The most sparkling hotel of the year (literally) has to be the new Baccarat hotel situated opposite the Museum of Modern Art, at 5th Avenue and 53rd Street. It looks like guests wearing sunglasses in the lobby won’t just be famous (although there will be plenty of those) they’ll be shielding themselves from the glare of all those massive chandeliers. Even the outside of the hotel looks dazzling (12,000 Baccarat glass pieces decorate entrance of the hotel tower). The legendary glassmaker has been adding glitz to the lives of the rich and famous for over 250 years and the hotel promises to be a showcase for palatial decoration. Cases of priceless Harcourt crystal line the corridors, crystal goblets graces the tables, glass vases are seen in the suites and where there isn’t crystal there are mirrored surfaces and wide glass windows. Shades of white and grey act as a backdrop for the sparkle. This is the first hotel in the world to carry the shining Baccarat name, but it won’t be the only one for long with The Baccarat Hotel, Rabat in Rabat Morocco, slated for completion late this year (although we suspect that in reality it will be appearing on our 2016 list). The glittering top suite is the 1,740 square feet Baccarat Suite.
Luxury Buzz: News is that 1 Hotels and boss Barry Sternlich, who conceived the W brand, are planning six Baccarat hotels and residences by 2018, including ones in Dubai and Shanghai.
