Mayan Civilization

Kuala Lumpur and "cool hotels" are not often mentioned in the same breath, but the reopening of the eight-year-old Hotel Maya, after a $10 million makeover, may change that.

The hotel is in the busy heart of the Malaysian capital, but top local architect Sonny Chan — a specialist in tropical architecture — has managed to give it the air of a chic, beachfront getaway. Earth tones and black and white predominate, with splashes of crimson and fuchsia. Cast iron and natural-looking materials such as rope and bamboo are liberally employed in the public areas and in...