Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / VIK Retreats
VIK Retreats hotels
Artists give individual rooms their own identities, with art and views taking television's place.
VIK makes intimate hotels around art and individual design, with rooms developed in collaboration with named artists and architects. Founded by Alexander and Carrie Vik, the collection links Uruguay’s José Ignacio, Chile’s Millahue wine country, and Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, with Viña Vik adding a substantial wine-making chapter.
6 VIK Retreats hotels in 3 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.
- Owned by Alexander Vik and Carrie Vik
- Worldwide: 6 boutique properties across 3 countries (Uruguay, Chile, Italy) with roughly 215 keys in total, ranging from 7 glass bungalows at Puro Vik to 89 rooms at Galleria Vik Milano; a seventh property is under development at Fazenda Vista Verde, Brazil
- On the atlas: 3 Grand Luxury, 1 High Luxury, 2 Core Luxury
History
Alexander and Carrie Vik brought a personal interest in art and wine into their retreats. Their work with artists gives the rooms distinct identities, while Viña Vik connects the Chilean hotels to the surrounding wine country. The South American properties’ preference for views and art over television reflects the same attention to what guests spend time with.
Timeline
- 1982 — Alexander Vik marries Carrie at Harvard, where both studied; they begin assembling a shared art collection in Manhattan, roaming West Broadway galleries and buying contemporary works.
- 2004 — Alexander and Carrie Vik launch a two-year scientific search for an exceptional South American wine terroir, engaging a 22-person team of geologists, viticulturalists, and oenologists.
- 2006 — The Viks acquire 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) in Millahue ("Lugar de Oro" / "Golden Place" in Mapuche), Cachapoal Valley, Chile; first vines planted; Viña Vik is born.
- 2009 — Estancia Vik José Ignacio opens in February, the brand's first hotel. Designed by Uruguayan architect Marcelo Daglio as a 12-suite Spanish colonial ranch on 4,000 acres, with art commissions by Pablo Atchugarry, Clever Lara, and Marcelo Legrand.
- 2010 — Playa Vik José Ignacio opens in December, designed by internationally renowned Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott; the signature cantilevered 75-foot Black Absolute Nero granite pool and titanium-clad "Sculpture" building become defining images of the brand.
- 2013 — Bahia Vik José Ignacio opens in December (first bookings), completing the José Ignacio trilogy; 15 bungalows set into 10 acres of Mansa Beach dunes; a press release at the time calls it "one of the hottest hotel openings anywhere".
- 2014 — Viña Vik (now Vik Chile) opens in the Millahue Valley, a 22-room hotel designed by Marcelo Daglio Arquitectos atop a vineyard hill with a titanium-and-bronze floating roof and works by Roberto Matta and Anselm Kiefer; certified completed 2014 per ArchDaily.
- 2014 — Forbes names Alexander Vik "The Most Interesting Man in the World" in a widely circulated profile, bringing global press attention to the brand.
- 2019 — Puro Vik launches at Vik Chile in May, seven glass-walled bungalows, each themed around a singular artist (Mondrian, Chihuly, Hiroshige, among others); plans call for expansion to 19 units.
- 2019 — Galleria Vik Milano opens in early November inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, Vik Retreats' first property outside South America; a rebadging of the former TownHouse Galleria (ex-Seven Stars Galleria), acquired with a sister Milan property for approximately USD 18 million; 89 rooms feature art by over 100 international, Uruguayan, and Italian artists, including a lobby bronze cast of Rodin's The Thinker.
- 2020 — VIK 2016 vintage earns Wine Enthusiast "Best Wine Experience in the World" recognition; the brand begins its climb up the World's 50 Best Vineyards list.
- 2022 — William Reed Business Media's World's 50 Best Vineyards ranks Viña Vik No. 4 in the world.
- 2023 — Vik Chile wins "South America's Leading Wine Region Hotel" at the World Travel Awards for the first time; VIK announces Brazil expansion agreement (Fazenda Vista Verde, Araçoiaba da Serra) with a ~USD 100 million investment.
- 2024 — VIK 2021 receives 100 points from James Suckling, ranked No. 6 in his Top 100 Wines of the World 2024 and highest-ranked Chilean/South American wine on that list; Vik Chile wins World Travel Awards "World's Leading Wine Region Hotel" for a second consecutive year.
- 2024 — World's 50 Best Vineyards ranks Viña Vik No. 2 in the world.
- 2025 — Viña Vik is crowned No. 1 in The World's 50 Best Vineyards 2025, awarded at a live ceremony in Margaret River, Western Australia on 19 November, the culmination of a climb from inception of the list in 2019
- 2025 — Bahia Vik José Ignacio named one of the Top Resorts in South America in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards 2025.
The houses to know
- Viña Vik, San Vicente de Tagua Tagua, Chile — Smiljan Radić’s floating titanium-and-bronze roof gives Viña Vik its distinctive hilltop silhouette.
- Estancia Vik José Ignacio, José Ignacio, Uruguay — A 12-suite Spanish colonial ranch where a satellite-scape ceiling, a gaucho barbecue, and a starlit pool combine on 4,000 Uruguayan acres
- Bahia Vik José Ignacio, José Ignacio, Uruguay — Fifteen art-filled bungalows occupy ten acres of Atlantic dunes in José Ignacio.
- Puro Vik, Millahue, Chile — Seven glass bungalows give guests another intimate way to stay within the Millahue wine estate.
- Galleria Vik Milano, Milan, Italy — A private museum masquerading as a hotel, occupying the upper floors of Italy's oldest arcade
- Playa Vik José Ignacio, José Ignacio, Uruguay — A titanium-clad, Carlos Ott–designed sculpture of a building where a cantilevered granite pool hovers over the Atlantic
Newest openings
- No new hotel openings were identified for 2024 or 2025. Viña Vik was named World’s Best Vineyard in November 2025, bringing attention to the estate shared by Vik Chile and Puro Vik.
Opening next
- Puro Vik expansion — Millahue Valley, Chile — timeline unconfirmed. The seven-bungalow Puro Vik concept launched in May 2019 with plans to grow to 19 glass villas; as of 2025, seven bungalows remain in operation. No updated public timeline for the additional 12 units has been announced. (TravelAge West; Galerie Magazine)
Every VIK Retreats hotel on the atlas
Uruguay
- Bahia Vik José Ignacio — José Ignacio · Grand Luxury
- Estancia Vik José Ignacio — José Ignacio · Grand Luxury
- Playa Vik José Ignacio — José Ignacio · Core Luxury
Chile
Italy
- Galleria Vik Milano — Milan · Core Luxury
Open The Maison in the atlas for VIK Retreats's full dossier, with prices and maps.