The South Place Hotel — London, UK

Drawing on those qualities that put London ahead of the game in the global hotel scene, South Place fuses designer dining, art and a great night’s sleep. The Conran interior helps the cause here, but it’s the extensive collection of commissioned art that pushes it ahead other boutiques in the neighbourhood, pieces by London-based contemporary artists such as John Vincent Aranda and Gavin Mitchell. The first hotel venture from D&D London, the parent group that bought Conran’s restaurants, South Place has 80 bedrooms, in-room technology by Bang and Olufsen, three bars and a restaurant (naturally) headed by chef Tony Fleming. Located on the Shoreditch end of the City, it sponsors its own Art Prize, recently won by Israeli RA student Zemer Peled; his sculpture, Nature in a Domestic Space, is showcased in the lobby.