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Introducing a small selection of The Aficionados’ hotel matriarchs, interior gurus, fashion femmes, and women of effortless charm who make the world a better place. Ladies, who we feel, would become instant friends should we meet, - some already are.
Read on to meet the females moving mountains in their fields, whether that’s in the realms of architecture, innovative wellness, olfactory journeys or verdant-filled hotels. Entrepreneurs and disruptors, but full of buoyant charm, meet our favourite femmes of style.
Prisca Llagostera was born in Andorra to an English mother and a Spanish father, and filled her childhood diaries with drawings of hotels from around the age of eight. She worked VIP events around the World Cup and the Olympics in London and New York, learning standards and long hours, then took her first hospitality job managing an ice hotel: five bedrooms, built every December and melted every April. When her business partner queried the wisdom of a tiny property at the end of a snowed-off valley, she pointed out that she had been running an igloo. The name came later, from a wine label read in a bar on the island of Chiloé while sheltering from Chilean rain, describing the black sheep as the one that stands apart from the flock and goes its own way. She is generally in a black leather jacket, of which she owns several, and today divides her year between here and Kokos Huis, her sibling property in South Africa.
Spearheaded architect and designers Nina Mair and Ana Turcan, who after years of working, creating and thinking together in internationally renowned award-winning Studio Nina Mair, in Innsbruck, embarked on devoting energy, wisdom and creative resources to the revival of the old farmhouse. Their friendship grew out of a deep, mutual passion for architecture. The idea for Colle ai Lecci was born out of their a shared entrepreneurial drive and a clear sense for hospitality. They both believe that places should do more than function - they should welcome, inspire, and stay with you. Colle ai Lecci draws from Nina’s early architectural studies at Florence’s Accademia di Belle Arti. This formative experience in the cradle of Western art history inspired a space designed for dreamers: one where creative experiments and meaningful encounters are complemented by calming interiors that honour the landscape.
Regula & Tina, pictured above in front of their Signau House guesthouse, are the rays of sunshine to headline this week's dispatch of happiness and are the lovable hosts at our newest place. But, as it is Sunday and we have time, let me rewind a little.
Making sweet waves in the hotel business, three daughters and matriarch Heidi have created a gorgeous green idyll at VillaVerde - the perfect spot for wild swims, coffee & cake and seriously serene interiors.
Brandleit Chalet has been in the Gschößer family for four generations, making this more than just a holiday let. The family are deeply connected to the region and as such are patrons of supporting local producers and preserving a way of life found in Zillertal.
Today, owner and host, Silvia Gschößer renovated Brandleit with carefully selected materials and made it a unique retreat and recreational place for visitors.
“Brandleit has always been a magical place for me. I do not know what fascinates me most. I associate Brandleit with wonderful childhood memories. As a family we spent many busy but at the same time wonderful and carefree hours there. And then the memories of my grandfather Peter, who spent so much time in Brandleit. Now I finally understand why he never got bored all those years without television and internet.”
Soul sisters Natalia and Margarita, co-founders and owners of Monsieur Didot met on their first day of uni, studying civil engineering in Athens bonding over their love of music and theatre, activism and endless conversation. With such shared ideals it seemed inevitable that the two would collaborate on a project which combined what they loved the most, namely Athens, people, ideas, books, art and everything true and authentic.
Evelyn Ikrath is pure Alpine dynamite, her energy pulsing through every corner of Haus Hirt. A spirited visionary, she’s shaped her childhood home into a vibrant retreat – where warmth, whimsy, and charisma reign. A yogi, a dreamer, a force of nature – she makes hospitality feel utterly alive.
Designer Ruth has distilled her creative talents at her own place in the tiny enclave of Vals in Switzerland – a cuddle-me gorgeous basecamp where Swiss and Nordic accents marry so very well against chalked linens, artworks and furniture icons.
B28 is the work of Alida Jamal and her husband Miguel, both raised in Porto's cobbled lanes and quietly determined to return something of the city to itself. Academically trained in Financial Management, Alida arrived in hospitality without a day of formal sector experience but with a clear, almost monastic, design instinct. Her project philosophy is plainly stated: keep the building's identity, respect its bones, fold modern comfort in without raising its voice. On the ground floor, she runs a creative salon with a pop-up concept store, stocking Portuguese craft, organic wine, design pieces by Portuguese makers and books, and hosts twice-monthly supper clubs with visiting chefs. The space also hosts yoga sessions and/or workshops, and is a space to grab a coffee. On the evidence of six years' restoration and a Távora-led rehabilitation, the building agrees.
A design-forward refuge wrapped in vineyards and Dolomite drama, Das Wanda redefines boutique stays. Verena Huf’s modernist vision blends earthy textures, slick minimalism, and Alpine soul—where wet-clay walls, raw timber, and moody stone meet sunlit palms and reflective glass. A grown-up hideaway of seductive calm, wrapped in pure South Tyrolean heart.
Natalia Tubella is a design innovator who fuses minimalist elegance with Portuguese craftsmanship. At Pátio do Tijolo, nestled in Lisbon's vibrant Bairro Alto, she crafts a space where natural materials, curated style and Zen-inspired vibes collide. Her focus on sustainability, cultural depth and personal touch reveals a designer deeply connected to both craft and conscience.
Ladina Florineth’s Villa Flor is a creative hideaway in Upper Engadin, where Art Nouveau meets mid-century cool. A designer’s dream, this intimate retreat pulses with colour, pattern, and personality. More artist’s salon than hotel, it’s a bold, off-radar escape – a stylish counterpoint to St. Moritz’s polished sheen.
A powerful sibling bond is behind the construct of style bolthole Haus Aerli. Sisters Sarah and Emily Schwarz set about using their passion and attention to detail to recreate a new alpine experience where antlers and fustiness are gone, replace by a cool new aesthetic: pared back and modern.
However, their ethos extends to a certain lifestyle at Haus Aerli, where plenty of thought has gone into the way they would like guests to relax. Emily says, "We focused on details and left out unimportant factors like lavish decorations and TVs. Our goal was to create a small haven of peace that we ourselves would enjoy.” We think the Schwarz’s have far exceeded their goal with Haus Aerli – come see for yourself.
Mouche’s vision was always simple: to create a place that feels like staying with friends – lived-in, stylish and wrapped in Antwerp’s quiet cultural magic. With its 2025 renovation, the hotel marks a new chapter, reinforcing its status as a touchstone of casual luxury in Belgium’s most compelling city.
Klara Rooms is a family affair. Ramona Ludwig lives with her family in the house directly across the road. Some are born naturally versed in the language of design and Ramona’s early instinct for tactile style; for the right material, the right proportion, the moment when a room becomes a room, began in childhood, reconfiguring spaces and staging corners long before she had a building to renovate.
Having previously enjoyed a global career in tourism, fashion, design and media, today Anita Papantoniou is a passionate hotelier, a mother and charismatic host, who along with her husband and family have realised their dream: creating a hotel which they would love to travel to themselves.
Anita, who also speaks fluent English, Italian and French, is the perfect ambassador of her beloved Koufonisia, just be warned, her affection for the slow pace of island life is wonderfully infectious. Expect a warm heart-felt Greek welcome from Anita to her coveted Eros Keros, their home on the island.
Elisabeth Rabensteiner continues her family’s South Tyrolean hospitality legacy at Ansitz Steinbock, a 15th-century castle reimagined with modern design. She’s preserved its Gothic grandeur – frescoed walls, ancient spruce floors, loam-plastered interiors – while introducing deep tubs, private saunas, and bespoke furnishings. A fusion of history, architecture, and refined comfort, where past and present seamlessly intertwine.
Ruth’s original manifesto to listen to what the house wanted to be has served her well. Reinvented for the curious traveller, Brücke 49 has been welcoming guests for nearly a decade.
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As the property neared finishing, Fabio took the decision to keep the garden wild and naturally indigenous – where the boundaries between garden and rural countryside were blurred.
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The master of reductive design, Belgium architect and interior designer Vincent Van Duysen is a behemoth legend of pared-back aesthetic and minimalist style over a spectrum of design disciplines, including furniture, textiles, and lighting.
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This tiny mountain hamlet is home to some stunning architecture, a sort of magnet for the craft and its followers, not least those that flock to the legendary architect Peter Zumthor's famed Therme Vals - an aqueous world that brings the mountain indoors.
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Explore the interiors of Ruth Kramer, designer of Brücke 49 in Switzerland, where soft minimalism, tactile materials and Scandinavian clarity come together in spaces shaped by heritage, intuition and place.
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Zaha Hadid Architect's coastal Salerno Maritime Terminal in Cilento, Italy carries her hallmark curves inspired by oysters and the waves, a coastal landmark.
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Behind some of Scotland's landmark conservation and restoration projects including the award-winning Kyle House, Hotel Lundies and Killiehuntly Farmhouse in the Highlands.
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The Pavilion Le Corbusier, located in Zurich, pays homage to an architect who was the forerunner of urban design, a pioneer of sustainability, and a leader of modernism.
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Conceiving of NOA as an ever-changing network of architects, interior designers, graphic talent to even psychologists and much more, NOA is able to incorporate a multitude of ideas and styles into its hotel projects.
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Genuizzi | Banal Architects studio based in Milano is synonymous with clear spatial design and a strong lineal aesthetic bound to the environment.
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Professor, architect and designer with an intense love of concrete and the alps, architect Othmar Barth (1927-2010) was considered futuristic, often misunderstood and a bit of a silent hero of the rural monumental.
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Farms, hotels, residencies and offices - meet the charismatic Founder of AEDES - an Amsterdam-based property development company as we talk about his mission to create a legacy for the future - rewilding, restoring, preserving heritage and pushing the boundaries of research and science.
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Get the insider news and lowdown on what we've been up to, where we've been, and who we've met along the way. Be the first to discover new places and get the scoop on our favourites.