Rebel Femmes | Women-Led Hotels, Design & Travel Culture

It’s 1912, the villa is completed, and one delighted owner embarks on a new chapter – both for himself and his stately home. Fast forward through a spell with Universal Studios (cue Roger Moore), a renovation with heart and soul, and two formidable women at the helm, (pictured below) and you’ve got Zürich’s guesthouse-hotel darling – a haven of culture, quiet style, and every creature comfort. Our family has a new sibling.

Meanwhile, Red Flower adds love to NYC, Ruth is the mother of style in the Alps, Frida shapes space, and art is a family affair. The hotel business is making sweet waves—three daughters and their matriarch, Heidi, plus a couple of Stephanies: one crafting happiness in interiors, the other an architect in the kitchen cooking up joyous dumplings. From Verena’s den in the vines to Eleni, Bonnie, and Yael, we go all out femme this week.

But first, I’m dodging the candy bullets of the news cycle, choosing instead to meet good people– and I’ve got Louis on playback…

It still is Louis...

Regula & Tina, pictured above, 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.

In mid-February, I found myself deep in a no-rules, fast-track chat session at Midori House, Monocle HQ in London. Deliciously random – and yes, I know, technically, random can’t be delicious, but you get the drift. Over post-discussion dinner, nestled in Chiltern Street’s best (tragically now fire-ravaged) haunt, talk veered towards hospitality, the next big thing, and where we all want to check in. I mention my favourite hotel children and the people who make me smile (see below), dropping a few hints about new places on the sidings. Finally, the conversation lands on a small hotel-guesthouse (neither term quite captures it) that I’d love to have in The Aficionados fold.

Before I even finish my sentence, Tyler Brûlé jumps in – “I know exactly where you mean.”

It must have been good karma. Fast forward to last week, and from the very spot we were talking about, an email pings in: Iain, we’ve been thinking about your words, and it’s time we had a chat.

Cue fairy lights, a subtle fist pump, and a celebratory jig (yes, I actually do this when good news lands). The universe, it seems, listens.

Judging by all the good news and events taking place (including an impressive 12 new finds so far this year), I must be transmitting a lot of good vibes into the hemisphere – maybe aided by a hefty intake of brain-boosting kale (convinced it will also shift 5kg in 14 days). The past weeks have been a swirl of brilliant encounters and gatherings (I detest the word ‘meetings’). The inbox is on overdrive with the kind of emails you actually want to receive – or at least be cc’ed to death on. Reconnecting with good people and having great conversations is the perfect antidote to the world’s background noise.

Long lunches, laughter, and the kind of joys that feel like demolishing an Armagnac-soaked polenta orange cake on a daily basis (one of my favourites, by the way, if you ever invite me for afternoon tea).

Next week, I’m off to Stockholm, crashing at a newly opened hotel hotspot in the capital and meeting Nikolaj and Filippa (yes, she’s the adorable one from last week's newsletter about wholesome little escapes – the one who lovingly had never heard of The Waltons – bless youth). 

I’m convinced that if I keep repeating the names of the people and places I love, want to talk to, or bump into, it will happen – and hopefully, they’ll officially become part of my feel-good repertoire. There will be enough orange cake to last a while. Bye-bye, kale.

And let’s not forget the magical words of Louis Armstrong on my playlist: 'And I think to myself, What a Wonderful World'. 

I am convinced that it remains so 99% of the time. That other 1%? It’ll fade soon enough. There’s so much positive energy, good spirits, people doing good deeds, and even better company out there – they just don’t get as much airtime.

It's Sunday and your familiar edit of smiles brings in a lineup about the new kid alongside lovely little guesthouse-hotels by Natalia, Ruth, Verena, Ladina, Evelyn, Elisabeth, Marta, Ingrid and a rafter of makers Frida, Yael, Ursula & Stephanie, Eleni, Bonnie and Georgia, Stefanie, and Christina – and, as it happens, next week is International Women's Day (IWD) on 8 March. Now, there’s a coincidence with this week’s clever lineup.

Hugs,
Iain & Co.

The Mash Up

Frida

Winner of the prestigious Le Prix Charlotte Perriand 2024, Mexican born architect Frida Escobedo is a global talent from London's Serpentine Gallery, the Yucatan Peninsula to the Oscar L Tang and HM Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Judith, Lea, Paula & Heidi

Making sweet waves in the hotel business, three daughters and matriarch Heidi have created a gorgeous green idyll at Villa Verde– the perfect spot for wild swims, coffee & cake and seriously serene interiors.

Georgia

A shape-shifting statement in outerwear, Marfa Stance reinvents the coat as a modular masterpiece. Georgia Dant’s utilitarian vision fuses style, sustainability and function – reversible, adaptable and built for life. Italian craftsmanship, bespoke tailoring and infinite possibilities make this the only coat you’ll ever need – reinvented daily, designed to endure.

Ingrid

Ingrid Ladurner is the guardian of vision and wilderness at vigilius mountain resort. She carries forward her father Ulrich Ladurner’s eco-pioneering spirit, blending radical sustainability with high design. EarthCheck Gold-certified, car-free, and nature-immersed, vigilius thrives under her watch – a sanctuary where architecture, environment, and human connection converge with quiet precision.

Marta

Marta Passarinho steers L’AND Vineyards with seasoned grit, a razor-sharp instinct for sustainable luxury, and a natural bonhomie. A master of the craft, she’s reshaping this Alentejo hideaway – where bold design meets nature – into a pulse-quickening retreat of cool sophistication, eco-conscious indulgence, and serious vinous allure.
 

Evelyn

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.

Bonnie

Bonnie Hvillum is dismantling design norms at Natural Material Studio – where waste isn’t discarded but reborn. From pine leather to seashell ceramics, her Copenhagen lab pushes the boundaries of material innovation. Biodegradable, circular and fiercely tactile, her creations redefine luxury – proving that the future is raw, radical and alive.

Ursula & Stefanie

Art by Mum is a vibrant fusion of generational creativity. Ursula and Stephanie Slomski craft bold, expansive artworks that blend intuitive brushstrokes, tactile textures, and daring contrasts. Their art captures life’s fleeting moments, inviting viewers into a world where expression transcends boundaries and art becomes an ongoing conversation.

Ruth

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.

Verena

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.

Stefanie

Stefanie Herkner – Vienna’s undisputed Queen of Dumplings – runs Zur Herknerin with charisma, flair, and a touch of rebellious charm. Her bustling eatery is a love letter to Hausmannskost, where organic farm-to-table dishes meet nostalgia. Reservations are scarce, cash is king, and every bite is a taste of tradition reimagined.

Christina

Christina Biasi-von Berg spins design alchemy – fusing past and future with an intuitive edge. At Biquadra, she crafts South Tyrol’s most magnetic spaces, from Villa Arnica’s laid-back vintage to Mondschein’s bold nostalgia. Mastering light, colour, and texture, she transforms buildings into living, breathing statements of style and soul.

Natalia

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.

Stephanie

Creating one of the most talked about hotel openings in St. Anton, the Munich-based architect and designer is a genius at rethinking the traditional, igniting the crafts of centuries into new urban styling. Her signature is her sense of colouration, tactility, and ability to harness the emotion of being at home. 

Ladina

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.
 

Yael

Natural beauty guru Yael Alkalay founded Red Flower in NYC in 1999, an environmentally and socially responsible beauty product, infused with aromatherapy and botanicals.

Elisabeth

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.

Eleni

The warm beige of a stone courtyard, the mottled brown of a mature tree trunk, and the sun-kissed skin of an olive. To us, this sounds like the perfect composition for a restful afternoon abroad. For former architect and interior designer turned artist Eleni Psyllaki, this garden palette is where she likes to work – painting meditative forms that evoke both memories and dreams.