Forget beige lobbies and forgettable minibars. This year’s most interesting new hotels are rewriting the rulebook, swapping soulless check‑ins for statement design, provocative art and restaurants worth missing flights for. From jungle perches to polar hideaways, these soon‑to‑open stays are worth planning around.
The Lake Como Edition, Italy
Opened in March on Italy’s most coveted shoreline, The Lake Como Edition lets you casually share a postcode with Clooney, Versace, Branson and Stallone. Inside the 19th-century palazzo are 148 rooms, 25 suites and two penthouses. Our pick is the Cadenabbia – 150 square metres of residential-style bliss, complete with a private balcony and all. Pro tip: Michelin-recognised Mauro Colagreco oversees a line-up of indulgent dining spots, including his first Italian outpost.
Delano Miami Beach, USA
South Beach’s grande dame is back. Delano reopened with a polished new look that folds Miami’s creative pulse into its Art Deco bones – terrazzo floors, white columns, surrealist flourishes, and a reimagined, sceney pool. Of the 171 rooms, the Poolside Bungalow Suites are the insider move: bespoke lighting, sprawling terraces, cinematic views. Recover at the new wellness studio, then drift to the resurrected Rose Bar, before heading over to America's first outpost of Gigi.
Corinthia Rome, Italy
Fresh from openings in Brussels and Bucharest, Corinthia Rome has quietly taken up residence in a 1914 neoclassical palazzo, once Italy’s central bank. Overlooking Piazza del Parlamento in Campo Marzio, this discreet 60-key hideaway offers the frescoed Theodoli Heritage Suite, a cocooning Corinthia spa, and a highly anticipated Italian restaurant by Chef Carlo Cracco, all orbiting a greenery‑wrapped garden lounge where cocktails feel properly, decadently Roman.
Kimpton Ashbel New York – Park Avenue, USA
A Beaux-Arts beauty reborn, the Kimpton Ashbel brings discreet townhouse glamour to Midtown. Once the 1928 Doral Park Avenue, its limestone façade now fronts Busta Studio’s quietly decadent world of warm woods, bespoke furniture, Soho Art Gallery commissions and glints of gold across 205 rooms. Downstairs, a fireside “Living Room” stocked with Assouline and Taschen leads naturally to Park & Bel, the café locals will casually pretend they discovered first.
Falkensteiner Resort Lake Garda, Italy
Lake Garda’s newest belle, Falkensteiner Resort, brings discreet glamour to the shoreline with just 97 rooms and suites, plus 170 residences for those who never quite check out. Framed by botanical gardens inspired by the Historia della Riviera di Salò, it hides a 5,000 sqm adults-only Acquapura Spa on the roof: panoramic sauna, plunge pool, hammam, indulgent rituals. Afterwards, drift between three restaurants and a rooftop bar built for golden-hour martinis.
Nammos Resort AMAALA, Saudi Arabia
Nammos Resort AMAALA is KSA's most compelling reason to detour to the Red Sea. Channeling its Mykonos beach‑club pedigree into Triple Bay, it offers 110 design‑driven rooms and suites – though insiders opt for the beachfront bungalows – blending Med languor with local flair. Powered by 100 per cent renewables and free of single‑use plastics, it’s guilt‑free hedonism: sunrise yoga, heli‑hopped sunset suppers and a private Nammos Beach on nearby Hijaz Island, kids’ club included.
Anantara Xiling Snow Mountain Chengdu Resort, China
Anantara is checking into Sichuan with Xiling Snow Mountain Chengdu Resort, its first outpost on the province’s fabled Golden Tourist Route. An hour from Chengdu, the 111-key Cheng Chung Design–crafted hideaway promises year-round diversions: skiing Xiling’s slopes, greeting giant pandas, and piping Huashuiwan’s mineral hot springs straight to your tub. Add a tranquil pool, Anantara Spa, entertainment hub and a fiery Sichuanese signature restaurant, and you get the idea.
The Imperial, England
Reopening this summer above London's Russell Square, The Imperial – Bloomsbury’s modernist icon – returns with unapologetic swagger. Its 357 rooms and suites marry mid‑century lines with subtle nods to a storied past, more Mayfair townhouse than student digs. Downstairs, a chic all‑day restaurant courts the well-heeled; upstairs, a 10th‑floor rooftop bar surveys London’s skyline, the city laid out like your own private calling card.
Amanvari, Mexico
This summer, Aman lands in Mexico with Amanvari, a discreet new haunt on Baja California’s untouched East Cape. Think 18 glassy pavilions in the Costa Palmas enclave – championship golf, yacht marina, organic farms (and a Four Seasons) – plus a rare swimmable beach and Cabo Pulmo’s lauded dive sites nearby. Expect vast decks, private pools, a traditional temazcal and open‑air yoga, with Baja’s freshest flavours plated for those who prefer indulgence over asceticism.
Park Hyatt Phu Quoc, Vietnam
Opening at the end of the year, this Park Hyatt brings discreet, contemporary polish to Vietnam’s lush south‑west coast. Spread across 64 hectares (double the size of Disneyland California) of jungle‑framed shoreline, it promises sunset‑facing villas, lakeside spa rituals and a barbecue pavilion for barefoot decadence. Families get Camp Hyatt and multiple pools; gastronauts get an organic farm and hyperlocal menus. Think Riviera nonchalance, rerouted via the Gulf of Thailand.
