6 beautiful Nobu Hotels in celebration of Nobu’s 30th anniversary

Nestled between Carbon Beach and the Pacific Coast Highway, Nobu Ryokan Malibu is the first of the Ryokan Collection inaugurated in 2017 that exemplifies the artful fusion of Japanese tradition and California modernism, under the careful orchestration of Montalba Architects, Studio PCH, and TAL Studio.

What used to be a 1950s roadside motel was transformed into a 9,200-sq-ft sanctuary, featuring 11 guest rooms and five beachfront bungalows. These uniquely configured accommodations are set amidst private Japanese courtyard gardens that frame the magnificent ocean views, honouring both Japanese design principles and the indoor-outdoor ethos of California living.

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Knuckle-jointed siding corners using ipe and teak woods harmonise with exposed concrete formwork and oil-rubbed bronze, while traditional Japanese elements weave throughout the design.

Handcrafted teak soaking tubs positioned beneath skylights, tatami mats, and shoji-style closets complement the indoor-outdoor fireplaces and serene private patios, where limestone accents weather gracefully against the maritime air.

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Nobu Hotel Shoreditch in London, designed by Ben Adams Architects with interiors by Studio Mica, reflects its vibrant urban context through a thoughtful blend of materials and design elements. 

The façade, composed of concrete, bronze, timber, and glass, creates a harmonious dialogue with the surrounding warehouses along Great Eastern Street and the street art characteristic of Shoreditch.

Inside, the interiors express the building’s dynamic concrete structures, skillfully overlaid with refined joinery and textiles. This includes a wall installation made of salvage brick and roof tiles in the hotel lounge, where natural light filters through an intimate pocket park.

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The hotel features 164 guest rooms, including the Yuhi and Yuhi Skyline Rooms on the newly built six floor. There are also 19 unique suites, seven of which with private balconies, each showcasing rich and warm custom-designed elements, such as timber-panelled ceilings and artwork by local artist Richard Harding.

The hotel’s crowning penthouse offers panoramic city views, while the space is fitted with a monolithic central island that serves as both dining table and show kitchen, a suspended swing chair by local designer Lee Broom, adding a touch of whimsy to the luxurious setting, and emphasising the hotel’s ethos of simple luxury to London’s creative scene.

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Overlooking the crystalline waters of Talamanca Bay, Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay embodies the bohemian spirit of the white island (La isla blanca) through thoughtful design by Room 1804 Design which marries Mediterranean warmth with contemporary luxury. 

Inspired by the island’s natural palette–white sands, turquoise waters, and golden sunshine, the 152-room property features Indigenous materials like light-coloured wood beams, piedra laja stone-cut walls, and traditional whitewashed biriba cane ceilings.

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In the lobby, raffia lamps and macramé hanging chairs create a luxe yet relaxed atmosphere; and upon the walls, artistic photography by artist Stuart Cantor captures vibrant Ibizan energy and the essence of Mediterranean life.

Floor-to-ceiling windows and open terraces in the guest rooms frame stunning seascapes, as celadon and lapis textiles, along with brass accents, catch the Mediterranean light, echoing the ever-changing colours of Talamanca Bay.

Besides that, mother-of-pearl inlays and hand-blown pendant lights accent complement local craftsmanship consisting of bespoke furniture by Spanish artisans; while Dornbracht fittings and Hollywood-style brass bulb lights add glamour in the white-marbled bathrooms.

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At Nobu Hotel Barcelona, New York’s Rockwell Group pays homage to the colourful mosaics in Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi’s Park Güell, and the traditional Japanese craft of kintsugi, which repairs broken pottery with metallic lacquer.

This cultural synthesis begins at the entrance, where tall bamboo trees and a striking orange woven screen inspired by Shinto gates welcome guests. 

Throughout the hotel, thoughtful references to kintsugi appear in various spaces, such as the lobby bar, featuring gridded wooden counters that echo traditional Japanese joinery and columns adorned with cracked stone and gold infill.

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Meanwhile, the 23rd-floor Nobu restaurant with sweeping views of Barcelona, showcases a ceiling of live-edge walnut panels with gold veining and blue ceramic sculptures at the bar.

The 259 rooms and suites maintain a minimalist aesthetic, where warm wood and stone create bright, airy spaces. Additionally, the presidential suite centres around a sculptural Japanese tea hearth crafted from rough-carved stone, and suite bathrooms feature traditional ofuro soaking tubs.

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Japanese minimalism meets Mexican coastal aesthetics at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, where WATG Architects has created a luxury resort at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, comprising 200 guest rooms and suites, multiple pools, a spa, and the signature Nobu restaurant.

The design journey begins at an entry court featuring a modern interpretation of a Japanese garden, where a local “mountain” Cabo stone rises along the path in a composition symbolic of the adjacent landforms. 

This leads to Japanese-inspired courtyards and Zen-like rock gardens, where indigenous plants like agave and Cardon cactus complement the design.

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The architecture emphasises indoor-outdoor living through strategic positioning that shields guests from strong northwest winds while maintaining expansive ocean views, where guests can witness migrating whales and spectacular sunsets from vantage points.

Inside, the cultural fusion manifests through elegant material combinations of granite and limestone harmonising with finely finished woods; which feature Japanese joinery techniques integrated into bespoke furniture, teak soaking tubs, and Shoji-inspired closet doors and trellises.

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Nobu Hotel Warsaw is a striking architectural dialogue between the past and the present that merges the former Hotel Rialto with a contemporary wing designed by Medusa Group–transitioning from an Art Deco tenement house to modern architecture.

Situated in the heart of the city, the distinctive façade combines glass and graphite-coloured concrete, featuring seven floors of cascading balconies arranged in a “V” formation. This geometric configuration reduces the building’s visual weight, while the planted balconies create a verdant vertical garden within the urban landscape.

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The interior aesthetic features a refined material palette of brushed oak, concrete, natural stone, and glass. 

The spacious lobby showcases a minimalist black slate reception desk adorned with brass accents, grey basaltina flooring, and a dramatic wooden spiral staircase that complements the wood-clad walls.

A glass corridor connects the hotel’s two sections. The classic wing consists of 36 Art Deco style guest rooms and suites in subdued colours of white, black, and grey; while the modern wing houses 74 guest rooms and six suites with exposed concrete on walls and ceilings, balanced with the use of light-coloured natural oak.

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