Welcome back to The Check-In, your touchpoint for all things travel.
This week, Aman has announced its first foray into safari, and Argentine-born Faena attempts to make waves in New York City. Elsewhere, fashion-led interiors land in Cape Town’s Mount Nelson and a new campaign from Raffles turns heads.
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Faena Brings Its Electric Argentine Spirit to Manhattan
Two decades after its debut in Buenos Aires, and a decade after opening in Miami Beach, Faena Hotel Group has launched its third property in New York City.
The brand is renowned for its theatrical design, large-scale art, and cultural programming, with its Miami Beach location – and its signature Damien Hirst gold wooly mammoth sculpture in the courtyard – becoming an instant fixture with the fashion set. Now Faena aims to bring that Argentine flair to one of the world’s most competitive luxury hospitality markets.
Faena New York rises in a torqued Chelsea skyscraper, sitting right beside the High Line, a promenade where art and architecture already converge. Launching with its own gallery and event plaza, the hotel is channeling that energy, hoping to achieve the holy grail of hospitality and become an essential ticket for sophisticated travelers and locals alike.
Inside, there are 120 rooms and suites, and the hotel’s two-storey Faena Suite underscores the brand’s ambitions, featuring a private elevator, baby grand pano and terrace views stretching from the Hudson to the Empire State Building.
Culinary offerings include La Boca, teaming Argentine fire-led cooking with live music and DJs. The forthcoming Tierra Santa Healing House spa promises South American-inspired treatments, in a change to Manhattan’s typical Asian-led wellness offerings. By 2026, the hotel also plans to open a gilded Faena Theater, a curious and slightly unusual addition.
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Aman Announces Aman Karingani, Its First Safari Property
Aman has unveiled its latest destination, Aman Karingani, a safari retreat and collection of branded residences set within Mozambique’s 370,000-acre Karinhani Game Reserve. This is Aman’s first safari offer in Africa and its second location on the continent, following Amanjena in Marrakech.
The brand’s neutral interiors, small scale and preference for far-flung destinations seem like a natural fit for the African savannah and in many ways, Aman Karingani feels less like a gamble than a long-overdue next step. Details are still limited, but just 30 standalone pavilions are planned, from one to two bedroom, each opening onto decks with private pools.
Branded residences, ranging from three- to six-bedroom properties, are also available. While Aman is no stranger to such things, its branded properties are usually in more urban or resort-like settings, where lifestyle and resale value are more predictable. It will be fascinating to see how, and if, these sell.
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The Mount Nelson Hotel Unveils Its New Fashion Forward Signature Suite
Belmond’s Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town has unveiled its new Thebe Magugu Suite, a two-floor villa designed by fashion designer Thebe Magugu, marking his debut in interior design. Promising to inject fresh energy into the walls of one of Cape Town's most historic hotels, the suite is designed in an 'Afro English' aesthetic, blending South African and British design cues with ceremonial, hand-carved furniture and stone and timber textures.
Adjoining the suite, Magugu House Cape Town is openening as a hybrid concept store and cultural hub, showcasing the designer’s collections alongside works from contemporary African artists. The collaboration reflects Mount Nelson’s commitment to celebrating African creativity while offering guests an immersive environment that blurs the line between fashion and interior design.
“My work is rooted in preservation,” says Magugu. “I wanted to create a space that encapsulates our culture through art, craft and history, while still offering comfort in line with Mount Nelson’s 126-year hospitality legacy.” Neal Ludick, Belmond’s director of interior design, says, “Thebe Magugu’s approach is rich in narrative, deeply authentic, and unmistakably alive — a striking interpretation of cultural dialogue within a historic hotel.”
The suite, part of Belmond’s Signature Suites and Villas, will be available from December 2025.
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Raffles Releases Star-Studded ‘The Butler Did It’ Campaign
Raffles has released the second chapter of The Butler Did It, a short film by Trey Laird shot at Raffles London at The OWO. Starring Tim Easton as the butler, alongside Henry Golding, Oli Green and Jacquetta Wheeler, the campaign shifts the story from Singapore to London, blending fashion with a touch of theatre inside the OWO’s historic walls.
There's some series ad dollars behind it too – not just in its casting and execution but in the lavish launch party that was thrown in London to celebrate its release. Raffles is clearly banking on the film's exuberant, hedonistic feel to keep the energy (not to mention bookings) up as we approach the holiday period.
The narrative draws from genuine guest requests, from arranging Savile Row tailoring to filling bubble baths. For Laird, the goal was to highlight the “attention to detail and singular focus” that defines the butler service. “What we tried to do was take some of the spirit of the requests that Raffles receives and present it in a way that was heightened, entertaining and also got your attention, to just make the point that this is the thing that sets Raffles apart.”
It must be working. Further openings are slated this year in Jaipur, Sentosa, Jeddah, Lake Como and Tokyo.
