The to-be-named Bali escape will feature 72 villas.
Whether you enjoy staying at a fashion-designer-approved spot, a secret hideaway or a wellness-focused resort where you can take time for yourself, this year’s hot new hotels will deliver.
From Boston to Bali, below are Forbes Travel Guide’s most anticipated hotel openings for 2023. And if you can’t wait for these places to open their doors, stay tuned as we unveil our annual Star Awards — which celebrate the world’s best hotels, restaurants, spas and cruises — on Wednesday.
LXR Hotels & Resorts, Bali
LXR, Hilton’s collection of one-of-a-kind independent hotels, will make its first foray into Southeast Asia with this yet-to-be-named property. The cliffside Uluwatu, Bali, resort will have 72 villas hovering 230 feet above the Indian Ocean (Melasti Beach sits below), five restaurants, two bars, a beach club and a clifftop chapel.
You’ll even get a mountain view from the sauna.
Shinta Mani Mustang – A Bensley Collection, Nepal
The isolated former Himalayan kingdom of Mustang only opened to international visitors in the early 1990s. Now a new sustainable, all-inclusive hotel from Bill Bensley will open at Mustang’s gateway. Bensley, known for bold, memorable interiors, will fashion 29 mountain-view rooms like traditional Tibetan homes using local stone, slate and wood. Stays include butlers, adventure guides and a Tibetan wellness program featuring traditional herbal medicine.
The futuristic look comes from Chapi Chapo Design.
The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Nestled among mangroves in a 620-acre nature reserve along the Yucatán Peninsula, The St. Regis will have curved buildings and walkways that look like interlocking circles from above. The design will give all 143 accommodations ocean views. The resort will also have a spa and water-facing pools.
Stay in standalone hales.
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, Big Island, Hawaii
Stretching across 81 acres of black rock beach on the Kohala Coast, Kona Village offers paradise with 150 standalone thatched-roof hales, an Asaya Spa and two outdoor pools. If you need another reason to visit, Rosewood Hotel Group’s president/co-chief development officer, Radha Arora, previously told us, “I am personally very excited about the debut.”
The hotel will move into a modernist 1930s building.
The Italian jeweler will introduce Rome to a new hotel gem, the country’s second Bulgari after Milan. Set near the Spanish Steps, it will have 100 sleek accommodations (mostly suites); a top-floor restaurant and bar from lauded Italian chef Niko Romito; a spa with a pool; and a library with tomes on the history of jewelry.
Take in views from Australia’s tallest hotel.
You will want to check into Australia’s tallest hotel just to gaze out of the glass-covered skyscraper. Enjoy unparalleled views of Melbourne from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the 257 guest rooms and suites, the 64th-floor heated infinity pool and spa with bespoke treatments, the 79th-floor club level and the sky-high 80th-floor lobby.
Vermelho Melides, Portugal
Designer Christian Louboutin, famed for crafting red-soled heels, will step into the hospitality industry with this new boutique hotel in Melides, a small beach town along Portugal’s Alentejo Coast. Vermelho will have 13 stylish rooms, each uniquely decorated with vibrant Portuguese tiles, carved wooden doors, hand-painted frescoes, inlaid wood floors and ceramics. The onsite Xtian restaurant will spotlight local ingredients.
The unusual building will have artistic interiors.
One&Only One Za’abeel, Dubai
In a city where architects one-up each other with outrageous edifices, Tokyo firm Nikken Sekkei will proffer the H-shaped One&Only One Za’abeel. The Link — billed as the world’s longest cantilevered building — will appear to float 330 feet in the air and connect the two glass towers. Inside, you’ll find 11 restaurants and bars, a 25th-floor infinity pool above The Link and all-encompassing Dubai vistas.
The storied Fontainebleau Miami Beach will expand west with a 67-story tower on the Strip’s north end next to the convention center. The hotel will boast 3,700 rooms, a casino spanning more than 150,000 square feet and a six-acre deck with seven pool experiences, five bars, two restaurants, a 2,300-square-foot gaming area and a dayclub.
Step into the courtyard.
The newly built hotel will take up a parcel near Hyde Park Corner and the Wellington Arch in London’s Belgravia neighborhood. Inside the Peter Marino-designed building, expect a courtyard, a Peninsula Spa, nine boutiques and 131 guest rooms and 59 suites with cutting-edge technology and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.
The Ritz-Carlton, Portland, Oregon
The Pacific Northwest’s first Ritz-Carlton will land in Portland. A 35-story tower will provide 251 rooms, a 19th-floor pool and spa and a 20th-floor restaurant and bar overlooking the city and the Cascade mountains. The hotel will incorporate Portland’s green ethos into its biophilic design with lush plants, ample wood and live-edge tables.
Unwind at this eco lodge.
The Homestead, South Africa
Nestled in the Nambiti Private Game Reserve, this 12-suite lodge will follow eco-friendly practices, including using the sun for most of its power and electric 4x4s for game drives (the nearly silent vehicles get you closer to wildlife). Try other lodge activities like animal photography classes, hiking through the Drakensberg or an African head massage at the spa.
This property dates back to the gold rush.
The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection, Los Olivos, California
Mattei’s Tavern opened this month in the burgeoning Santa Ynez Valley wine region. The farmhouse-inspired inn with 67 rooms and cottages has a history: it was a popular stagecoach stop during the gold rush and a covert haunt during Prohibition. After wine tasting, lounge at the outdoor pool, huddle by the firepits or unwind at the spa.
Accommodations have touches of royal gold.
The splashiest opening goes to Atlantis, whose party of the year featured a private Beyoncé concert and drew guests like Kendall Jenner and Chloe x Halle. Opened Feb. 10, the architectural marvel impresses with restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs (José Andrés, Nobu Matsuhisa and Gastón Acurio), luxurious rooms with egg-shaped tubs and a 22nd-floor infinity pool overlooking the Burj Khalifa.
Villas come with their own pool.
One&Only Kéa Island, Greece
Tucked along 160 beachfront acres in Kea, the closest Cycladic island to Athens, this dreamy hideaway will promise privacy with a cliffside location and only 75 villas, each with a pool, terrace, courtyard and fireplace. When you want to emerge from your chic cocoon, visit the beach club or venture out on a sailing, diving or snorkeling excursion.
Bulgari towers over Tokyo Station.
Crowning the top floors of the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu skyscraper, the hotel will shine with its Bulgari Suite (one of the city’s largest); Sushi Hōseki, an exclusive eight-seat restaurant from chef Kenji Gyoten overlooking a Japanese rock garden; a nearly 11,000-square-foot spa with an indoor pool; and a 45th-floor bar terrace that overlooks Mount Fuji.
JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, Kenya
This all-inclusive safari lodge — Marriott International’s first — will be the only luxury lodge within Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. Stay in 20 upscale tents (there’s even a presidential tent) with decks that peek out at the river and the reserve. The lodge also will have a restaurant, bar, pool, spa and terrace that will host traditional Masai dance performances.
Escape to Morocco.
With the rugged Atlas Mountains in the backdrop, this Marrakech getaway will combine classic ochre-colored architecture with contemporary touches and African art. The 181-room hotel’s amenities include a Moroccan-garden-inspired 18-hole golf course designed by Kyle Phillips, two restaurants (Moroccan spot Tfaya and Spago), a spa and a kids club.
Raffles will debut in this historic building.
Spies and politicians like Winston Churchill worked in Britain’s former Old War Office, a stately setting that inspired writer Ian Fleming to create James Bond. Soon you can stay at the historic building, which will contain a 120-room hotel, three dining experiences by celebrated chef Mauro Colagreco and the city’s first Guerlain spa.
The brand marks its entry into Egypt.
Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis
Waldorf Astoria will plant its first Egypt hotel just 10 minutes from Cairo International Airport. It will carry on the brand’s traditions, including the lobby clock, Peacock Alley lounge and attentive service. But it also will add its own twists with 252 bright, elegant accommodations; 18 restaurants; a spa; and a pool oasis surrounded by a garden.
Shoppers will flock to the Pendry.
Pendry Newport Beach, California
The younger, hipper Pendry brand will set its sights on Orange County’s tony Newport Beach for its next project. Steps from the popular Fashion Island mall, the hotel will offer 295 accommodations — many with water views — three restaurants, a spa, an outdoor pool and deck and a private membership club.
Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh
New York’s Adam Tihany Design will lend a luxurious touch to the extensive renovations in the former Al Faisaliah Hotel while still retaining its Arabian-influenced elegance. The firm will revamp 321 guest rooms and suites and The Globe, the top-floor modern European restaurant with a glass dome ceiling that affords dazzling city views.
Stay in this luxurious tent.
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico
This opening flew under the radar in December, so we’re including it here. Ensconced in 48 forested acres, the adults-only Naviva immerses you in nature with 15 luxury tents on a private Mexican peninsula, striking biophilic design and experiences like stargazing safaris, temazcal (a kind of sweat lodge) sessions and free-diving breathwork.
Check into Tokyo’s second EDITION hotel.
Lifestyle hotel brand EDITION will follow up its Toranomon property with a second Tokyo outpost, this one in the luxurious Ginza neighborhood. Sitting off Chuo Street, one of the city’s most upscale shopping areas, the newly constructed hotel will feature 86 accommodations and three dining and drinking venues, including a rooftop bar.
Take in Boston views.
Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences
A new 35-story building in Boston’s Back Bay will mark the Raffles brand’s first North American hotel. It will deliver Raffles’ trademarks — like butler service and a spa — along with 147 guest rooms, a three-story lobby above Copley Square, five restaurants and bars and a rooftop garden terrace and lounge.
Blue-hued rooms glean inspiration from the nearby river and lake.
Clocking in at a dizzying 101 stories, this Chicago waterfront hotel will be the city’s third-tallest tower and the tallest building in the world designed by a woman (architect Jeanne Gang). Admire mesmerizing views of the river, Lake Michigan and the rest of the city from the 191 blue-and-white guest rooms.
This nostalgic hotel celebrates the 1960s.
Goldwynn Resort & Residences, Nassau, Bahamas
Get transported back to the Bahamas of the 1960s at this mid-century modern refuge on Cable Beach. The 81 accommodations feel residential with touches like kitchens and wood floors. While the boutique hotel opened this month, its OIA Mediterranean-Asian restaurant and Rhizophora Spa with VOYA and Biologique Recherche treatments will debut in March.
Get a drink at the new champagne bar.
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Florida
After Hurricane Ian pummeled Naples in September 2022, this 40-year stalwart decided to rebuild into an essentially brand-new resort. When it opens, it will unveil a new tower featuring 90 additional suites, an expansive club lounge, redesigned rooms, a made-over lobby with an elegant champagne bar, a refreshed pool and more.
Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
London’s fashionable Mayfair will host Mandarin Oriental’s second hotel in the city (the other resides in Hyde Park). Visit the 50-room Mayfair property to dine at the U.K.’s first restaurant from respected chef Akira Back and drink at his ABar Lounge, or indulge in the spa, which will offer an 82-foot pool.
Stay amid the mangroves.
The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai, Riviera Maya, Mexico
EDITION’s inaugural Mexico property will take up residence in the luxurious Kanai development next to The St. Regis Kanai Resort. The oceanfront EDITION will provide 180 rooms and suites, six restaurants and bars, a beach club, a spa and an expansive deck for large-scale events and parties.
Ombria Resort, Algarve, Portugal
Along the green hills of the Algarve countryside, Ombria will provide a secluded and sustainable stay (it employs nearly zero-energy buildings, bioclimatic architecture and geothermal energy). White structures will house 76 accommodations, a regionally inspired spa and a kids club, while the grounds will offer an 18-hole golf course, heated pools and a beach club.
The hotel sits in Munich’s city center.
Two adjacent historic buildings — a former state bank headquarters and the Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, a former aristocratic mansion — will join to create this city-center Munich hotel. Rosewood’s first property in the country will marry German architecture with contemporary touches in its 132 accommodations, restaurant, bar, pool and five-treatment-room spa.
Clink drinks in Manhattan.
The Conrad moved into the former Regent Singapore just a block from Singapore’s renowned Orchard Road shopping district. This first phase debuted the hotel’s meeting spaces and 10 restaurants and bars (our picks: sophisticated Cantonese at Summer Palace and drinks at Manhattan bar) in January. After an extensive renovation, the 440 guest rooms will follow with an early 2024 launch.
Southall, Franklin, Tennessee
Outside of Nashville, this now-open inn and farm provide an experiential vacation on 325 acres. Take apiary, farm and jammery tours; try plein-air painting and found-object woodworking; or reserve ancient healing therapies at the spa. Then at night, retire to one of the 62 guest rooms or suites, or 16 standalone cottages.
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