gwendal Poullennec explained, “We insist on authenticity; we want to see personal touches, we want to connect with people with unique stories, and we want to create real memories.”
Tori Simokov is a Travel Writer and Graphic Designer/Strategist based in New York. To get in touch, email tori@v1projects.com. Want more? Check out Instagram, TikTok, or shop her curated favorites.
Top of my list is hard… but we just booked Al Moudira in Luxor!
Whoa awesome news that Hyatt points can be used to book Mr & Mrs Smith hotels! Love that Hyatt found a way to expand their footprint AND add boutique hotels in the portfolio.