R48, Tel Aviv, Hotel Review

On Rothschild boulevard, in the heart of Tel Aviv, sits one of the city’s most beautiful examples of Bauhaus architecture. Number 48, built as a private residence in the 1930s, was purchased by Canadian philanthropists Heather Reisman and Gerry Schwartz in 1999. Their goal of opening a hotel in the building was realized last year: R48 debuted with 11 suites and has already become one of the city’s most coveted bookings. 

Architects Avital Gourary and Natanel Elfassy of Tel Aviv firm AN+ collaborated with the Israel Conservation Authority on the project, which saw the addition of a striking boxlike glass structure at the entrance, allowing natural light to pour in. Original elements have been carefully preserved, including an internal staircase and the thermometer-shaped windows that extend vertically up two corners of the building — a feature unique to Bauhaus architecture. 

As a design lover, I had come to Tel Aviv to see the project for myself. From the boulevard, I stepped up a wide travertine staircase that led to a landscaped courtyard by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, the designer of New York City’s High Line. There were Bertoia tables and chairs amid dark-green flowering grasses, climbing vines, and mature olive trees. In the small reception area, staffers were clad in flowing linen and cotton uniforms by Israeli fashion brand Maskit. 

I felt the thrill that comes with being in the energy center of Tel Aviv­ — but could always retreat to a pristine, art-filled oasis that’s unlike anyplace else in the city. A first glimpse of my room revealed two terraces; from one I looked down the length of the ficus-tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard and caught a marvelous sunset. The Paris-based design studio Liaigre handled the interiors of the hotel, and created furnishings as well, like headboards made out of tulipwood. The wide-planked oak floor was smooth underfoot, and the room was layered with soft area rugs in gray and pale lime.

Throughout the property are works by Israeli artists. In the reception area, for instance, there is a huge photographic diptych by Ori Gersht of floral still lifes that recall 17th-century Dutch masters. In the elevator foyers hang landscapes by Daniel Tchetchik: the Israeli desert and mountain scenes, bleached by time and sun, complement the exposed bricks, which are visible through the glass walls that surround it. (About that elevator: with its oriental rug, lounge chair, and bedroom-size dimensions, it has to be the most striking I’ve seen.) 

Amid all this elegance are two showstoppers. One is R48’s rooftop, which has a raised pool and more gardens by Oudolf. The other is Chef’s Table, where Ohad Solomon — who for nine years ran the show at CoffeeBar, a stalwart on the Tel Aviv dining scene operated by hospitality company R2M — prepared meals in an open kitchen (R2M was also brought in by Reisman and Schwartz to run R48). The tasting plates — velvety squash soup; a tiny vegetable “taco” in a delicate crispy shell — allowed the flavors of Israel’s produce to shine through. The breakfast, meanwhile, was a master class in Middle Eastern traditions and ingredients, filtered through a prism that reminded me of California and Australia: an abundance of fresh fruits and a plate of the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes I’ve ever seen. And I still think about the eggs en cocotte — essentially a shakshuka adorned with a crown of bread crumbs.

Great design and food are cornerstones of a fine hotel, of course. But what tied the R48 experience together so beautifully during my three-night stay was the lovely staff. Arielle Ben-Hashal, the Georgia-born guest-relations director, runs the show with elegance and rabbit-out-of-a-hat competence, breezily nabbing the best tables around town and even finding a way to fill a tricky prescription for me. Head bartender Orel Levy taught me useful phrases in Hebrew while mixing a Middle Eastern–infused riff on a classic margarita. Solomon’s staff at Chef’s Table, which is gratifyingly female-led, all seemed to be having a ball — while doing their jobs with serious polish. 

Tel Aviv: The Best of the Rest

In September 2021, Soho House planted its flag in Jaffa Old Town, while the sleek David Kempinski Tel Aviv, which soars 34 stories above the beachside Promenade, opened in early 2022. A luxe Mandarin Oriental is slated to follow a few blocks away later this year. And Six Senses — which already operates a stunning resort in Shaharut, in Israel’s Negev Desert — will debut in 2025 across several floors of a new tower on Rothschild Boulevard, a short stroll from R48. 

A version of this story first appeared in the August 2023 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “The Talk of Tel Aviv.”