Tourism to Argentina enjoyed a double boost this week when two leading lights of the designer travel world tipped a boom in visitors this year.

At Wallpaper magazine’s awards on Wednesday, Home Hotel in Buenos Aires was named hotel of the year, and the city was described as an “unbelievably exciting place”. Meanwhile, I-escape.com, one of Britain’s leading design hotel websites, included Buenos Aires in its listings for the first time, saying “it is probably the hottest city in the world”.

The endorsements come after Times Travel this month named Buenos Aires as one of its destinations to watch.

Home Hotel is a 17-bedroom hotel in the trendy Palermo district. Jeroen Bergmans, travel editor of Wallpaper, said: “It is a wonderful hotel with a retro Danish 1950s look — lots of rosewood and tulip chairs.”

He said: “The city now has a real European feel. It is very sophisticated, and it’s also inexpensive, which is great as you can afford to live it up.”

I-escape.com has begun offering four boutique hotels, including Home Hotel, in Buenos Aires. “It’s such an easy-going place,” said Nikki Tinto, co-founder. “There are so many boutiques and galleries. Loft apartments are being done up all over town.”

One of I-escape’s hotels is The Cocker, which is run by two Britons, Ian Spink, 35, from London, and Aidan Pass, 25, from Manchester. The hotel consists of five stylish rooms in a renovated late 19th-century building.

Rooms at The Cocker start at £42, while rooms at Home Hotel start at £72. Christabelle Dilks, author of the Footprint Guide, said: “My advice is to go soon before the prices go up.” Tom Chesshyre Details: Home Hotel (www.homebuenosaires.com), The Cocker (www.thecocker. com), Footprint Guide to Argentina (Footprint, £14.99).