Featuring a boutique retreat on the Mexican coast, a skinny building in Tokyo and an ex-sanatorium in the Greek mountains, here are 10 of the most memorable hotelspublished on Dezeen in 2024.Photo by Fabio SemeraroVocabolo Moscatelli, Italy, by ArchiloopFlorence studio Archiloop helped convert a 12th-century monastery on a remote estate in Italy's Umbria region into a boutique hotel.The 800-year-old buildings were carefully restored, with the original wooden floors, exposed brickwork and ceiling beams among the features kept. New additions include a travertine swimming pool coloured to match the surrounding woodland.Find out more about Vocabolo Moscatelli Photo by Keishin Horikoshi/SS TokyoHotel Rakuragu, Japan, by Kooo ArchitectsSqueezed between two buildings on a site of just 83.5 square metres, this Tokyo hotel's constrained space inspired its distinctive design.Japanese studio Kooo Architects created gaps in the building's facade by incorporating cut-out balconies that let in light while preserving privacy.Find out more about Hotel Rakuragu Photo by Jasson RodriguezCasa Yuma, Mexico, by TAAC and Sara SkalliArchitecture studio TAAC and interior designer Sara Skalli utilised traditional, regionally-sourced materials to create this seaside hotel in Playa Los Naranjos.The material palette centres around the use of chukum, a water-resistant and plaster-like finish made from tree resin and limestone, to create "an ambience that is both organic and sustainable".Find out more about Casa Yuma Photo by Giulio GhirardiPalazzo Talia, Italy, by StudiolucaguadagninoOriginally built in the 16th century, this palazzo was turned into a luxury hotel by the interior design studio of film director Luca Guadagnino, marking its first venture into hospitality.The design combines historic features with contemporary elements, featuring 18th-century frescoes painted by Italian artist Gaspare Serenario, a floral carpet in the reception lobby and a rich colour palette to achieve a "balanced decorative effect".Find out more about Palazzo Talia Photo by Kris ProvoostFloating Hotel, China, by More ArchitectureA large zigzagging roof crowns this hotel nestled within the bamboo forests and mountains of Dachangping. Perched on a grid of steel columns and raised above an open ground floor, the hotel is aptly named Floating Hotel.Designed by Amsterdam studio More Architecture, the rooms are arranged with varied orientations to provide guests with an "immersive relationship with nature".Find out more about Floating Hotel Photo by Jason O'RearPopulus, USA, by Studio GangClaimed as the "first carbon-positive hotel" in the US, this triangular-shaped hotel employs several energy-saving design techniques, including a green roof and overhanging "lids" that shade the windows.Located in downtown Denver, architecture practice Studio Gang intended for its design to reflect the "Aspen eyes" of Colorado's native Aspen tree.Find out more about Populus Photo by Michael Sinclair The Brecon, Switzerland, by NicemakersAmsterdam-based studio Nicemakers updated the interiors of this century-old chalet to feel "like a high-end version of your own home".With wooden panelling, integrated bookshelves and mismatched mid-century modern furniture, the design studio aimed to create a series of intimate and characterful spaces that feel both personal and inviting.Find out more about The Brecon Photo by Ana Santl (also top)Manna, Greece, by K-Studio and MonogonSituated within a fir forest in the mountainous region of Arcadia, this hotel was converted from an abandoned sanatorium into a wellness retreat.Greek architecture offices K-Studio and Monogon fitted the place with natural materials and neutral tones to amplify the sense of sanctuary offered by the remote location and enhance the feeling of connection to nature.Find out more about Manna Photo courtesy of PolicronicaHotel Elyse Montmartre, France, by PolicronicaDesign studio Policronica transformed this 850-square-metre space using almost exclusively a single species of wood, with nearly every element of the architectural woodwork and furnishings custom-designed and crafted on-site at its Lisbon workshop.The monochrome interior, made from locally-sourced eucalyptus wood, is a nod to the studio's signature aesthetic.Find out more about Hotel Elyse Montmartre Photo courtesy of RosewoodRosewood So Paulo, Brazil, by Jean Nouvel and Philippe StarckFrench architect Jean Nouvel designed this lattice-covered tower to serve as the main accommodation hub at Rosewood So Paulo. The 25-storey concrete structure features interiors by French designer Philippe Starck that exclusively use Brazilian-sourced materials.The tower's tiered design creates space for large roof gardens and balconies, while its vertical timber screens integrate indigenous flora and fauna.Find out more about Rosewood So Paulo The post The top 10 hotels of 2024 appeared first on Dezeen.

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The Beatles arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on February 7, 1964. Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsOn December 26, 1963, syndicated Hollywood columnist Erskine Johnson issued a stark notice in newspapers across the United States.Warning: Beatles Are Coming, the headline read, like a 20th-century version of Paul Reveres midnight ride.Johnson, for one, was not impressed with the British band, who had just released their breakout singles, I Want to Hold Your Hand and I Saw Her Standing There, in the U.S. that day.I watch. Im appalled, he wrote after attending a Beatles show in London. He described the stage presence of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Paul McCartney as eels after an explosion in a wig factory.Their music was brash, loud and full of guitars, and it apparently had little or no melody. Worse, Johnson found, were the fanatic fans who inspired the term Beatlemania. Girls fell to their knees during the concert and beat their fists against the floor, he reported.The thought of U.S. teenagers becoming Beatle Bewitched is frightening, Johnson wrote. It isnt fair. Yeah, yeah, yeah.The Beatles' first appearance on American TV -- NBC NewsWatch on But, indeed, the Beatles were coming stateside, having already conquered their home island. On December 26, they already held five top-20 slots on the British pop charts, including the coveted first two. (The Fab Four also made a cameo appearance in the 20th spot on Dora Bryans single All I Want for Christmas Is a Beatle, in which the singer pines for a real live Liverpool boy.)Four days before releasing their second studio album With the Beatles on November 22, the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the Beatles had made their first television appearance in the U.S. during a four-minute report by NBCs Edwin Newman. Millions of people watched, and hype for the British groups American visit skyrocketed.Whatever the nature of Beatlemania, this country is about to be exposed to its carriers, the New Yorker wrote in a profile of the Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who was tirelessly arranging the bands visit to America.On February 7, 1964, it finally happened: The Beatles touched down at the recently renamed John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. As they stepped off their airplane, they were met by a crowd of 200 jostling reporters and photographers and some 4,000 fans, mostly teenaged girls, who lined the rooftop observation deck of the airports International Arrivals Building in a great singing, shrilling mass, Jonathan Gould wrote in Cant Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America. The Beatles performing on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February 1964 Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsAfter a chaotic and quippy press conference, four black Cadillac limousines brought each Beatle individually to the Plaza Hotel, where they were trapped by throngs of press and fans.Then, on February 9, the Beatles had their formal television introduction to the American public through a live performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Seventy-three million Americans, roughly 34 percent of the population, tuned in, and Beatles fans in the studio were so rowdy while the shows other guests performed that Sullivan at one point joked, If you dont keep quiet, Im going to send for a barber.To joyous screams, the four Beatles came onto the stage. They ripped through three songs: All My Loving, Till There Was You and She Loves You. During the second number, the camera cut between individual Beatles, displaying their first names and introducing them personally to America. (Under Lennons name, text stated, SORRY GIRLS, HES MARRIED.) The show then went to commercial, but the course of rock music was forever changed.Writing for Smithsonian, Joseph Stromberg described the Beatles performance on the show as a watershed moment, a turning point in the history [of] American music that inextricably influenced a huge proportion of all the pop and rock thats come since.In retrospect, Johnsons warning back on December 26 was apt. The British Invasion was underway.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Squid Game season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.If season 1 of the masterful Korean thriller Squid Game introduced audiences to the capitalist hellscape that made its macabre elementary school field day for deeply indebted adults possible, season 2 is seemingly meant to parse through the complexities of that cutthroat terrain. As we follow reluctant winner Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) back into the arena, we find an atmosphere charged not by lethal rounds of I Spy or hopscotch, but by interactions that muddle any prior notion of hero vs. villain or right vs. wrong. Expanded backstories and complicated motives ladder up to this seasons harshest reality: As easy as it is to blame a faceless machine for everything thats wrong with the world, no machine can work without the cogs that keep it running. With a much leaner seven-episode run at his disposal, creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk explores the layers of this universe with rich storytelling that doesnt simply take the cruelties and inequalities of this system to task. This time, he and Squid Games talented cast dig into why any reasonable person would feed themselves to its gears in the first place.Still traumatized from the events of season 1, burgeoning vigilante Gi-hun refuses to disappear into a comfy life with his winnings. We learn that hes invested three years and his own cash into a private search for the games magnetic recruiter (Gong Yoo), initially convinced that ending him would end the games. We also learn the recruiters unsettling backstory, which offers the grim perspective of someone wholly blinded by his allegiance to these games and a deeply flawed, oversimplified pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps mentality. This mainly gives Gong Yoo the space to be less stoic and more of a terrifying arbiter of corporate injustice, delivering an absolutely rattling performance in the process. Not only does he make a worthy adversary for Lees more grounded but equally intense Gi-hun, hes also a conduit for some of the seasons most creative moments of tension and breathtaking cinematography. The recruiters story makes up most of the first episode a departure from how quickly season one got to the games. But this isnt cause for alarm. Despite taking place entirely in the outside world, the first two episodes are so loaded with anxiety-inducing pressure points that even a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in a darkened building can become nightmare fuel. Yes, the games are an obvious centerpiece, but this thoughtful, more leisurely journey to them proves that Squid Games biggest draw is its worldbuilding.We also reconnect with police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), who previously went undercover as a games guard in search of his brother In-ho (who, in a first-season twist, turned out to be the games Front Man, played by the quietly chilling Lee Byung-hun). After taking on a much less exciting assignment, he eventually reunites with Gi-hun and joins the heros quest to uncover the secret location of the games. His presence briefly and intriguingly indicates that season 2 has the police in its social-commentary sights; new character Choi Woo-Seok (Jeon Seok-ho) notes that cops, in his experience, rarely help civilians. But its a thread that Hwang and company only tug at lightly, a notably weaker approach when compared to the other ways Squid Game speaks truth to powerSquid Game Season 2 GalleryWhen we do eventually return to the Squid Game, we meet a legion of new players, including a former YouTuber in trouble for slinging faulty crypto (Im Si-wan), his pregnant and savvy ex (Jo Yu-ri), a mother-son duo looking to collectively pay off gambling debt (Kang Ae-shim and Yang Dong-geun, respectively), a young former marine (Kang Ha-neul), and a menacing former shaman (Chae Kook-hee). While some feel more like archetypes than fully fleshed-out characters, Kangs Jang Geum-ja stands out. More than a doting mom, Geum-ja often leans on her hard-knock upbringing to draw immeasurable strength for herself and the ragtag bunch of players she adopts as her own family. Other competitors might underestimate the older woman in their midst, but she proves them wrong with fierce conviction and a strong resolve.Also among the ensemble are two rather high-profile additions. Park Sung-hoon plays Hyun-ju, a former special forces soldier and transgender woman who enters the games to earn funding for gender-affirming surgery. (Worth noting: Park is a cis man; Hwang says he had difficulty finding an out trans actress in Korea and chose Park for the role rather than cutting this important storyline.) Hyun-ju is sharp, compassionate, capable, and complicated a fully realized person with her own incredibly valid motivations whos treated with notable care by Park and Hwang. Another headline-grabbing choice: Choi Seung-hyun, a.k.a revered, once-underground South Korean rapper T.O.P, who plays, well, a revered underground rapper named Thanos. Thanos is a lightning bolt of unrepentant chaos in an already electric environment, and Choi has found a way to imbue pitch-perfect physical comedy, rage, and tragic recklessness into a character that makes the viewer simultaneously hold their breath in fear and beg for more. Its a match made in hell through and through though Thanos isnt without his own sobering baggage, making him just as easy to pity as he is to fear. The games take a backseat to a new, unnerving wrinkle: democracy.There are new games and the return of one daunting bloodfest but truthfully, they all take a backseat to a new, unnerving wrinkle: democracy. Voting played a small role in season one, but each one of season twos games is punctuated by a chance for the surviving players to end it all with a majority vote, walking away with an even share of the prize money. Of course, as the body count grows, so does the size of those shares. Here, Hwang best blurs the lines between us vs. them, which are no longer restricted to the players and their overseers. It also means roles are constantly adjusting. While the players may not have guns, theyre armed with their own personal motives (like costly healthcare, or combatting serious addictions), strategic stories, and a vote that dictates everyones chances at survival. Its a game-within-the-game, and it provides the chance for everyone to indulge their killer instinct even those who seem to mean well.Following a U.S. election cycle when voting for self-preservation versus the greater good was the hottest of hot-button topics, this development is almost uncomfortably timely. But it also cleverly illustrates how the games can sow division, how tough choices can swiftly adjust our perception of other people, and how, in some cases, you dont need masked gunmen to make a space feel incredibly dangerous. Before, it was much easier to tell when the games were in session. Now, not so much. Squid Game trusts us to navigate this more nuanced story, and its rewarding. As we watch this heightened depiction of the economic and political forces that dictate our everyday lives, were challenged to pinpoint how wed actually fit in in such a thorny universe.

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After three years,Squid Gameis back with more deadly games to play. The seven-episode second season premieres today onNetflix. By all accounts, it's just as good as the show's first outing. However, this is not a retread of season 1, and that's due to Seong Gi-hun's (Lee Jae) return to the gauntlet that nearly killed him.Why would Gi-hun (aka Player 456) even come back after the violence he endured previously? After all, he won the competition and left the island a billionaire. You'd think he'd put this in his rearview for good and move on with his life. When it comes to the lingering impact of trauma, that's easier said than done.See at NetflixWhen audiences first met Gi-hun, he was an aloof low-life with a gambling habit, struggling to pay off some massive debts. In short, he had a clear detachment from any meaningful responsibilities. In Season 2, Gi-hun is a changed man. A hardened shell of his former self, his sole purpose has shifted from paying off debtors to taking down the whole mysterious operation entirely.Instead of starting a new lavish life with his competition winnings, he spends copious amounts of money to find the people connected to the games. He wants revenge, and nothing will stop him from getting it.Or, to paraphrase Michael Corleone from The Godfather: Part III: Just when we thought he was out, he threw himself right back in.This is the part of the review where I warn you ofspoilers for Squid Game season 2. If you haven't watched the new episodes, tread lightly or turn back now. Getty Image/ Zooey Liao Lee Jung-jae returns as Gi-hun (aka Player 456) in Squid Game season 2 on Netflix. NetflixIt's not a spoiler that Gi-hun returns to the games; that detail was prominentin the trailer. On the surface, this new installment looks a lot like the first one. People who need money are forced to play childhood games for big money while putting their lives on the line. A shadowy figure runs the show with an army of hooded, masked henchmen doing his bidding.Even though the competitors are all in this life-threatening situation together, bonds are forged and conflicts arise. Once again, we are presented with a Lord of the Flies-style scenario showing how easy it is for humanity to pull itself apart from within.Gi-hun's determination to end this operation and save as many lives as possible puts him at odds with a number of competitors. His tenacity and knowledge of the games also bring new friends his way, introducing the audience to a collection of new faces, each with their own flaws and nuances.As expected, Jung-jae delivers another stand-out performance. Every player in the expansive ensemble delivers on all fronts, from Lee Byung-hun -- whose sinister return as the Front Man brings some unexpected new layers to the evil role -- and Wi Ha-jun, who is back as detective Hwang Jun-ho, to Gong Yoo's delightful reprisal of his sociopathic Recruiter role, everyone does a fantastic job raising the emotional stakes. And that's a necessity.Let's remember where we were three years ago when Squid Game premiered on Netflix in 2021. At the time, there was a global lockdown, and millions of people were stuck at home, looking for entertainment to numb the pain of the pandemic realities they were living through daily. The Korean series was a hit out of the gate and quickly became the streamer's most-watched series ever.Emmys were won, and careers were made. Series lead Lee Jung-jae got the Star Wars bump with the Disney Plus series The Acolyte. The spotlight was indeed well-received. But after a three-year wait, one has to wonder if the second season of Hwang Dong-hyuk's global hit scratches the same sort of itch.It does. But it also doesn't. And that's a good thing.Squid Game isn't the first piece of entertainment that pits people against each other in bloody combat for monetary gain. Titles like Running Man or Battle Royale come to mind. However, the deadly competition here isn't a means of popcorn-munching revelry for an at-home audience. No, that would be too easy. This deadly gauntlet of children's games may take place at the whims of a sociopathic man hiding behind a black mask -- but it's the competitors themselves who own the majority of the trauma.Season 2 gives everyone a proverbial get-out-of-jail-free card by allowing competitors to vote on whether they should stay or leave. Much like in the first season, though, humanity's greed offsets common sense and once again guides the series into a bloodbath. Adding an election theme to the mix creates a violent polarity that feels a bit too close to home, considering our present-day reality.Squid Game has changed with the times more than enough to keep it interesting. It's just as terrifying as it is funny, heartfelt and dramatic. Like Gi-hun, audiences everywhere are already familiar with this bloody competition -- Red Light, Green Light is still the scariest game, to be honest. So, to keep our attention, the story needs to enter a new phase.The Front Man and his henchmen messed around in season 1. Now, it looks like Squid Game is in the finding-out stage, and I can't wait to see what comes next.