Review

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A temple to city-slick, decadent design, architect Adam Tihany’s creation for the Boscolo chain won the prize for Best Hotel Interior Design in Europe in 2004. Love it or hate it, the hotel is built around the theme of saints and sinners, and heaven and hell (we all know which is more fun).

Two samurai warriors stand sentinel at the red crystal entrance lobby representing the relative powers of good and evil, but those who choose the heavenly spa will find it in the basement rather than aloft in paradise. Duly cleansed and purified, you will then discover that all manner of naughtiness is invited in the lift as you soar up to the upper levels.

Some may complain that the design slips into self-consciousness and that Aleph is too saturated with detail, so if you like your interiors discreet it may not be the place for you. Intense and brooding red and black dominate the communal spaces, but the rooms are less aggressive and have a more soothing, neutral palette with 1930s- and ’40s-inspired Italian design furnishings.

Even if you’re not staying in the hotel, a cocktail at the 7th Heaven rooftop bar is a sexy date, and the day spa is open to non-residents.