This year (2026), the 10th Bvlgari Hotel is set to open in the Maldives, becoming the brand’s latest flagship property.
As with previous projects, the hotel is designed by its long-time partner ACPV ARCHITECTS (Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel), continuing the brand’s signature jewelry heritage and restrained aesthetic. In the island world filled with luxury resorts, this new outpost is undoubtedly one to watch with great anticipation.
We have previously visited the Bvlgari hotels in Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo and Rome, which has given us a more multidimensional understanding of the brand.
A Bvlgari Hotel is never a simple replication of “luxury” in form. Rather than striving to create instant visual impact at first glance, it continually translates the brand’s deepest underlying spirit into experiences that resonate closely with each city’s unique character.
Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai (2018)
Overlooking the Bund from a Historic Shanghainese Landmark
Located in the core area of OCT Suhewan, the Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai is the brand’s second property in China.
The hotel is composed of a 48-storey tower, the restored historic Shanghai Chamber of Commerce Building, and an Italian-style garden that weaves the complex together. History, Shanghai’s cosmopolitan heritage, and the city’s evolving skyline are carefully interlaced here—forming what feels almost like a microcosm of the city itself.
In Shanghai’s intensely competitive luxury hotel landscape, Bvlgari chose not to join the race for dramatic skyline dominance or overt displays of opulence. Instead, it created a quieter, more restrained lifestyle experience elevated above the city.
Stepping into the suite, the signature black-and-gold palette immediately creates a sense of calm—almost like a deliberate “noise reduction” from the outside world. The city feels intentionally set at a distance, while black oak flooring contrasts elegantly with warm teak surfaces. Familiar hand-blown glass chandeliers cast a glow that is both restrained and radiant.
Ivory floral silk and gold-thread velvet headboards are among the hotel’s most recognizable design details. Within a distinctly modern spatial framework, subtle traces of understated Chinese aesthetics quietly emerge.
Unlike many city hotels, Bvlgari does not rush to present the skyline beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Instead, it gradually guides guests into a slower rhythm through layered spatial transitions.
Custom-made Chinese cabinetry, writing desks, and vases are thoughtfully arranged alongside curated bookshelves. Every detail has been carefully refined—even the smallest adjustments influence the overall balance of atmosphere.
Only after this spatial narrative unfolds do the panoramic views of the The Bund and Suhewan gradually reveal themselves, creating a moment of understated surprise.
The luxury of Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai does not lie in spectacle, but in its deliberate choice to slow things down—offering a rare pause of calm and authenticity within a city that never stops moving forward.
Bvlgari Hotel Paris (2021)
Opening a New Chapter of Modern Luxury Beneath the Sunset of the Eiffel Tower
Paris, a city steeped in old-money elegance, has never lacked world-class hotels. The arrival of Bvlgari Hotel Paris felt less like another addition and more like a confident newcomer challenging an established order.
Passing along Avenue George V, lined with classic Parisian façades, and stepping into this 11-storey hotel, the weight of the city’s history, power, and bustle is left behind the glass doors—replaced instead by a sense of lightness and quiet vitality.
Following the eight-pointed star motif at the entrance, the first striking feature is a portrait of film icon Monica Vitti, created by Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming.
Moving deeper inside, the refined metallic tones of the public areas frame artworks and objects that are not presented as “collectibles,” but rather as elements that flow naturally within the space.
This design language becomes even more distilled in the suites. Decorative complexity is deliberately removed, replaced with a clean and modern aesthetic that conveys restraint and quiet confidence.
The real surprise comes from the expansive floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which draw one of Paris’s most captivating views directly into the room.
At dusk, the steel structure of the Eiffel Tower softens in the evening light. Leather sofas, plush resilient carpets, and an entire wall of curated books create a gentle sense of enclosure and comfort. These solid yet restrained furnishings subtly dissolve the sense of proximity created by the palace-like buildings just across the balcony.
If you wish to experience Paris at night in motion, the cocktails at the Bvlgari Bar Paris are well worth trying. Peach liqueur finds balance through the herbal bitterness of absinthe—and in that moment, I clearly understood Bvlgari’s presence in Paris: it does not compete to dominate the stage; instead, it creates space for the stage to gracefully fade.
Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo (2023)
Overlooking the Imperial Palace, with Views Toward Mount Fuji
Tokyo is a city defined by discipline and precision—and it is here that the world’s eighth Bvlgari Hotel has found its place.
At one point, with room rates reaching around USD 3,000 per night, it ranked among the most expensive hotels in Tokyo.
Located on the upper floors of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, the hotel immediately presents a striking encounter between Italian elegance and Tokyo’s dramatic skyline. On clear days, guests can even catch distant views of Mount Fuji.
Bvlgari’s expression in Tokyo feels much like the eight-pointed star set into the marble flooring at the center of the space—sharp, minimal, yet undeniably powerful.
The interiors are highly refined and simplified. Clean architectural lines and restrained materials carry a sense of classic Italian elegance while supporting Tokyo’s distinctly modern order.
Inside the lobby lounge, linen-textured cushions are precisely arranged, while the placement of potted plants and glassware on tables feels carefully measured—everything calm, controlled, and composed, leaving little room for emotional excess.
Hand-blown glass chandeliers cast warm amber-toned light, while Italian leather sofas introduce subtle layers of sophistication. Together, they create a uniquely balanced atmosphere—both welcoming and structured, yet difficult to replicate elsewhere.
True relaxation begins upon returning to the guest rooms.
As night falls, the greenery of the Tokyo Imperial Palace forms a rare open void at the heart of the city, while the distant lights of Tokyo Tower quietly illuminate the skyline. Gentle conversations from the spa area add just the right amount of ambient presence, bringing a reassuring sense of calm to the evening.
In Tokyo, Bvlgari delivers an experience that almost requires no explanation. What it offers is not surprise, but a form of comfort that has been precisely calibrated.
Bvlgari Hotel Rome (Opened in 2023)
An Afternoon Nap Accompanied by the Bells of the Vatican
As the birthplace of the brand, Rome requires no deliberate localization— the city itself naturally forms the most authentic aesthetic context for Bvlgari.
Passing the Spanish Steps and the Bvlgari Flagship Store Rome, the hotel stands quietly just off Piazza Augusto Imperatore, its entrance discreetly set back from the street, waiting for those who arrive seeking a refined expression of contemporary Italian living.
Upon entering the hotel, guests are first greeted by a marble statue of Augustus—an original work dating back to the 1st century BC.
Above it, soft light cast by hand-blown glass chandeliers settles gently over the space, preserving the atmosphere of power, order, and grandeur associated with ancient Rome within the hotel’s opening sequence.
Our most memorable experience at the hotel, however, came from something unexpectedly simple: an afternoon nap.
The suite is filled with natural light, while substantial furnishings and warm amber lighting create a calm and grounded atmosphere. The contrast introduced by the blue carpet adds a refreshing visual accent. Details such as the mosaic decoration beside the bathtub and the bedside lighting are equally thoughtful—comfort reaches its peak here.
As evening approaches, the bells of Vatican City begin to ring on schedule. Waking up, the view reveals the Mausoleum of Augustus outside the window and pedestrians moving slowly through the square— the city quietly offering a rare moment of stillness.
The hotel’s signature ancient Roman–inspired spa is also well worth visiting.
Roman columns rise directly from the swimming pool, surrounded by shimmering water, while sunlight filters through stained glass, bringing warmth and quiet strength into the space. The cascading-water imagery of the Baths of Caracalla is reinterpreted here; lying in the treatment room accompanied by the gentle sound of flowing water feels like a brief return to the era of ancient Rome.
Here, Bvlgari has not attempted to “design” Rome. Instead, it has carefully rewritten the city in its original language—bound with precision and expressed in a calm, restrained tone.
Bvlgari Hotel Maldives (2026)
Leaving the City Behind, Moving Toward the Sea
Looking back at the four cities above, Bvlgari has consistently resisted simple replication.
Instead, it continuously adjusts its tone and presence—moving from Rome’s original, authentic expression to Shanghai’s first gesture of restraint; from Paris’s deliberate withdrawal of attention to Tokyo’s heightened sense of precision and self-awareness.
It is precisely for this reason that expectations for the upcoming Maldives property are even higher.
When the city is no longer the reference point—when everything is shaped instead by seawater, light, and rhythm—can Bvlgari still maintain its signature understanding of order, restraint, and the passage of time?
What interests us more is not whether this will become a “more resort-like” Bvlgari, but whether it will continue to preserve its quiet confidence—never loud, never eager to overstate itself—returning space to time, and restoring luxury to something meant to be lived with over the long term.
If previous Bvlgari hotels could be seen as jewels set within cities, then this time, we hope the brand will compose something even quieter and more mature—written gently between water and light.
