Luxury hotels new fashion favourite

While fashion and the luxury market might not have returned to its seemingly flourishing pre economic form, big brands are finding solace in an altogether new avenue for them; the luxury boutique hotel. There has been a spate of recent

openings — hotel extensions of luxury brands — to prove it.

Bulgari, which operates a luxury hotel in Milan, a luxury resort in Bali, and restaurants in Tokyo, has just opened the doors of its fourth Bulgari Hotel, with its latest five-star property opening in a chi-chi pocket of London.

Located in the city's prestigious Knightsbridge section, its well appointed rooms (such as the one above) are opening just in time to take bookings for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Bulgari gushes about the property: "It is a perfect expression of the Bulgari aesthetic of timeless glamour. Innovative artistry and a lavish use of precious marble and silver blend harmoniously, exuding an understated elegance. The quality of the service, magnificent elements such as the spa, pool and private screening room, and the distinguished location beside Harrods and Hyde Park all contribute to an uncompromising sense of excellence."

LVMH, owner of such luxury brands as De Beers, Fendi, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton, is luring the jet-set to Saint-Tropez with White 1921, a luxury hotel that is so exclusive it will only be open seasonally, until October.

With a mere eight rooms, White 1921, housed in a private mansion, will cost up to $1,245 per night.

As if that's not enough, German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has been retained by the Hotel Metropole in Monte-Carlo. According to New York magazine, "Karl is redesigning the hotel's full exterior, including the pool, terrace, and a new Joel Robuchon restaurant." Surely fashion at its collaborative best.