The Historic Park Inn Hotel, the only remaining hotel in the world designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The latest openings and events from around the world.
Getting it Wright
Mason City, Iowa – Architecture buffs can study the work of Frank Lloyd Wright from the comfort of their own room at the Historic Park Inn Hotel. After decades of decline, an $18-million (U.S.) spit and polish has restored this more than 100-year-old structure (the last remaining hotel in Wright's portfolio) into a fully functioning inn with 27 guest suites, a restaurant, bar and ballroom.
The lobby's art glass skylight is one of its most impressive features. If you're more interested in the building's original Prairie School-style features than with having Wi-Fi and a flat-screen TV at hand, request the "Historic Room," the only guest suite that has been crafted to look exactly as it originally was in Wright's time. wrightonthepark.org
Hottest spot north of Havana
New York – It has been a while since the Copacabana was a New York hot spot, but with a new chef, updated look and polished retro vibe, the recently reopened supper club is making a comeback. The focus is on hearty food and drink. Restaurateur Spencer Rothschild recruited Havana-born chef Alex Garcia to craft a pan-Latin menu of traditional Peruvian tiraditos, Mexican moles and Cuban-style braised oxtail.
The bar is stocked with more than 100 brands of rum and wines produced by small South American vineyards. The decor brings the tropics to the city with a floor-to-ceiling tiled mosaic of the 1940s-era, fruit-basket turbaned Copa Girl and white palm trees that appeared in the original club. Beware of the tacky Times Square location (you may see more tourists here than locals) and the lack of headline acts. The stage that once hosted Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, the Supremes and Ella Fitzgerland is now home to a house band. thecopacabana.com
The bar as library
London – One of London's original boutique hotels celebrates 20 years with a pop-up culture lounge that takes over the hotel bar. The Halkin has partnered with publisher Assouline to create the library of coffee-table art books. Whether you're staying at the hotel or not, you can drop by and thumb through a collection of new and limited-edition books. Some of the authors will also be on hand to field questions at a series of special literary events.
And what would a birthday celebration be without cake? Make a reservation for Afternoon Tea by Pierre Hermé (it's available only in September and October). The famed Parisian pastry chef, who was dubbed the Picasso of Pastry by Vogue magazine, has crafted a special menu that features his famed melt-in-your mouth macarons. halkin.como.bz
Special to The Globe and Mail