Here, we’ve curated must-see new properties opening across the globe, from California to Tasmania
Travel, at least as we knew it, was on pause for much of 2020 – and many planned hotel openings delayed by a year or more thanks to the pandemic and slump in demand. As a result, though, 2021 looks to likely to be jampacked with high-end hotel debuts. So we’ve pulled together the 39 must-see luxury properties opening this year across the world.
Alila Marea Beach Resort
Encinitas, CA
Opens: January 2021
Rooms from US$399 (S$532) per night.
Built from the ground up in the coastal town just north of San Diego, this is the second US property for the Hyatt-owned luxury brand (the first is up north, in Big Sur), whose name means “surprise” in Sanskrit. Expect barefoot, low-key luxury with an emphasis on natural materials like wood and stone, plus views out across the coast and a giant spa.
Amrit Palm Beach
Singer Island, FL
Opens: January 2021
Rooms from US$650 (S$867) per night.
Go ahead and book one of the 11 penthouses at this sleek new, high rise development in Singer Island (ignore the misleading name) for some of the best views in South Florida—way out across the Atlantic to the east and the intracoastal to the west. Each of them has private elevator access to its own rooftop terrace, including an outdoor living kitted out with a fire pit and hot tub.
Aman New York
New York, NY
Opens: Q1, 2021
Room rates to be determined.
The much-trailed urban oasis from the ultra-luxe hotelier finally should open early next year, overlooking Central Park in the Crown Building at 57th Street and 5th Avenue. Other than the first floor’s retail tenants – Zegna and Piaget included – Aman has taken over the entire property for a combination of an 83-room hotel and 22 residences; guests and home-owners will share access to the onsite Aman Members Club, reportedly helmed by Bungalow 8 ringmistress Amy Sacco.
Chatwal Lodge
Bethel, New York
Opens: April 2021
Rooms from US$1,200 (S$1,600) per night.
A sister property to the Manhattan original, this hotel aims to offer an upscale, countrified getaway to the Catskills in upstate New York – think a rustic, more rough-hewn riff on the Berkshires; the 12.1-hectare preserve has its own trout stream. Pick of the 12 rooms here is undoubtedly the 93-sqm pine and cedar treehouse, with its own outdoor deck 7.62 metres off the ground.
Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle
Versailles, Paris
Opens: January 2021
Rooms from €1,300 (S$2,092) including breakfast.
Channel your inner Marie Antoinette by sleeping inside the confines of the palace grounds for the first time ever at this 14-room hotel, complete with onsite Alain Ducasse restaurant and indoor pool. Don’t assume you’ll be spending much time at the hotel proper, though – guests will have exclusive private access to the palace and grounds, to roam in seclusion without the hoi polloi.
andBeyond Punakha River Lodge
Bhutan
Opens: September 2021
Room rates to be determined.
After Six Senses effectively co-opted the luxury market here with its network of new lodges, it’s a ballsy move from safari specialist AndBeyond to attempt to siphon off some travellers to its new lodge in the Punakha Valley. The region is known for its rice paddies and chili farms; expect a plush, outdoorsy property with traditionally inspired architecture and the option to explore the area by raft, kayak, mountain bike or hiking by foot.
Auberge Resorts Susurros Del Corazon
Punta Mita, Mexico
Opens: Q1, 2021
Room rates to be determined.
The 13.4-hectare site overlooking the Bay of Banderas is an appealing addition to the luxury hotel scene in Punta Mita, long dominated by Four Seasons. Auberge will bring a characteristic light touch to the development: amid the tropical jungle here look for three scallop-shaped pools cascading down to the almost 609.6m long private beach.
Auberge Stanly Ranch
Napa Valley, California
Opens: 2021
Rooms from US$700 (S$933).
This long gestating ultra-luxe property is attached to the historic namesake estate that’s been producing superb wines since the late 19th century; it should finally welcome guests next year joining three other sister hotels in the area. The cottage-style accommodations are ranged around a great lawn, which is intended to act as an al fresco social hub for the hotel.
Casa Formentera
Formentera, Balearic Islands, Spain
Opens: Spring 2021
Rooms from €400 (S$644) per night.
Forget the glammy glitz of Ibiza – the real jetset destination in this island cluster is the boho chic 8,288-hectare sister island, Formentera. This small hotel – just 14 rooms – sits on the snack shack-lined, white sand Playa Migjorn on the west coast. In between dips in the Caribbean-warm water, book some yoga sessions or a massage on the roof; organic breakfast hampers delivered right to your room are a thoughtful touch.
Castello di Reschio
Umbria, Italy
Opens: April 2021
Rooms from US$650 (S$867).
Count Benedikt Bolza, the aristocratic owner of this 1,497-hectare estate in the Umbrian hills, also happens to be an architect, so he personally supervised the makeover of the ramshackle pile (look for the castle that dates back to the 10th century) into an upscale compound that offers a quieter alternative to Tuscany’s country properties. A plus for horsey types: the onsite Equestrian Center.
Chedi Kudavillingi
Maldives
Opens: 2021
Room rates to be determined.
This hotel’s owners managed to lure André Kretschmann here to act as GM, defecting from his role overseeing hotel openings for LVMH. And it’s not surprising, given the impressive profile of this property, a 99-villa site on its own, half-mile-long coral island with a 490-foot long pool at its heart. The spa here is a standout, too: on a kidney-shaped islet, with each of the treatment rooms overlook the waters.
Cheval Blanc
Paris, France
Opens: By the end of 2021.
Room rates to be determined.
LVMH may have just snapped up the Belmond chain, but it was already running hotels under its Cheval Blanc brand—with plush properties in Courchvel, St Barts, St Tropez and the Maldives. It will soon add a flagship site in the French capital, inside the repurposed building by the Seine which once housed the Samaritaine department store. The conglomerate refuses to confirm an exact opening date for the long-gestating project, but one insider says to expect it to welcome guests by the end of 2021.
Elang at Bawah Reserve
Riau Archipelago, Indonesia
Opens: Q1 2021
Rooms from $3,280 per night.
This private seaplane-accessible resort northeast of Singapore adds an additional standalone island early next year, with six new cliffside lodges—ideal for a family to buyout entirely. There’s a clubhouse for the 14 guests’ exclusive use, inspired by tribal communal houses in Indonesia, plus a saltwater infinity pool carved out from a natural hollow. Guests here can also access the amenities at Bawah’s main site nearby.
The Farmyard at the Newt
Somerset, England
Opens: Spring 2021
Rooms rates to be determined.
South African mogul Koos Bekker and his interior designer wife Karen Roos opened their second country-luxe hotel, The Newt, in Britain’s bucolic west country last year; their first, Babylonstoren, is in the wine country just north of Cape Town. Like Babylonstoren, the Newt has an onsite farm. This annex will be housed in a converted Georgian house on the site as well as co-opting several cow barns and a cider mill. Expect minimalist but sumptuous interiors.
Fifth Avenue Hotel
New York, NY
Opens: Spring 2021.
Rooms from $495 per night.
Rooms at this new hotel in New York’s NoMad district are split between two buildings. There are 129 of them in the soaring new 24-story skyscraper, but the real lure is the 24 suites inside the former Second National Bank Building, a McKim Mead & White original design, which the Gilded Age’s favorite architects completed in 1907. It’s underdone a painstaking reboot that should see it reborn in typically glamorous but understated style from Martin Brudnizki, who earned his reputation designing exclusive bars and restaurants like The Ivy in London.
Gleneagles Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland
Opens: October 2021
Room rates to be determined.
Sharan Pasricha is the energetic entrepreneur behind Ennismore hotels, which operates the funky millennial-aimed Hoxton hotels. He also owns and runs the original golfing mecca, which first opened in 1924. His ambitious plans for expansion are finally under way with this new 33-room namesake hotel, this time in the heart of the historic Scottish capital. It will sit right on St Andrews square in the former Bank of Scotland building and guests will be able to look out over the city from the rooftop bar.
The Grand Mazarin
Paris, France
Opens: Late 2021
Room rates to be determined.
A gem of a hotel, quite literally. It’s named after the 19-carat pink diamond which once was a centerpiece of the French crown jewels; this 63-room property sits two blocks from the Seine on the Rue des Archives in the heart of the Marais. It’s the first city center property from the French luxury hotel chainlet, Maisons Pariente, run by real estate mogul Patrick and his daughters Leslie and Kimberly and known for hotels like Crillon Le Brave in Provence.
Kālesma Mykonos
Mykonos, Greece
Opens: April 2021
Rooms from 1,200 euros per night.
This 27-room hotel was originally scheduled to open this summer, but was delayed by the pandemic. It’s worth the wait, though, sitting on the hilltop above Ornos Bay a short drive from the Mykonos chora: Every room has spectacular views and its own full-sized, heated pool. Since the trio behind the project also established several of the hottest restaurants in Athens, including Sea Spice and Pere, the F&B is impressive, too—Pere Ubu restaurant by the main pool, a sister spot to that original on the mainland, will host nightly sunset celebrations.
Kisawa Sanctuary
Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
Opens: early 2021
Rooms from 5,500 euros per night.
Vistajet entrepreneur Nina Flohr’s newest undertaking is this ultra-luxury hideaway on the Maldives-besting islands off Mozambique’s southern coast. Each of the 12 enormous bungalows here is more than 4,000 square feet in size, on its own one-acre plot complete with private swimming. They’re tucked into the lush sand dunes, close to the white beaches and bright blue waters which teem with animals: Look for dugongs, humpback whales and several species of nesting sea turtles.
Kruger Shalati
Skukuza, South Africa
Opens: Q1 2021
Rooms from 7950 rand (around $466) per person per night all-inclusive.
This painstakingly restored vintage train is a nod to the first warden of what’s now become that park, James Stevenson-Hamilton, who used to bring his guests out via train to see the wildlife and party in the bush. The glass-walled, 24-carriage hotel will offer guests the chance to follow in their footsteps, permanently parked exactly where their trains would overnight a century ago; as they did, from there, guests can watch leopards wander under the bridge from their rooms, or sip sundowners in the park.
LXR Kyoto
Kyoto, Japan
Opens: Fall 2021
Room rates likely to be comparable to other luxury properties in the city, around $700-800 per night.
The first Asian outpost for Hilton’s burgeoning new luxury chain—the aptly named LXR—arrives in Kyoto next fall, at the foothills of the Takagamine mountains on the northern edge of the city. The 114-room property is ideally located to walk to one of the city’s major lures, the Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion, and forms part of an almost 29-acre resort area, filled with old school tea houses, gardens and classic Kyoto architecture.
Matild Palace
Budapest, Hungary
Opens: March 2021
Rooms from 350 euros per night.
Two enormous buildings loom large as a gateway to Budapest’s Elizabeth Bridge. The giant twin Belle Epoque-era palaces, the Klotild and Matild, are topped with wedding cake-like towers and are now UNESCO-protected treasures. One of them is about to be reborn as a five-star hotel and part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection, and likely to lure guests away from established hotels here like the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton when it does.
Montage Big Sky
Big Sky, Montana
Opens: Winter 2021
Room rates to be determined.
This will be an outdoorsy mecca, 45 minutes from Yellowstone National Park, located in the more than 3,500-acre Spanish Peaks enclave in Big Sky. Guests will have ski-in and ski-out access to the 5,800 skiable acres of the resort, plus three fly-fishing rivers nearby and ample backcountry for snowshoeing, mountain biking and Nordic skiing and even an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course.
Nobu Marrakech
Marrakech, Morocco
Opens: September 2021
Room rates to be determined.
The Robert de Niro-owned hotel chain has commandeered the Pearl Marrakech and plans a major makeover to transform it into a 71-room property that will be its first in Africa. The site is convenient for the souks of the medina, but set a little apart in the center, in the Hivernage district; expect a luxury spa, rooftop bar and restaurant and indoor-outdoor swimming pools.
One&Only Portonovi
Boka Bay, Montenegro
Opens: April 2021
Rooms from $595 per night.
As if we needed further proof that Montenegro is the new jetset bolthole on the Med, this ultra-luxe resort from the South African hotel group includes a private sandy beach and a 238-berth superyacht marina. The architecture reflects the Venetian influence throughout the Adriatic—think colonnades, grand facades and lots of water (in this case, indoor and outdoor pools aplenty).
Palacio de Canavezes
Douro Valley, Portugal
Opens: May 2021
Rooms from 290 euros per night.
The latest property from chic London-based hotel group Campbell Gray—the folks behind One Aldwych, whose properties always feel like upscale British country homes without the chintz—is in the Douro Valley. It’s a spa-powered property, a fitting choice given that this region of Portugal has long been known for its healing thermal waters.
Patina Maldives
Maldives
Opens: Q2, 2021
Rooms from $300 per night.
Patina is a new offshoot of the Capella hotel group, and its first site will be in the Fari Islands archipelago in the North Male Atoll, a 20-minute speedboat ride from the main airport of the Maldives. The 90-room resort aims to offer two experiences in one: If you want to be social, hang out at the marina village with a beach club and boutiques, or hole up in romantic seclusion in one of the villas.
Pelorus
Queensland, Australia
Opens: mid-2021
Rates from $15,000 AUD per night.
With room for just eight guests, this lodge sits on a private island only accessible by plane or yacht, and is intended mostly for buyouts; it allows children, a rarity among luxury lodges downunder. Plan to channel your inner Robinson Crusoe, cruising the islands, snorkeling the fringing reefs or just taking a picnic to a secluded beach.
Ritz Carlton Reserve Niseko
Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
Opens: December 2020
Rates from $1,500 per night.
Only the fifth site for Ritz Carlton’s ultra-premium offshoot, this property is a ski-focused lodge, close to more than 2,000 acres of skiable terrain, including ample backcountry adventures and 70 runs. There’s also an onsite spa and onsen, a nod to the hot springs which are commonplace in this region. Order some ramen at the restaurants here, too; this region is where that dish originated.
Rocco Forte Villa Igiea
Palermo, Sicily
Opens: Spring 2021
Rooms from 520 euros per night.
This hotel was revamped under the auspices of the Anglo-Italian hotelier and his interior designer sister Olga Polizzi to recapture some of the glamour of its heyday, when it was originally built as an enormous private mansion in the Belle Epoque era by architect Ernesto Basile. Expect the vaulted and frescoed bar to be the hottest see-and-be-seen spot in the city, a refreshingly buzzy alternative to the Sicilian coast.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth
St Barts, French West Indies
Opens: May 2021
Rooms from 1,100 euros per night.
This longstanding luxury property was damaged so badly by Hurricanes Maria and Irma it shuttered for four years to undergo major renovations, and will reopen in spring newly renamed as part of the Rosewood portfolio. The major assets of the property remain—18 beachfront acres, on a private peninsula—alongside upgrades in amenities like a new pool, children’s club and fitness center as part of its rebirth.
Rosewood Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Opens: June 2021
Room rates to be determined.
Another Rosewood, this time a repurposing of an early 20th-century building in the Cidade Matarazzo, alongside a brand new tower masterplanned by starchitect Jean Nouvel and incorporating a futuristic vertical garden. Other major names involved with the design include boutique hotel pioneer Philippe Starck and local artist Vik Muniz.
The Tasman
Hobart, Tasmania
Opens: Q1/2 2021
Room rates to be determined.
This Luxury Collection hotel is the latest addition to the increasingly tony hotel landscape in Australia’s island state, a short drive from the landmark MONA museum on the city’s outskirts. The 152-room hotel is at Hobart’s heart, on Parliament Square, and anchor a $150 million redevelopment of the formerly somewhat shabby CBD here.
Il Tornabuoni
Florence, Italy
Opens: March 2021
Rooms from 419 euros per night.
The Palazzo Minerbetti dates back to the 12th century, and sits on one of Florence’s main streets after which this new 62-room hotel is named. It occupies four floors of the palazzo, including a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city. Expect top-notch service under the erstwhile GM of Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole.
Virgin Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Opens: 2021
Rooms rates to be determined.
This much-delayed reboot of the erstwhile Hard Rock Hotel & Casino off-Strip should finally start accepting guests next year: Details remain scant, but the signature Branson brassy sexiness should be evident across its 1,500 rooms. They’re scattered across three towers—the best will be in the all-suite Ruby tower, with its own VIP check-in and valet. It will also be the first Hilton-flagged Curio collection hotel in Sin City.
Waldorf Astoria Cancun
Cancun, Mexico
Opens: September 2021
Rooms likely to cost between $350 and $500 per night.
The 178-room hotel is a welcome high-end addition to the party-heavy hub of the Yucatan Peninsula, situated on its own 100-acre compound on the beachfront. There will be five restaurants, including the seafood-focused fine dining spot Malqueque and Peacock Alley cocktail bar, plus two plunge pools and a spa with treatments nodding to traditional Mexican healing practices.
Xigera
Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Opens: Q1 2021
Rooms from $2,320 per person per night.
This is a passion project for longtime hoteliers the Tollman Family; the 12 suites on the Moremi Game Reserve here will sit, overwater bungalow-style, above the waters, so wildlife can pass uninterrupted beneath. If you prefer, you can even spend one night in the three-story steel baobab tree, camping out under the stars. As for the pronunciation? Say it KEE-jera.
Zannier Hotels Bai San Ho
Phu Yen Province, Vietnam
Opens: late 2020
Rates from $340 per night.
French fashion magnate Roger Zannier and his son Arnaud operate this upscale hotel chain, one that’s often unfairly overlooked by English-speaking travelers. It already has chic sites in France, Namibia and Cambodia and will soon add a new location in the Phu Yen province of Vietnam on the south central coast. This hotel, on a 230-acre compound, has its own, half mile-long white sand beach with coral reefs close to shore.
Zulal Wellness Center
Qatar
Opens: Q1 2021
Rates from $700 per person per night.
An unexpected location for this wellness-powered resort, operated by Thai spa specialist Chiva Som: on the edge of the northern coastline of the gulf state of Qatar. It claims to be the first full-immersion wellness resort in the Middle East, and will include a center for traditional Arab-Islamic medicine. Rates include a daily massage, spa activity, fitness coaching and all meals.
