The Lighthouse — Tel Aviv, Israel

At ground level, it is Tel Aviv’s neat rows of bright white Bauhaus buildings that feel most indicative of this metropolis on the Mediterranean. The serrated skyline meanwhile, is dominated by vast contemporary shards of glass and steel. Slightly at odds with both is the Migdalor – or Lighthouse – tower, a 16-storey, 1970s office block that, until recently, was wallowing in grim disrepair. But as is now frequently the case in a newly booming city, a bright young hotelier stepped forth to drag the Brutalist-style building back from the brink, and reimagine it as a sprightly, design-led hotel.
The Lighthouse is the latest opening from Brown Hotels and, with 100 guestrooms and suites (rising to 160 in phase two), its largest project to date by some stretch. The group’s co-founder Leon Avigad partnered with local architect Nestor Sandbank on the interiors – a curated vision of peculiarity and whimsy.
Rather fitting for a building that is itself something of an outsider, there’s little by way of understatement. A birdcage swing hangs in the lobby, antlers are mounted on walls and on the colour front, flashes of flamingo pink and marigold bring a sense of vitality to moodily-lit hallways.
Bedrooms are larger than average for the city, and some feature vast terraces with outdoor Jacuzzis, garden walls and clear views to the Mediterranean Sea or panoramic vistas of the Tel Aviv skyline.
With an Israeli-centric food offer, guests can make use of a fifth floor restaurant specialising in fish and dairy. While for those who prefer to keep the party going, Brown Hotels have also partnered with local events group, ARIA, on a slew of in-house nightlife options – including a rooftop bar that is the new shining light atop this thankfully revived lighthouse, ensuring guests are unlikely to run aground on the treacherous shores of boredom.
ADDRESS
Migdalor Tower
1 Ben Yehuda St
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Mercedes-Benz previews its next-gen people mover with an ultra-luxury EV concept
The Mercedes-Benz Vision V Concept is an art deco picture palace on wheels, designed to immerse passengers in parallel worlds as they travel
By Jonathan Bell
-
Visit this Michelin-star New York restaurant that doubles as an art gallery
Artist Mr.StarCity is exhibiting his emotionally charged yet optimistic ‘Bloomers’ portrait series at Frevo, a Greenwich Village hidden haunt
By Adrian Madlener
-
Nina Runsdorf brings classic jewellery back to life to mark 20 years
New York-based jewellery designer Nina Runsdorf celebrates her eponymous brand’s anniversary with a new jewellery collection, ‘Archive’
By Hannah Silver
-
Six Senses Shaharut offers an Israeli desert escape
Set in the Negev Desert, some hours outside of Tel Aviv, Six Senses Shaharut is a reminder of the hotel group’s undeniable stake in luxury with a wellness twist
By Katya Boirand
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
By Daven Wu
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
By Dimity Noble
-
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
By Jennifer Choo
-
Elmina — Tel Aviv, Israel
By Harry McKinley
-
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
By Daven Wu
-
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
By Daven Wu