Designers reinvent low-cost travel in a new crop of hotels and hostels

Qbic London City Hotel, London, UK

The Qbic London City Hotel represents a step change in the world of hospitality.  Each of the 171-guestrooms is dominated by a pod-like structure, the Cubi, which partially encloses the bed and also integrates a stylish bathroom component. The genius idea of the Cubi is that it can be 'inserted' into former office buildings, giving them and their neighbourhoods a new lease of life. Following the launch of the first property at Schipol airport five years ago, this version is smaller, with each Cubi featuring integrated TVs and changeable mood lighting. Tim Mutton of Clerkenwell-based agency Blacksheep is the mastermind behind the handcrafted interiors, featuring a flexible continuum of dining, living and working areas furnished with flamboyant colour contrasts and a clash of patterns. An open fireplace is surrounded by an assortment of refurbished Scandinavian furnishings, while lamps and seating are fashioned from a re-purposed garden hose by non-conformist Rotterdam designer Sander Bokkinga. The hotel also offers rent-free space in its basement to creative start-ups and there is a well-lit staircase for use as an artistic exhibition space. Such unconventionality tallies with the fundamentally different concept behind Qbic.

42 Adler Street, London; www.london.qbichotels.com; rates: from £59

Writer: Guy Dittrich

Pentahotel, Hong Kong

With major projects such as Shanghai's Design Republic Commune and Beijing's Opposite House hotel under its belt, design firm Neri & Hu is usually associated with the luxury end of the market. So it was a pleasant surprise to hear it had designed the interiors of Pentahotel's relatively low cost new Hong Kong opening. Located in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Kai Tak, Kowloon, the 32-storey, 695-room lodgings feature raw interiors, with lots of exposed brick and reclaimed oak. Facilities include five meeting rooms, a gym, an outdoor pool and a games room, and - as with its sister properties - the signature pentalounge (a single space that combines the lobby, reception area, bar and café) lies at the heart of the hotel. Helmed by chef Tony Wong, the restaurant comprises a number of market-style food stations that offer a variety of international and local dishes. 

19 Luk Hop Street, San Po Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong; tel: 852.3112 8222; www.pentahotels.com; rates: from HK$1,200

Writer: Camila Cavalletti

Emanuel Hostel, Split, Croatia

The antiquity and ancient history of Dalmatia's largest city receives a jolt of modernity with this new hostel. Owners Mila and Toni Radan restored a ruined early 20th-century apartment, dividing fifteen beds between two different rooms, starkly designed by Lana Vitas Gruic of Atom Design Studio. While one room is a riot of block colours, the other is an exercise in muted minimalism. The interiors are a nod to the daily pleasures of Mediterranean life, with street scenes gracing the walls in honour of Split's maritime heritage.

Ulica Lava Nikolajevi a Tolstoja 20, Split, Croatia; tel: 38.5 21786 533; rates: from €12.50

Writer: David Paw

Generator Hostel, Venice, Italy

Closely following the launch of a Berlin outpost, the latest Generator Hostel has opened its doors in Venice and - as with all the recent openings from the brand - it is designed by Toronto-based The Design Agency. Lighting and furnishings by Tom Dixon and Marcel Wanders for Moooi are not on the spec' list of your average hostel, but it is the mix of these classics with locally sourced antique mirrors, a marble fireplace, a vintage pharmacy cupboard and other 'found objects' that gives the ground-floor public spaces their charm. Housed in a former flour mill and granary store, the lodgings are located right on the waterfront of Isola della Giudecca, with a grandstand view across the archipelago towards St Mark's Square. Featuring the usual dormitory and bunk bed sleeping options, the hostel's front rooms sleep two to three guests and come with en-suite bathrooms stocked with L'Occitane en Provence toiletries. Even in the fast growing hostel market the expansion of Generator, by owners Patron Capital is impressive. The three openings in 2013 (Barcelona, as well as Berlin and Venice) will be followed by over 1,000 more beds in Rome and Paris in 2014. Guests will be pinching themselves in disbelief at this pioneering brand's game-changing design initiative.

Fondamenta Zitelle, 86 30133 Venezia, Italy; tel: 39. 04 1877 8288; www.generatorhostels.com; rates: from €20

Writer: Guy Dittrich

Kosenda Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia

Located a stone's throw from Jakarta's bustling shopping district, Kosenda Hotel is a design-orientated haven owned by Indonesian textile and garment entrepreneur, Ruben Kosenda. An avid traveller, whose lifelong dream was to create the 'perfect' hotel, Kosenda recruited local architects Studio Ton Ton, who have incorporated diamond shapes into the design of the building. Inside, the eclectic urban interior is by Singapore and Jakarta-based firm Domislium Studio, who have echoed Kosenda's love for both old and new. Comprising 60 rooms, the hotel also has a rooftop lounge with panoramic views of the city, while the café and eaterie is headed by Australian restaurateur Stewart Gan, who serves up traditional Peranakan cuisine with local favourites such as Laksa curry soup.

Jl. KH Wahid Hasyim No.127, Jakarta, Indonesia; tel: 62.21 3193 6868; www.kosendahotel.com; rates: from £91

Writer: Camila Cavalletti

Bloom Rooms, New Delhi, India

The Delhi-based hotel group Bloom Rooms has quietly opened its second property a stone's throw from the surging tumult of the city's main railway station and the fading Georgian facades of its business district. An oasis of natural light, minimalist lines and buttercup hues wrapped up in an attractive Art Deco package, the hotel features rooms with superior ergonomics and bespoke furnishings designed by Amaury Watine, Ultra. We love the multifunctional wall panel in each room, the Grohe rain showers and the Gilchrist and Soames amenities complementary to every guest's stay.

8591 Arakashan Road, New Delhi; tel: 91.011 4122 5666; www.bloomroomshotel.com; rates: from US$30

Writer: David Paw

The Student Hotel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Open to both long-term residents of Amsterdam's heavyweight academic institutions and short-term travellers, The Student Hotel's newest opening builds upon the success of its staggeringly popular siblings across the Benelux. The hotel combines esoteric yet thoughtful design by the perplexingly named local creative agency ...,staat, as well as functional features such as fat-screen TVs and free wifi, and a heady dose of fun. The latter comes in spades: there is a basketball court on site and Amerdam-based bicycle company Vanmoof provides a high-tech cycle for every resident. The on-site restaurant and café comes from the same team behind popular local eatery De Stadskantine.  

Jan van Galenstraat 335, Amsterdam; Tel: 31. 020 760 4000; www.thestudenthotel.com; rates: from €50

Writer: David Paw

Meininger Hotel Brussels, Belgium

Housed in a redbrick building, in what used to be the former Bellevue brewery next to the canal in Brussels, these new carbon neutral lodgings are a cheerful mix between budget hotel and hostel. With 150 rooms spread out over five floors, the décor is minimally chic in neutral shades with the occasional bright splashes of yellow and red. Offering a variety of options, rooms sleep from two to eight people and each has its own bathroom. Next to the open plan lobby, there is a bar in the former beer cellars, a kitchen, laundry room and games space. The hotel has also commissioned 20 European Street Art painters to enhance the industrial character of this famous Belgian brewery.

Quai du Hainaut 33 Molenbeek, Brussels; tel: 32. 2588 1474; www.meininger-hotels.com; rates: from £39

Writer: Debbie Pappyn

Vibes Music Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Paris-based Argentine Marcelo Joulia says this is a retreat for all ages, but the young will better appreciate the mod musical cons at Vibes, the latest concept hotel to hit Buenos Aires's vibrant Palermo neighbourhood. Vibes' resident DJ Luciano broadcasts in the main-floor lounge, tapas restaurant and cocktail bar, decorated in contemporary palettes that bring to mind a visual equivalent to electronic music. There's a recording studio upstairs called the Rec Room and the rooftop terrace, called Echo - open to the public as well as guests in the hotel's 32 rooms - is outfitted like a Rio club. The project was long in the works for Joulia, whose practice Naço ('intuition' in the indigenous South American language Guarani) designed the city's popular Unico bar and Unik restaurant.

Republica Eslovenia 1867, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Tel: 54. 11 4777 1426; www.vibeshotel.com; rates: from $70

Writer: Ellen Himelfarb