Monuments to waste and bad taste, Moscow and Miami Hilton hotels and what they say about those cities

Two impressive and very different cold war-era hotels will turn 65 this year. Opened in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1954, the seductively curved Fontainebleau was the first and most famous hotel designed by the flamboyant Morris Lapidus. With its extravagant interiors, oversized pool and swanky nightclub featuring the likes of Frank Sinatra, who shot several films and television shows on the premises, it was a beacon of American post-war excess and capitalist decadence.

The first post-credit scene of Goldfinger (1964) begins high above the hotel as a helicopter-borne camera sweeps down to find James Bond enjoying a poolside massage, amidst a bevy of bathing beauties.

The out-of-fashion Fontainebleau was saved from bankruptcy by its new owners in 1978, and Hilton was brought in to manage its recovery. In 2005, the hotel changed hands again, and Hilton’s services were no longer required. The follow­ing year, Hilton attached its name to its first Russian hotel – now the Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya.

First opened in 1954, this masterpiece of classic Stalinist architecture was the smallest of the Seven Sisters – a group of grandiose skyscrapers built on Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s orders to showcase the might of otherwise low-rise Moscow to foreign visitors. He died a year before the opening of the 28-storey Leningradskaya, which was criticised for its wasteful opulence by his successor, Nikita Khrushchev. Its architect, Leonid Polyakov, was subsequently stripped of his coveted Stalin Prize.

Although reaching retirement age this year, both properties seem to be in their prime. They emerged from extensive renovations at almost the same time in 2008, and are as striking examples of their cultures today as when they first opened on either side of the Iron Curtain, in very different times.

The Halekulani Okinawa opens on the Japanese island in July

One of the most famous names in Hawaiian hospitality will be opening a resort on the Japanese island of Okinawa next month. The Halekulani Okinawa will be only the second Halekulani property in the world, with the original located in Waikiki, Honolulu. Another name that the two places will have in common is a restaurant called House Without a Key. While this might sound like a nod to the carefree concept of “barefoot luxury”, it actually refers to the first Charlie Chan novel.

It is often claimed that American author Earl Derr Biggers wrote The House Without a Key (1925) while staying at the Halekulani in the 1920s. In fact, he stayed at the neighbouring Gray’s hotel in 1920, where keys to guest cottages were deemed unnecessary, and wrote the book back home in the United States, in late 1924.

The Halekulani swallowed up Gray’s hotel in 1928, by which time Biggers apparently preferred to stay at the nearby Royal Hawaiian when visiting the islands. Halekulani Okinawa is accepting reservations for stays from July 26.

Into Africa – RwandAir begins flights between Guangzhou and Kigali, Rwanda

RwandAir will begin flights between Guangzhou and the Rwandan capital, Kigali, on June 18. The service will be an extension of the Kigali-Mumbai route that started in April 2017. This is the first time Rwanda’s national carrier has flown east of Mumbai. The flight will operate three times a week with a triple-class Airbus A330 offering on-board Wi-fi. Visit rwandair.com for more information and reservations.

The seventh edition of the only stand-alone guide to Rwanda was published last September by Bradt and can be found at bradtguides.com.

Deal of the week – two nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia

A two-night stay in Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat, is on offer from Connexus Travel from HK$2,740 per person (twin share). Providing accommodation at this price is the accept­able Solitaire Damnak Villa Hotel, although for about HK$1,000 per person more, you can stay at the Park Hyatt. If the latter is full, then Le Meridien Angkor (from HK$3,510) is a fair alternative and closer to Angkor.

This package, which includes flights with Cathay Dragon and breakfast, will be available until the end of October, and can be found at connexustravel.com.