The Design Stay Guide

Design-forward hotels, chosen for comfort, character, and value

City skyline with tall skyscrapers, a ferryboat on the water, mountains in the background, and a Ferris wheel near the waterfront.

Design led travel guide focused on boutique hotels and neighbourhood stays

Hello, and welcome to The Design Stay Guide!

We’re a Canadian expat couple based in sunny Singapore who love travelling and try to fit in as many short trips as we can around full-time corporate jobs, weekends, and public holidays.

The Design Stay Guide is where we share design-forward hotel stays we would genuinely book ourselves. We look for places that feel thoughtfully designed, comfortable, and good value. Most of the hotels we feature are 4 star and above, with more flexibility in cities like Tokyo and Taiwan where overall standards are already very high.

We also care a lot about where a hotel is located. We naturally gravitate toward neighbourhoods where the city feels lively and easy to explore, with great cafés, interesting restaurants, and streets you actually want to walk around.

If that sounds like how you like to travel too, you’re in the right place!

Design Stay Guides for Favourite Cities

Singapore skyline during sunset with Marina Bay Sands hotel and surrounding skyscrapers, green park areas, and city roads in foreground.
  • Curated design hotels in Bangkok chosen for architecture, neighbourhood character, and comfort.

  • Design hotels in Phuket shaped by beaches, sunsets, and a relaxed island rhythm.

  • Design hotels in Hong Kong blending vertical city life, neighbourhood character, and harbour views.

  • Design hotels in Singapore balancing modern architecture, green spaces, and refined comfort.

  • Design hotels in Tokyo defined by detail, restraint, and neighbourhood discovery.

  • Design hotels in Seoul at the intersection of design, fashion, and urban culture.