This summer’s most irresistible hotel openings around the world

Home is nice – but hotels, well, they’re even better. All those fluffed up pillows, snuggly duvets and lovely toiletries; oh, how we’ve missed them. But as the travel industry starts revving its engines again and the pandemic begins to loosen its grip, new hotel openings are picking up pace around the world.

From farms-turned-restaurants with rooms in the UK countryside to slick, stylish city crashpads in our favourite cities, here are all the latest landings we’re excited about right now, with an eye on the best for long-term stays, remote working and strong sustainability initiatives. Warning: extreme wanderlust included…

The best new hotels in the UK

Gleneagles Townhouse

What: A historic hotel’s first foray into urban hospitality
Where: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Price: From 591 USD per night based on two sharing

Gleneagles, the iconic Scottish luxury hotel and golf course, has opened its first city location: the Gleneagles Town House in Edinburgh. The vibe is historic hotel meets cool, cultured city scene, with a slightly younger feel than the original up in Perth. It’s technically – but not entirely – a members’ club as it still functions much like a normal hotel, with a destination restaurant, spectacular rooftop bar and rooms that are, quite frankly, lovely.

Updown

What: A farm-to-table restaurant with rooms
Where: Deal, Kent, UK
Price: From 219 USD per night based on two sharing

Closer and, dare we say it, cooler than Devon and Cornwall, the Kent coast is an up-and-coming hotspot, which is ideal for Londoners looking for a trendy staycation. The area already boasts an impressive culinary scene – alongside a clutch of brilliant local chefs, London favourites like Nuno Mendes (previously of Chiltern Street Firehouse and now of Lisboeta) have been dabbling in delicious dining outposts. The Portuguese icon collaborated on the menu at boutique hotel The Rose in Deal during the pandemic. Next to make the move are London stalwarts Ruth Leigh and Oliver Brown, who have restored a farm and turned it into a beautiful restaurant with rooms, complete with its own baker’s oven. Updown Farm is the perfect perch to explore the Garden of England, along with the hip coastal destinations of Margate and Whitstable.

The Other House

What: A (swanky) home-away-from-home
Where: South Kensington, London, UK
Price: ‘Club Classics’ from 415 USD per night
Opening: late summer 2022

We’ve touched on The Other House before, when highlighting the inventive ways the hotel industry is adapting for digital nomads. This new kid on the block aims to be a disruptor thanks to a fresh approach to hospitality. The clue is in the name: the members’ club is designed to feel like your second home, or other house, with 200 Club Flats designed to be the perfect pied-à-terre for exploring the UK capital (not to mention its neighbourhood of South Kensington, within easy reach of lovely places to eat like the terrace at Princess Royal) whether you’re here to work or play – you even get your own address. This is taking the idea of serviced apartments to a whole new luxury level, thanks to two bars, a spa and a clutch of brilliant other food offerings available on site. Bonus, the company is striving to achieve BREEAM’s (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) ‘Excellent’ category for its sustainable construction initiatives, which is awarded to only 10% of buildings.

The best new hotels in Europe

The Rosewood Vienna

What: Out-and-out luxury
Where: Vienna, Austria
Price: From 770 USD per night

When it comes to cultural capital, Vienna is up there with the best of them: the Austrian city has been a centre for the arts for centuries and has a buzzing cultural scene to match. It’s no surprise, then, that the city is also peppered with lovely hotels, and the Rosewood is the latest to join the fray. In the brand’s classic penchant for elegance, the hotel occupies a beautifully restored 19th-century building in Vienna’s Old Town, perfectly positioned for access to St Stephen’s cathedral, as well as a slew of great eating and drinking.

The Julius

What: Serviced apartments with superlative snacks
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
Price: From 145 USD per night

Another new property looking to nail the hotel-meets-serviced apartments niche is The Julius in Prague, set to open this summer. The Czech capital, despite having a bit of a rep for stag dos, is a city on the up for digital nomads thanks to its affordability, romantic cobbled streets and prime position for exploring Europe. The Julius looks to capitalise on this with beautiful spaces that make you feel like you’re at home in your own flat, ideal for short or longer-term stays. The refurbed building has been designed to stand the test of time, with a focus on reduced consumption and quality products.  The Prague opening is the first of several from the Austrian Julius Meinl dynasty, the retail pioneers behind iconic Viennese food emporium Julius Meinl am Graben – and yes, that means you’ll have access to excellent snacks.

The Hoxton Poblenou

What: A pitch-perfect new opening from the lauded hotel group
Where: Poblenou, Barcelona
Price: From 218 USD per night

Whether you’re a local resident, staying in the hotel or on a Catalan city break in Barcelona, the latest iteration of The Hoxton has quite literally something for everyone: pizza from Four Corners, which slings square, Detroit-style slices; cool co-working spaces; a bar-slash-bodega stocking local foods; and a small rooftop pool from where you can see everything from the sea to La Sagrada Familia (and munch some tacos to boot). Chuck in Barcelona’s seemingly endless sunshine and a location in the city’s buzzing Poblenou neighbourhood, and this is an offering seriously hard to resist.

Soho House Copenhagen

What: A waterfront haven in one of Europe’s coolest cities
Where: Havnegade 44, 1058 København

Following its debut in places like Brighton and beyond, Soho House continues its world domination with a new opening in Copenhagen, a city long renowned for its creative cool. Like many of its other sites, it’s taken over an already-beautiful building – in this case, Copenhagen’s former Customs House and ferry terminal – and given it the Soho House polish, with plump velvet armchairs, parquet floors and art sourced from local Danish creatives. Set on the waterfront in København, there is a Cecconi’s Italian-inspired restaurant, an outdoor terrace, and plenty of space for working during the day. All aboard.
sohohouse.com

The best new hotels in the US

The Ned NoMad

What: A long-awaited second outpost from the boujie London members’ club
Where: New York City, USA
Price: TBC

The Ned – a second member’s club from the CEO of Soho House – made waves when it opened in the City of London in 2017, and it continues to be one of the hottest tickets in London thanks to its exclusive feel, beautiful design and roster of stellar events. This summer, it’s finally made the leap across the pond, with the opening of its second site, The Ned NoMad in New York. Much like the London counterpart, it occupies a beautiful historic building, playing up to the elegant architecture with breathtaking interior design – not to mention a rooftop bar.

Level Seattle

What: Aparthotels with serious style
Where: Seattle, Washington, USA
Price: From 299 USD per night

Seattle: home to Starbucks, Meg Ryan and now you, when you check into the new Level residence in the dynamic South Lake Union neighbourhood. The capacious aparthotel offers one, two and three-bedroom suites, each decked out with a kitchen and living space, and you’ll have access to co-working spaces, and an indoor basketball court and climbing wall – talk about all the essentials. The ideal place to stay, work and play, it’s also great for exploring a US city upping its cool credentials.

Aire De O:live

What: Sheer escapism a hop, skip and a 15-minute drive from the Puerto Rican capital
Where: Isla Verde, Puerto Rico
Price: From 367 USD per night

If you’re desperate for some R’n’R, look away now. Or maybe don’t, because the delights of new Puerto Rico hotel Aire De O:live might just prove too hard to resist. The beachfront property is in Isla Verde, just a short drive from capital city San Juan – but the crystalline blue waters and earthy colour palette couldn’t feel further from fast-paced metropolitan life. The hotel has a big focus on sustainability that goes all the way from the low-energy lightbulbs to the materials used in the staff uniforms – a big tick in our books – and the building is crowned by Japanese-inspired rooftop restaurant Kumo.

Aman New York

What: A slice of Japan-inspired minimalism in the middle of NYC
Where: The Crown Building, 730 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Price: From 3,200 USD per night

The Aman brand is known for its ultra-luxe, design-lead properties (not to mention eye-watering prices), and the hotly tipped New York opening more than lives up to this reputation. Each of the 83 suites features a working fireplace, and a mural that pays tribute to a pair of 15th-century folding screens that date back to Japan’s pre-Edo period. The F&B offering is similarly Japan-inspired, with a washoku restaurant called Nama, alongside Arva, an Italian restaurant; a Wine Library and a Jazz Club – but what we’re most looking forward to is the wraparound garden terrace, a sprawling indoor-outdoor space with fire pits and reflective pools.
aman.com

Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Los Angeles

What: A high-rise hotel with a focus on wellness
Where: 100 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, 90012 CA
Price: From 614 USD per night

Occupying a sculptural Frank Gehry-designed tower in Downtown LA, the latest site from Conrad (part of the Hilton family) sits opposite the Walt Disney Concert Hall, also designed by Gehry, and brings together enviable design, location and wellness, all in one place. The hotel itself takes up 25 of the skyscraper’s 35 storeys, starting with the lobby on level 10: cue the kind of endless views that you’ll never get bored of. The idea was to create an urban resort, with plenty of outdoor space (including a rooftop pool, natch), and one hell of a spa that features a wave table and recovery cabins. Interiors come courtesy of  Tara Bernerd, while chef José Andrés is behind the hotel’s restaurant offering.
hilton.com

The best new hotels in Asia

The Standard Bangkok

What: The cooler-than-cool hotel brand lands in Asia
Where: Bangkok, Thailand
Price: From 125 USD per night
Opening: 29 July 2022

The Standard hotel group has a knack for creating cooler-than-cool properties with serious design credentials, and its latest outpost in Bangkok is no exception. It’s taken up residence in the King Power Mahanakhon skyscraper, which has a ‘pixelated’ exterior evocative of a dystopian sci-fi movie. Step inside, however, and you’ll find plush, vintage-feeling interiors by celebrated Spanish creative Jaime Hayon. Velvet furnishings and rounded shapes nod to The Standard Bangkok’s whimsical, Seventies-influenced persona, while rattan lampshades and plenty of greenery keep the space firmly rooted in its Bangkok location. The Standard is known for a vibey F&B offering too, and here the menus feature produce grown via on-site hydroponics, as well as a focus on purchasing from locally owned businesses. Taking the city’s culinary credentials to new heights, quite literally, it also lays claim to Thailand’s highest restaurant, Ojo, with a menu by renowned chef Francisco ‘Paco’ Ruano. For more brilliant recommendations, consult our guide to the best hotels in Bangkok.