Hotel Yasmin

Hotel description

Prague has been one of Europe’s most talked-about destinations for some time now, but until lately, high-design boutique hotels have been a bit thin on the ground. Bit by bit, though, the city’s classic old buildings are getting a contemporary makeover — a case in point is the Hotel Yasmin, off Wenceslas square.

It’s perfectly located for business, and well-equipped too, but to the eye, it looks custom-made for leisure — the bright colors, floral prints, and surreally organic-looking sculptural elements are a cheery break from the picturesque Gothic romance of the old city. The public spaces are especially outré, full of retro-modernist furniture and strange ornamental illustrations, while the rooms are more restrained; stylish, still, a bit minimal, but in a glossy and slightly futuristic way, not a tired Zen-boutiquey way.

With almost two hundred rooms, it’s not small, and has facilities to match: a fairly extensive restaurant space, an outdoor garden terrace, plenty of meeting space, and even a sauna and fitness center. Meanwhile just outside is the old center of Prague, including the castle, the Charles bridge, and just about any attraction you could name — business travelers could do a lot worse, and tourists could hardly do any better.