Fashion people don’t just travel — they arrive. For them, a hotel isn’t simply a place to sleep; it’s an extension of their aesthetic, a continuation of the story they tell through what they wear. In the world of runways, art fairs, and jet-set calendars, every check-in carries intention. Behind every polished Instagram post or off-duty paparazzi shot, there’s often a lobby bar gleaming with history, a suite filled with curated furniture, or a balcony overlooking a city that fuels the imagination.
Luxury hotels have long shared a kindred spirit with fashion. Both worlds celebrate detail, craftsmanship, and atmosphere. Both promise transformation — that elusive blend of escape and identity. And both thrive on the art of experience. It’s no wonder, then, that certain hotels have become unofficial extensions of the fashion world’s front row: places where editors scribble notes between shows, models sip espresso after fittings, and designers sketch next season’s silhouettes against a backdrop of impeccable design.
Here are the luxury hotels that fashion insiders don’t just visit — they belong to.
The Ritz Paris — Where Couture Was Born
Few addresses hold as much fashion folklore as the Ritz Paris. Perched on Place Vendôme — the same square where Coco Chanel lived, dreamed, and designed — the Ritz is less a hotel and more a cathedral of style. Its mirrored hallways, velvety salons, and glistening chandeliers seem perpetually dressed for an editorial shoot.
Chanel herself called the Ritz home for over 30 years. Even today, her spirit lingers in the suite that bears her name — all black lacquer, gold accents, and understated glamour. When Karl Lagerfeld designed Chanel’s Métiers d’Art show in 2016, he transformed the Ritz’s salons into his runway, with models weaving through diners and guests in silk and sequins.
For fashion insiders, the Ritz isn’t just a luxury stay; it’s a pilgrimage. Afternoon tea in the Salon Proust or a martini at Bar Hemingway feels like slipping into a piece of fashion history — timeless, intimate, and impossibly chic.
Hotel Costes, Paris — The Soundtrack of Cool
A few blocks away, Hotel Costes hums with a different kind of energy — moody, seductive, and unrelentingly stylish. If the Ritz is couture, Costes is the afterparty. Its crimson velvet drapes and amber lighting evoke the kind of Parisian decadence that never goes out of style.
Fashion insiders have long claimed this as their unofficial clubhouse during Fashion Week. The courtyard restaurant is where editors whisper about upcoming collections, photographers scout faces, and models take late-night refuge after shows. The hotel’s music compilations — curated by DJ Stéphane Pompougnac — defined the soundtrack of early-2000s fashion culture.
It’s no coincidence that every designer from Tom Ford to Hedi Slimane has passed through its doors. Hotel Costes doesn’t just host fashion’s elite; it mirrors their mood — mysterious, magnetic, and eternally modern.
The Mercer, New York — Downtown’s Silent Icon
Across the Atlantic, in Manhattan’s SoHo, stands The Mercer — a minimalist temple beloved by editors, stylists, and creative directors who prefer understatement over opulence. Designed by Christian Liaigre, its interiors are clean, tactile, and soothing — all crisp linens, neutral tones, and sunlight that feels curated.
The Mercer’s appeal lies in its discretion. There are no grand chandeliers or ornate lobbies here; instead, it’s the kind of place where anonymity feels like luxury. Marc Jacobs, Kate Moss, and Alexander Wang have all been known to stay here during fashion week, drawn by its blend of quiet refinement and downtown edge.
Breakfast meetings in the Mercer Kitchen often blur into working lunches, ideas scribbled on napkins between sips of espresso. The fashion world thrives on movement, but The Mercer offers stillness — a rare kind of elegance that asks for nothing and says everything.
Palazzo Avino, Amalfi Coast — The Summer of Color
While fashion week brings a whirl of black ensembles and late-night glamour, summer is where the industry exhales — and when it does, it often finds itself on the Amalfi Coast. In the cliffside village of Ravello, Palazzo Avino is where color, texture, and romance collide.
Once a 12th-century private villa, the “Pink Palace,” as it’s affectionately known, glows against the Mediterranean sky. Its terraces spill over with bougainvillea, its rooms dressed in coral and seafoam hues. For fashion insiders, it’s a visual feast — like stepping inside a Dolce & Gabbana campaign or a Slim Aarons photograph come to life.
Designers retreat here to recharge and dream; editors stage shoots that blend couture with coastal simplicity. The hotel’s rooftop — with its turquoise pool and endless sea views — might be one of the most photographed spots in fashion’s summer diary.
Palazzo Avino isn’t just a hotel; it’s a muse.
Aman Tokyo — The Uniform of Serenity
When fashion insiders seek refuge from the chaos of runways and deadlines, Aman Tokyo offers something no trend can replicate: silence. Located high above the city, this minimalist sanctuary is built on balance — between modernism and tradition, concrete and paper, fashion and philosophy.
Here, style takes on a meditative form. The interiors are architectural poetry — soaring ceilings, shoji screens, stone baths that overlook the skyline. It’s not flashy, but that’s precisely the point.
Many in the industry come here to recalibrate — editors after couture season, designers post-launch. There’s an unspoken understanding that beauty can exist without embellishment. Aman Tokyo reminds the fashion world that simplicity, when executed with mastery, is the ultimate luxury.
The Bowery Hotel, New York — Bohemian with a Twist
If The Mercer is SoHo’s whisper, The Bowery Hotel is the East Village’s knowing smile. It’s where old New York meets artistic rebellion, and that raw energy has made it a favorite among fashion creatives.
The Bowery feels curated without feeling staged — Persian rugs, weathered leather sofas, candles burning in mismatched holders. There’s a sense that every corner has a story. You might find a model off-duty in oversized sunglasses, a stylist buried in her laptop by the fire, or a designer sketching ideas over a Negroni.
It’s the kind of place that doesn’t care for perfection — and that’s precisely why fashion loves it. Style, after all, often lives in imperfection, in the undone, in the moments between the polished pages.
The Bulgari Hotel, Milan — Where Fashion Meets Precision
In Milan, the fashion capital of craftsmanship, The Bulgari Hotel embodies the city’s essence: sleek, refined, and quietly powerful. Hidden behind wrought-iron gates and surrounded by lush gardens, it offers rare tranquility in the heart of the design district.
The interiors, dressed in black granite and oak, feel both modern and timeless — much like Italian fashion itself. During Milan Fashion Week, you’ll spot everyone from editors-in-chief to couture buyers in the courtyard, cappuccinos in hand, exchanging whispers of next season’s trends.
It’s a space that understands fashion’s paradox — the constant chase for novelty anchored by an unwavering respect for tradition. In that sense, The Bulgari Hotel isn’t just a stay; it’s a statement.
Chiltern Firehouse, London — The New Classic
London’s fashion scene has always thrived on reinvention, and Chiltern Firehouse captures that spirit perfectly. Once a Victorian fire station, it now hosts the city’s most eclectic crowd — a blend of designers, actors, artists, and editors who treat the place like a stylish second home.
With its tiled floors, lush garden terrace, and effortlessly intimate bar, Chiltern has become the go-to spot for post-show dinners and after-parties. It’s a space that celebrates personality over pretense, where old-world architecture meets contemporary cool.
For the fashion crowd, it’s less about being seen and more about belonging to a certain kind of energy — where creativity, charisma, and charm all share a table.
When Hotels Become Habits
To outsiders, the connection between fashion and hotels might seem superficial — just beautiful people in beautiful places. But to those inside the industry, these spaces are extensions of the creative process. They offer rhythm, inspiration, and refuge. The right hotel can be a collaborator, a muse, or even a confidant.
It’s where collections are conceptualized, shoots are styled, and ideas are born over late-night cocktails and early-morning light. The relationship between fashion and hospitality isn’t transactional — it’s emotional. The same way a well-tailored jacket can shift your posture, a well-designed room can shift your state of mind.
