Originally Posted by cornwall4000

dunno. i'm a newbie to these here FT parts, been reading rather than posting for the past six months.
love this 'luxury' sub forum in particular. it's great reading from some really knowledgable, talented writers.
but i have to admit i don't really get the occasional pushback in this sub over the definition of 'luxury' and what is 'luxury enough' to deserve even one thread here.
i've been thinking about it some, and i think it may come down to 'classic' vs 'modern'. or 'old' vs 'young'. neither of those are fantastic characterizations of what i mean..... i'll try again.....
when it comes to city hotels, if you're the type of traveler that prefers grande dames like the mark or the plaza (nyc) or BHH or bev wilshire (LA), you're not likely to appreciate what properties such as 1hotels, pendry, edition, etc have on offer in those cities. but that doesn't mean the latter don't offer the best you can find for that kind of luxury.

as for 1hotels, i appreciate this review on the miami location. (might not ever stay, i'm kind of a setai loyalist, though i've been eyeing the faena recently.)
i did spend a week at their west hollywood property, and can report it was very much in what i consider the luxury category. i usually like to stay at l'ermitage or (more recently) the WA BH when in los angeles, and kind of hate the sunset strip scene. but booked this 1hotel because it was close to the studio i was working at in weho this summer.
the hotel is a stunner. i'm a 55 year old fat balding dude, and i did not find the clientele to be the 20s/30s party kids. even up on the pool deck. it ain't the sky bar at mondrian. FB options were delicious and also (happily) not too scene-y. the hard product was non-pareil - amex FHR upgrade honored and suite was outstanding with hi-end finishes everywhere.
as a whole, this particular hotel was top notch, well above standards at RC, IHG, lots of other marques cited here with regularity.

i understand some reluctance to allow upstart marques into the hallowed grounds of top luxury. luxury is (partly) about exclusivity, after all. and, of course, newcomers disappoint as often as they surprise (i had a flat-out lousy stay at the new nobu in atlanta two months ago). but for me, i'm excited to see what pendry, 1hotels, conrad, edition and some of these other 'younger' brands can come up with next...