Week #38: New Hotel News

What’s happening in the world of super cool new hotels? Check out our latest five most noteworthy openings of 2021 as featured by the editors at HotelMap? & Roomcard?.

Art Deco-meets-punk at a new Austrian hotel hotspot, an LA hotel with a history has undergone a $2.5 billion redevelopment and, in Japan, Kyoto welcomes a cool new hotel. French-born brand Le Méridien offers overwater villas in the Maldives and a brand known for its trendy co-working and surf hubs comes to Camden.

Hotel Motto, Vienna | Opens 2 October 2021

AUSTRIA: The New York Times calls new Austrian hotspot Hotel Motto “An Affordable Viennese Ritz”. Vintage lamps and 1920s furniture are styled on the famous hotel in Paris. Owner Bernd Schlacher who has “shaped the Viennese gastronomy scene for many years” (Der Standard) - he's behind the “hippest spot in town” (Fodors) Motto am Fluss - oversaw the design of the Art Deco-meets-punk interiors. Architect Arkan Zeytinoglu and hotel developer Fanny Holzer-Luschnig, “previously in charge of the 25hours Hotel” (Der Standard), are also part of the team. Housed “in a historic building in the city’s 6th district” (New York Times), 83 rooms and eight suites are furnished with unique pieces “designed especially for the hotel” (Falstaff Travel) and “made by local craftspeople” (New York Times). On the top floor is a restaurant and bar which aims to become “a legendary meeting place” (New York Times).

Our favourite feature: 1920s interiors updated for the modern traveller.

Fairmont Century Plaza | Opens 27 September 2021

USA: One of LA’s “Most Iconic Hotels” (Travel + Leisure) has emerged from a “$2.5 billion redevelopment” (The Telegraph). A hotspot in the 1960s, “Hollywood Flocked to This Hotel in Its Heyday” (Wall Street Journal) where “studio execs mingled with movie stars” (The Telegraph). Built on “the former back lot of the 20th Century Fox Studios” (The Telegraph), the “crescent-shaped golden glowing” (The Telegraph) building designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki still has an “underground tunnel” (Hollywood Reporter) linking it to Hollywood talent agency CAA. But now the 400-room hotel also boasts “Beverly Hills’ largest spa” (Hollywood Reporter), four dining options and a guests-only private rooftop pool and bar - “sure to become a Hollywood deal-making hotspot” (Forbes). The vibe: “1960s nostalgia and California-cool” (Travel + Leisure).

Our favourite feature: California-cool vibes at a golden Hollywood hotel.

Hiyori Chapter Kyoto | Opened June 2021

JAPAN: Kyoto, “one of the most necessary stops on a trip to Japan” (Travel + Leisure), has recently seen an influx of new hotels - Aman, Ace, the Mitsui Garden Hotel, FUFU Kyoto and Roku Kyoto. Now a new Tribute hotel - “Marriott’s collection of one-offs” (Conde Nast Traveler) - brings an “intriguing fusion of east and west” (Japan Travel) to the “cherry tree-lined” (National Geographic) district of Kiyamachi dori. Next to “one of Kyoto’s main shopping streets” (Japan Today), on the banks of the Kamo River, the hotel has 203 “stunning” (Japan Travel) rooms. In the lobby, there's a “compact but perfect little bar” (Japan Travel) and “a beautiful wall of maps and stories” (Japan Travel) leading guests to local sights and stores. Facilities include a fitness center and sento - a traditional Japanese public bath - with an open-air “granite bath... surrounded by lush greenery” (Japan Today).

Our favourite features: East-meets-west decor and traditional Japanese baths.

Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa | Opened 1 September 2021

MALDIVES: “An eco-conscious haven” (Conde Nast Traveller Middle East) among “shimmering lagoons” and “pristine beaches” (Travel + Leisure), this 141-villa resort is “all about beachfront cafes” and “overwater villas” (Travel + Leisure). In a “secluded pocket” (Travel + Leisure) in the south of the Lhaviyani Atoll, “11 accommodation types” (Travel + Leisure) over nine hectares vary from bungalows to villas. “Six restaurants and bars” (Travel Weekly) include a circular overwater restaurant with a teppanyaki counter and an adults-only bar bordered by “an oceanfront infinity pool and a private beach” (Travel Weekly). A fitness studio and yoga pavilion in the jungle, folklore storytelling and a Kids’ Hub complete the luxe experience from the French-born brand by Marriott.

Our favourite features: Overwater villas and an oceanfront infinity pool.

Selina Camden | Opened May 2021

UK: “For a more affordable London crashpad”, Ianthe Butt writing in The Independent advises a stay at the 30-room Selina Camden - a hip hotel “aimed squarely at Instagramming, co-working, digital-nomad millennials and Gen-Zers” (The Times). It has all the traits you'd expect from a brand “known for its trendy co-working and surf hubs” (Globe Trender) - a vegan restaurant, “funky, bohemian design” (The Independent) and a movie room - but it's also “rather good for families, couples and groups of friends” (The Times) too with “funky bunks” and “generous king-size beds” (The Times). Well-behaved pets are welcome too. Opposite the Roundhouse, it's “an ideal place to stay” (Globe Trender) for nightlife and live music. No wonder it was chosen as one of “the best new hotels in England this summer” - The Independent.

Our favourite features: Jazzy decor and geometric prints.

Previous New Hotel News editions:

Week #37: New Hotel News: The most beautiful hotel in Paris, a refuge by the sea and an Art Deco hotel topped by a bottle of champagne. Nelson Mandela’s former home becomes a five-star hotel and London’s tallest hotel in the sixties reopens after a ￡100 million refurb.

Week #36: New Hotel News?| The first boutique hotel by French fragrance brand Fragonard, a new hotel in a cool of Hong Kong neighbourhood and the glamorous Hollywood hotel by British designer Tara Bernerd. A boutique hotel Vogue calls one of the best in Puglia and a new London hotel where Singaporean hospitality meets British design.

Week #34: New Hotel News?| An eco hotel on the slopes, a stylish new townhouse from the people behind the Beaverbrook and a sparkling new hotel at the heart of a $300 million urban redevelopment project. Lifestyle hospitality brand Locke continues its rapid expansion and Ritz-Carlton reveals its first hotel in a Turks & Caicos hotspot.

Week #33: New Hotel News?| Vogue calls it “Los Angeles’s Coolest New Beachside Hotel”. We visit the first new luxury hotel on the Amalfi coast in 15 years and see where St. Regis has launched its latest resort. In Slovenia, a new timber hotel sets down roots and in Canada’s biggest city an eco retreat opens with a rooftop pool.

Week #32: New Hotel News?| We unveil a wellness retreat in Majorca specialising in soothing minimalism, 24 cabins with views of the Catskill Mountains and a hotel in Mexico that’s a mezcal lover’s dream. Discover dreamy four-poster beds in Norfolk’s newest hotel and see inside India’s first Raffles hotel.

Week #31: New Hotel News?| Discover the Japanese hotel in the medals, what the ex-Soho House crew did to get on House & Garden’s wishlist and the stunning new hotel just opened on an American island. Forbes puts the spotlight on Piedmont and a luxury Parisian department store gets a new hotel as part of its €750 million makeover.

Week #30: New Hotel News?| The “world’s highest hotel”, an arty new hotel in Eastbourne and a luxury resort on the east coast of Sardinia. This week’s top five also puts the spotlight on a new hotel from the world’s wealthiest footballer and a new five-star hotel in Geneva.

Week #29: New Hotel News?| The new St. Regis in Cairo comes with views over the Nile, one hotel in Australia makes it onto this year’s Conde Nast Traveler Hot List and an Italianate hotel opens in New Orleans. A colourful hotel bursts onto the Tokyo skyline and Naomi Campbell gives her verdict following a hard hat tour of the coolest hotel in Paris.

Week #28: New Hotel News?| The group behind Claridge’s comes to the French Riviera, an eco lodge opens in Costa Rica’s rainforest and a converted vicarage welcomes foodies to Devon. A homely hotel welcomes visitors to Menorca and the first Hilton opens in Crete.

Week #27: New Hotel News?| Discover the Dubai hotel Conde Nast Traveller dubbed the “ultra-cool new kid on the block”, an Art Nouveau hotel in Stockholm and an old orphanage given a new life in New Orleans. The Langham launches in a former bank in Boston and in Venice a historic palazzo is transformed into a hotel.

Week #26: New Hotel News?| This week’s top five highlights an arty new hotel in Puglia, smart lodgings in Bath and the Ritz-Carlton making a splash in the Maldives. The all-American motel gets an upgrade and a boutique hotel with a minimalist design opens on Milos in Greece.

Week #25: New Hotel News?| Andaz opens a new hotel in the Bali, Stockholm based Nobis Hospitality Group brings Scandi style to Spain and Mama Shelter comes to Bahrain. The former home of the Sex Pistols becomes a?rock’n’roll hotel and hip US group Life House transforms a railway terminal into a hotel.

Week #24: New Hotel News?| Southern Thailand gets a new eco hotel with a farm-to-table philosophy, a clifftop hideaway comes to Santorini while Wild Rice Retreat brings a centre for arts and wellness to Wisconsin. A luxury hotel launches in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and in Paris’ business district a playful hotel invites guests to relax in pink marble bathrooms.

Week #23: New Hotel News?| A romantic?new hotel near Bali’s famous Tanah Lot temple, a tropical hotel in Sri Lanka and Helsinki’s historic central station gets a new railway hotel. One family revives historic buildings in Transylvania and in North America a new hotel sets up a vast Roman-style spa.

Week #22: New Hotel News?| Waterfront bungalows in Mozambique, new nature-inspired cabanas from Habitas in Mexico and an ultra-glamorous Six Senses hotel in Ibiza. A grand dame hotel revived in artsy Santa Fe and a boutique hotel on a bridge overlooking one of Africa’s largest game reserves - they’re all in this week’s top five new hotels.

Week #21: New Hotel News?| Sustainable and stylish, a luxury hotel opens in the Maldives, the world’s first 3D-printed resort becomes a reality and a beachside hotel launches on Lombok. Opera inspires a new hotel in Hanoi and a 17th-century inn is given a top-to-toe makeover by mother-and-daughter duo Olga and Alex Polizzi.

Week #20: New Hotel News?| Catherine Deneuve’s former French retreat, a buzzing new hotel in downtown Manhattan and a 17th-century wisteria-clad coaching inn in the Cotswolds. See the Cretian beach retreat Conde Nast Traveler recommends for sundown this summer and discover a secluded luxury hotel in California’s Wine Country.

Week #19: New Hotel News?| A restored colonial-style villa on Mexico’s west coast, the Caribbean debut by Soho House and the Dubai hotel with two world records. This week’s five eye-catching new hotels also reveal a luxury riverside hotel in southern China and a trendy aparthotel in Dalston, London’s answer to Brooklyn.

Week #18: New Hotel News?| Discover the hotel group giving all-inclusive holidays a high-end makeover, a minimalist hotel with a private beach in Oman and a villa in Croatia surrounded by a thousand olive trees. The best five new hotels this week also reveals a new wellness centre in Italy and one of the biggest UK hotel openings outside the capital.

Week #17: New Hotel News?| An off-the-grid Indonesian retreat adds a new private island, a labour of love revives an Italianate-style mansion in North Carolina and Six Senses sets its first foot in Brazil.?This week’s top five also includes a wellness retreat on an unspoilt Greek island and a curvaceous brick-built boutique hotel on Mexico’s southern coast.

Week #16: New Hotel News?| Sleek newcomer The Londoner sets up the deepest habitable hotel in the UK capital, trendy London brand The Hoxton launches a new hotel in Rome and a secluded countryside hotel settles into a picture-postcard Spanish island.

Week #15: New Hotel News?| A new Colonial-era hotel in Puerto Rico’s capital, Japan’s first ‘castle hotel’ and the most hotly anticipated hotel to launch in Los Angeles this year are highlighted in this week’s top five new hotels to open in 2021 across the globe.

Week #14: New Hotel News?| This week’s five alluring new hotels include the first of a new brand by the founder of the Aman group, one of the world’s highest infinity pools atop a towering new hotel in Dubai and a cool coastal retreat in Santa Barbara.

Week #13: New Hotel News?| Japan’s latest hotel taps into the health benefits of volcanic hot springs, an iconic Italian hotel is given a Parisian makeover and Ibiza’s little sister gets a grown up hotel by Pacha. New Yorkers can escape to a riverside retreat and a former boot factory in Bristol becomes a new arty hotel.

Week #12: New Hotel News?| Raise a glass to the new Four Seasons set within a Napa Valley vineyard, enjoy laidback and soulful luxury in Ibiza, and explore a hotel set within the cactus-studded desert landscapes of Mexico. Our five top hotels this week also invite you to discover the vertical garden at the Rosewood in S?o Paulo and a meticulously restored medieval castle in Umbria.

Week #11: New Hotel News?| Basketball courts become luxury suites in L.A, an oasis of peace arrives on a Greek party island and a new desert camp is set up in Saudi Arabia. Our five favourite new hotels this week also include a glamorous, grand palazzo in Palermo from Rocco Forte and the first hotel outside America by the buzzy NoMad brand.

Week #10: New Hotel News?| Across the globe, from the Maldives to Montenegro, the Israeli desert to the African bush, we explore five stunning new hotels launching in 2021. Book your own private island, sleep under the stars in a baobab-shaped treehouse, dive into the One&Only’s luxury spa, stay overnight in the Negev Desert and see the revamp of the Spanish hotel Cesar Ritz set up over 100 years ago.

Week #9: New Hotel News?| This week we look at five of the best new hotels (including one owned by Pharrell Williams) opening across the globe this year. There may be a global pandemic but that hasn’t stopped these new hotels from rising up. From a long list of over 120 new hotels set to open in 2021, we’ve chosen five hip new places to stay in New York, Paris, Nago and Miami – and reveal what the experts say about them.