Tessa Williams
Tessa Williams is a writer based in the UK. She studied at Goldsmiths University, London and went on to live in France while working for Femme magazine and The Riviera Times. In recent years, she has created a range of Fragrances inspired by the Elements: Water, Air, Earth and Fire, and also a range inspired by the New Testament - Love, Hope and Faith.
Her latest fragrance collection is a Fine Fragrance range inspired by the ‘Scents we missed in Lockdown’, created in collaboration with esteemed London nose and perfumer, Sarah McCartney, of 4160 Tuesdays. The three perfumes (Warm Sands Blue Ocean, Dancing with Strangers and Dandelion Musk) evoke the holidays we have lost, the parties we missed and the music festivals we were forced to abandon.
Tessa is author of Cult Perfumes and Hotels of the Stars. She is currently working on Hotels of the Stars II.
You can catch clips of some of the hotels that feature in Hotels of the Stars on the captivating Travel TV Documentary ‘INSIDE THE WORLD’S GREATEST HOTELS’ here C5 Greatest Hotels.
Cult Perfumes
“A candle’s flame can bring hope, light, provide focus and inspiration into what can sometimes be a solitary world”
Even in times of economic hardship, perfume is an affordable luxury, recognized for its ability to make us not only smell good but also feel great. No woman’s dressing table or bathroom cabinet is complete without at least one bottle. Cult Perfumes is the first book to explore the most exclusive boutique perfumeries producing some of the world’s most captivating scents.
Tessa Willlams documents more than 25 perfumeries and brands, ranging from the pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, established by Dominican fathers in 1221, and the classic English company Floris, founded in 1730, to the eponymous range created by Roja Dove. Williams goes behind the scenes at each perfumery to interview the perfumers and explore the evolution of the company, the ethos behind the brand, and its signature scents. With a concise illustrated introduction to the history of perfume-making and features on iconic perfumes, future cult classics, and the so-called ‘noses’ who keep the brands attuned to today’s popular scents, Cult Perfumes is as alluring to lovers and collectors of perfume as the fragrances it presents.
A perfume aficionado from an early age, Tessa was inspired to write a homage to Perfume. So fascinated and enlightened from her research and her love of perfumes and passion for scents, Tessa created a range of luxury perfumed candles and fragrances. Being a writer, candles have always played a pivotal role in harnessing the magic of bringing words onto a page. A candle’s flame can bring hope and light, and provide focus and inspiration into what can sometimes be a solitary world.
Hotels Of The Stars
“Always fascinated by travel, and the memories that travel evokes. The great advantage of a hotel is that it is a refuge from home life” - George Bernard Shaw
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors at the most luxurious hotels in the world? Hotels of the Stars invites you through the doors of the most exclusive accommodation on earth, while allowing you to indulge in a little scandal. Complete with magnificent photography, Tessa Williams explores the exclusive haunts of the stars, where literary and cultural history has been made. Find out where such cultural heavyweights as Steinbeck, Garbo and Dali hung out. Discover where modern-day icons like Brad Pitt and Naomi Campbell have rested their heads.
With a preface by Oscar nominated, Richard E. Grant, presenter of 'Richard E. Grant's Hotel Secrets' and foreword by Albert Roux OBE , chef, hotelier, restaurateur, and founder of Le Gavroche. Hotels of the Stars is a luxurious guide to a world of decadence and style.
Annabel Sampson, TATLER - “For anybody with a degree of curiosity as to exactly what goes on behind the gilt doors of the world’s most decadent hotels: this coffee-table book will prove a delightful read. With luxe photography and elaborate prose that breathes life into the titans of the hotel landscape. Think: glittering ballrooms, velvet upholstered salons and the occasional bathtub with a snowy mountain view.
Hotels of the Stars brackets the glitzy figures of today and time-gone-by, from Brad Pitt to Queen Victoria. Le Meurice in Paris, which Dalí would visit for a few months every year in the last chapter of his life, he references here: ‘There are some days when I think I’m going to die from an overdose of satisfaction’. And, that’s the theme of this book: satisfaction, escapism and luxury in its many and multifarious guises. Whether your idea of a tip-top hotel is on the banks of Lake Como or an inner-city fortress, akin to the Palace of Versailles. This book will very likely lead to reservations being made, for after all, a night in the Savoy is ‘better than marriage’ according to Irish actor, Richard Harris”. See full article here. Buy 'Hotel Of The Stars'
Who's been sleeping in your Bed? Tessa Williams coffee-table Book Hotels of the Stars lists the favoured hotels of famous names from Leonard Cohen to Kate Moss. - The Daily Mail
This to me reads like an encyclopedia of the world’s most glamorous hotels, with their famous – and often scandalous – histories, alongside glossy imagery. These are the kind of hotels where you can hire a Rolls-Royce, dine alongside the work of Mr Joan Miró and Mr Marc Chagall or catch site of a canine wedding (The Beverly Hills Hotel, of course) - Molly McGuigan, Mr Porter