Check In

Style Watch: Rattan Revolution Diversions: All Talk Food: Season to Taste Outdoors: Comfy Camping

Hamburg-bound? What was once a graffiti-covered iron foundry just off the Reeperbahn, the city's notorious red-light district, has been triumphantly transformed into the fashionable East Hotel, tel: (49-40) 30 99 30. Opened three months ago, this 78-room treat is the daring creation of Chicago-based architect Jordan Mozer, who says he was looking to achieve "a contrast between old and new" and "a surreal mixture of East and West." Spaces are draped in luminous floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains, decorated with handmade furnishings and wrought-iron fixtures, and illuminated by candlelight. The Asian accents (such as the Thai-inspired, brushed-aluminum sinks that seem to levitate above the bathroom counters) complement the textures of soft, natural fabrics and supple pebble-grain leather, while a spa and a golf simulator provide diversion on even the dreariest of North European days.