3 Design Fairs to Visit this Year with 1stDibs' Ashley Williams

London's Belmond Cadogan Hotel is located at the intersection of three top neighborhoods—Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Belgravia—and an elegant boutique hotel.

The vibe at The Goring is traditional English, particularly in its excellent service. In fact, the Goring is one of the few truly old-school English hotels left in London and a great option for those who want a larger hotel without the luxury label. Interiors boast silk wall coverings and lovely whimsical touches (a toy sheep on every bed) that give the Goring a lot of character. The family-run Edwardian hotel boasts 71 beautiful, individually-appointed rooms that give a wonderful sense of place. The rooms were renovated in 2015, so even though the design is old-world, the interiors still feel fresh and updated. The two-bedroom Royal Suite, where Kate Middleton spent the eve before her wedding, is worth the splurge for fans of the monarchy.

Belgravia’s excellent cafés, restaurants and shops are all within walking distance, but those wishing to dine on-property can enjoy classic British fare at the Michelin-starred Dining Room. When the weather is nice, breakfast is served on the patio overlooking the croquet lawn. There is a small fitness room and no spa.

The Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, London is a discreet, elegant hotel preferred by people who like to be well taken care of but don’t like a lot of fuss.

Indagare Travel reviews The Breakers, an iconic grande dame luxury hotel from Henry Morrison Flagler in Palm Beach, Florida.

The Colony Hotel, just one block from the beach on Hammon Avenue is a centrally located, easy-going and stylish option on the island.

Tucked away on a quiet residential street off of Via Monte di Pietà, the 58-room Bulgari is a serene retreat located near the best shopping of the Quadrilatero d’Oro and in walking distance to Brera—a design district filled with independent galleries and local cafés. Bulgari's heritage is present throughout the hotel’s public spaces, which feature sketches of vintage jewelry and portraits of the brand’s famous fans like Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. Adored by the Milanese, the Bulgari has a loyal following of high-profile professionals, celebrities and designers who favor the sleek, stylish design.

Well-known Italian designers Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, who also decorated the nearby** **Mandarin Oriental Milan, blend Bulgari’s high-end aeshetic with contemporary Italian décor. Dark hallways lead to residential-styled rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and minimalist furnishings. The color scheme highlights light oak-paneled walls and floors accented with beige, taupe and rich mocha. The bathrooms are simple but grand, and most have deep stone basin tubs that overlook the garden. Amenities include Bulgari bath products, luxurious Italian linens and special touches at turndown including warm herbal tea, chocolates and lit candles.

The buzzing lounge has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the lively garden.Il Bar attracts a stylish crowd of locals, who mingle over aperitivo at the long onyx marble bar. In the warm weather, patrons can take advantage of the garden or Dom Pérignon Lounge and Raw Bar set in the back of the garden. Il Ristorante specializes in contemporary Italian dishes such as sea bass carpaccio and ossobuco ravioli. Once a month, the Bulgari hosts a special culinary event, Epicurea, during which an international chef collaborates on a curated tasting menu. It’s a fun dining experience that is popular with locals. The additional on-property amenities include a lovely Asian-inspired spa with La Mer products and a small but functional gym.

Milan’s most prestigious European-style grand hotel is the Principe di Savoia, on Piazza della Repubblica. It’s the anti-Bulgari for those who prefer their hotels with a sense of place. Even the notoriously design savvy, such as magazine editor (and Kate Moss ex) Jefferson Hack and the Dutch design duo Studio Job book rooms here when they’re in town. Nowhere else in the city will you find such a time capsule of a bar/lounge–dripping in Baroque details and topped with an original Tiffany-glass domed ceiling. The deluxe rooms with silk textiles and ornate wood paneling are especially sumptuous, and a welcome change from today’s all-white cookie-cutter hotel rooms. The Principe underwent a large-scale renovation in 2009. Renowned New York–based designer Thierry Despont reimagined the historic hotel’s lobby (now featuring a custom-designed Murano glass chandelier by Barovier and Toso); Milan-based design company Celeste dell’Anna focused on updating the Imperial Suite; and London architect Francesca Basu created nine new suites, called the Principe Suites. Despont’s vibrant new version of the Principe Bar balances the classic and the contemporary, and it remains one of the city’s hotspots. The nine new Principe suites are sleek and contemporary, but gorgeous details including large sitting rooms, Murano glass vases, hand-painted frescoes and marble-clad bathrooms with glass mosaic-accented showers keep the sense of place intact. (Technological updates like Wi-Fi and 32” LCD flat-screen televisions don’t, but are welcome conveniences nonetheless.) Do dine at the Principe’s restaurant, Acanto, presided over by talented Executive Chef Fabrizio Cadei (if you fall in love with his dishes, you can sign up for one of his two-hour cooking classes).

And it’s the 5,400-square-foot penthouse presidential suite—with its priceless antiques, dramatic Murano chandeliers, private spa (with swimming pool, sauna and Turkish bath) and wraparound terrace boasting unsurpassed views—that makes this hotel the property of choice for visiting luminaries from Queen Elizabeth to George Clooney.

If ever there was a hotel that fully embodies the aesthetic of a fashion icon, it would be the Armani Hotel Milano. Situated atop Giorgio Armani’s flagship store, at the entrance of famed shopping street Via Montenapoleone, this hotel made a huge splash when it opened in 2011 and remains one of the most difficult to book during the high season, especially fashion week.

Its vividly personal design philosophy makes absolutely no compromises—from the overall architecture (the footprint of the hotel is in the shape of an “A”) to the smallest details (black shower caps), guests here are unmistakably in the word of Signore Armani. It's Zen, minimalist and undeniably sexy, without a single superfluous flourish or adornment—just like a perfect little black dress.

Instead of checking in on the ground floor, visitors are whisked to the seventh floor where massive window walls clad in solar-paneled blinds showcase expansive views across the rooftops of Milan, all the way towards the Duomo. The ambience is hushed, the lighting dim, and the color palate a muted mix of gold and silver, of black and red onyx. Suffice it to say that you feel like you should dress up for the hotel, and that anything other than heels won't do to catwalk down the polished black floors.

The 95 rooms and suites are located on floors two through six, so guests take an elevator down (reminiscent of hotels in Asia), then make their way through darkened hallways dotted with discreet doorways secured by touch panels. The accommodations start at a sizable 480 square-feet, and while masculine at the core, interiors maintain a sense of warmth, furnished with sensual leather, marble and raw silk dipped in neutral hues of grays, creams and browns. The furniture hails from Armani Casa, of course, and the beds in particular are extremely comfortable. Bathrooms are massive and have an Asian-bathhouse vibe, with smooth stone floors, spacious vanities and a separate bathtub and shower. Several floor-to-ceiling mirrors remind that you're staying in the house of a fashion designer (as does the lack of drawers in the room; apparently, everything in a style-maven's closet should be hung up). Some of the rooms on the sixth-floor come with balconies with vistas of the city, and the duplex Signature Suites offer either a private cinema or an in-room gym.

Public spaces are impressive, in particular the top-floor, 13,000-square-foot Armani Spa. There are six treatment rooms, a glass-enclosed relaxation pool and a state-of-the-art fitness center, but best are the white-leather relaxation loungers set in front of the window walls, surely one of the best vantage point from which to view Milan.