Tel Aviv's Norman Hotel has been named the best boutique hotel in the world, ahead of renowned establishments like the Shangri-La in Paris and chain hotels like Four Seasons and One and Only. Located on Nachmani St., the Norman Hotel this month celebrated one year since its opening. The hotel was selected by two different organizations' one in the US and one in London. The selection was based on opinions from visitors to the hotel, guests, bloggers, journalists, and data collected from websites such as TripAdvisor and Booking.
The hotel's history begins in the 1950s with Norman Lurie, owner of Israel's first boutique hotel, the Dolphin House in Shavei Tzion, which attracted the elite of Israeli society, plus quite a few global celebrities. Norman's son decided to follow in his father's footsteps, and waited for an opportunity to come his way.
His chance came in the form of two old Tel Aviv buildings at 23 and 25 Nachmani St. After spending years buying each and every apartment, he managed to acquire the two buildings for a hotel, which he owns. From the outside, the building looks just like an ordinary residential building that has been renovated and restored. Once you get past the front door, however, everything changes.
The Norman Hotel belongs to the Small Luxury Hotel (SLH) organization, which numbers 550 hotels with up to 75 rooms. What these hotels have in common is that they are considered the best and most popular in the world. The hotel offers all the facilities that are usually available only in large hotels, such as a bar and two in-house restaurants: one Israeli and one Japanese, the latter presided over by Chef Masaki Sugisaki, owner of the Dinings Restaurant chain in London. The hotel also has a fitness room, a pool, and a sun patio.
The hotel has 50 rooms at different hosting levels, but all the suites are large and in the de lux, suite, and duplex categories. One of the hotel's advantages is its location near Rothschild Blvd and the business center of Tel Aviv.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 20, 2015
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