Kalesma Mykonos, Greece

Contemporary design meets Mykonian tradition at Kalesma (meaning invitation in Greek). Encompassing 25 suites and two villas—all with private terrace pools and views of the sea—the island retreat was designed as a “village” of whitewashed volumes inspired by the local vernacular with a desire to invite guests to fully embrace the Cycladic lifestyle. “A necessity arose to create an elemental dialogue between the exceptional surroundings and the interiors,” says designer Vangelis Bonios of Studio Bonarchi, who worked alongside architecture firm K-Studio on the recently opened project.

Casona Sforza, Oaxaca, Mexico

The brainchild of entrepreneur Ezequiel Ayarza Sforza, Casona Sforza comprises three unique asymmetrical, clean-lined structures built from locally produced sand-yellow bricks that “receive and reflect the sun’s rays,” Mexican architect Alberto Kalach of Taller de Arquitectura X (TAX) says. “The bricks also help with ventilation to keep the rooms cool without wasting energy on air conditioning.” For the interiors, Mexico City-based MOB crafted a contemporary aesthetic that enhances the natural beauty of the space and uses many locally made products.

Photo by GD Media, Popo Vision

Kisawa Sanctuary, Mozambique

Located along some three miles of coastline on Mozambique’s Benguerra Island, Kisawa Sanctuary is the vision of creative director Nina Flohr. Comprising 22 bungalows that span 12 residences in addition to the signature Kisawa residence, the lodgings dot the resort, each positioned on its own acre-plus of land and featuring a unique design. Local weavers, carpenters, and textile makers are responsible for the buildings’ striking, undulating shapes, which also house seven dining venues (including a tuk tuk that serves pizza) and the Natural Wellness Center, which boasts a spa and fitness facilities. Committed to conservation, Flohr and the team of designers, architects, and engineers used a patented 3D sand-printing technology to replace less sustainable construction elements for certain architectural structures.

Photo by Elsa Young

The Goodtime Hotel, Miami

Nightclub impresario David Grutman’s hospitality experience and multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams’ cultural cache come together in the Goodtime Hotel, a throwback property that reaches peak nostalgia thanks to the whimsical mind of designer Ken Fulk. (Architect Morris Adjmi and landscape architect Raymond Jungles added their own moments of discovery and levity to the project.) Among the many tongue-in-cheek details are the green and white lattice print corridor carpet sprinkled with “wet” footprints, a leopard-print robe meant to be worn in and outside of the 266 guestrooms, and a pastel-infused library that channels Wes Anderson’s twee aesthetic. The hotel is also home to the indoor-outdoor restaurant Strawberry Moon, which features at least a dozen different shades of pink—another one of the hotel’s Instagrammable moments that solidify it as a place to see and be seen in South Beach.

Photo by Alice Gao

Six Senses Ibiza, Spain

The luxury-meets-wellbeing brand is opening at least five new properties this year in urban locations like Rome as well as more idyllic destinations including Ibiza, which is set to debut on the northern tip of Xarraca Bay this spring. The interiors, from developer and designer Jonathan Leitersdorf of Beach Box Ibiza along with the brand’s in-house team, will emphasize sunset views from the 116 guestrooms, suites, and beachfront caves. Like all Six Senses properties, this one is rooted in wellness, authenticity, community, and spirituality and will be one of the first sustainable BREEAM-certified resort and residential communities in the Balearics.

NoMad London

Sydell Group’s first NoMad outside of the U.S. arrives in London this spring inside the Bow Street Magistrates’ Court and Police Station. New York firm Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors will interject femininity, glamour, and a cosmopolitan spirit within the historic 19th-century building, where art will be a focus. A curated selection of handpainted murals in the hotel’s lounge, for example, is a collaboration with the scenic painters from the Royal Opera House and Paris-based studio be-poles. A slew of F&B concepts will make the hotel a local destination, including the signature restaurant, helmed by chef Ashley Abodeely, that resides within the three-story atrium; Side Hustle, a modern take on a British pub; and the subterranean cocktail bar and lounge Common Decency, set to open in 2022.

Rendering courtesy of Roman and Williams

Downtown LA Proper

The latest collaboration between Kelly Wearstler and Proper Hospitality arrives in buzzy DTLA this June. Expect to see the iconic designer’s eclectic and layered look throughout the hotel, which is housed in a reimagined 1920s California Renaissance Revival landmark structure. The design naturally nods to the building’s past while weaving in elements of France, Morocco, and Mexican modernism. In addition to F&B options from chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne, the property will be home to a rooftop pool deck that features scenic city views; an intimate library lounge; and 148 guestrooms, including two suites fashioned from the basketball court and indoor pool from the building’s sports club past.

Photo by the Ingalls

Columns, New Orleans

Located in the city’s historic Garden District, the 1883-era mansion—one of the only remaining Italiante houses from architect Thomas Sully—has been reimagined as Columns, the brainchild of hotelier Jayson Seidman and designer Lorraine Kirke. The 20-room property is swathed in a rich color palette and whimsical details that highlight many of the building’s original elements, including a dramatic mahogany stairwell and a domed stained glass skylight with a sunburst motif—both of which have been lovingly restored.

Photo by Arnaud Montagard

The Industrialist, Pittsburgh

The famed 18-story Arrott Building will reveal an upgrade when it opens this spring as the Industrialist, an Autograph Collection hotel, revived by New York firm Stonehill Taylor. The Rebel Room restaurant and the second-floor salon and library enjoy a reimagined midcentury aesthetic that nods to the Rust Belt city’s former life as the center of the steel industry (think smoky hues and molten metal accents). The 124 guestrooms, too, recall Pittsburgh’s roots with a monochromatic color palette, raw materials, and ambient lighting that effortlessly transport guests to the city’s early-20th-century heyday.

Rendering courtesy of Azeez Bakare Studios

Habitas AlUla, Saudi Arabia

The experience-led hospitality company continues its global expansion with destinations in Bacalar, Mexico and AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The latter is the brand’s first property in the Middle East and will reside within the desert canyons of the Ashar Valley, located along the original pilgrimage route to Mecca. Nestled between sandstone cliffs and palm groves, the 100-room resort will open in the second half of 2021, boasting a minimally invasive ecological footprint. Spaces, for example, will be constructed from ethically sourced organic materials and a low-impact design model that does virtually no harm to the environment.

Rendering courtesy of Habitas

AutoCamp Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The luxury camping hospitality brand recently landed in Cape Cod with its first East Coast location, featuring a design from New York firm Workshop/APD. The site counts 108 Airstreams, luxury tents, modern lodges, indoor and outdoor firepits, and a two-story, midcentury-inspired clubhouse, which maximizes views of Buzzards Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Here, Cape Cod’s nostalgia is explored via a natural palette of charred and natural cedar paired with black steel and concrete. As part of the company’s commitment to preserving natural ecosystems, AutoCamp will restore more than 22,000 square feet of wetlands with native plants on the property.

Photo by Matt Kisiday

Baja Club, La Paz, Mexico

For their 14th hotel, Grupo Habita cofounders Carlos Couturier and Moisés and Rafael Micha’s vision takes cues from the nearby Sea of Cortés. Formerly owned by the Cornejo family and known as Casa Antigua, the circa-1910 hacienda has been updated with a four-story extension, courtesy of Mexico City’s Max von Werz Arquitectos and Paris-based firm Jaune Architecture. The addition enhances the mission-style villa with a pool and spa, restaurant and rooftop bar, a central courtyard, and terraces overlooking La Paz Bay. The design of the 32 guestrooms and suites nods to local traditions. Green and red tones, for instance, are commonly found in Mexican earthenware, while metals, woods, and woven materials complement original ironmongery and the rough stucco façade.

Montage Big Sky, Montana

Situated on more than 3,500 acres in a private golf and ski club in Big Sky, Montana, the Montage Big Sky will be the state’s first ultra-luxurious, 5-Star resort when it debuts later this year. One of several recent and upcoming openings from Montage Hotels & Resorts (including the Montage Healdsburg in California’s wine country designed by Le Architects, Delawie Architects, and EDG) the ski-in/ski-out resort—just 45 minutes from Yellowstone National Park—centers around the outdoors. The handiwork of New York and San Francisco area firms Hart Howerton, BraytonHughes Design Studios, and EDG (which helmed several dining concepts), the 150-room property features 39 residences and boasts a modern mountain design calling on a natural palette of regional wood and stone.

Pendry Manhattan West

Montage’s lifestyle brand is also gearing up for a busy 2021 with its recently opened West Hollywood location (Martin Brudnizki Design Studio led the interiors) joining soon-to-open properties in Chicago (the 1929 Art Deco Carbide & Carbon Building is being reimagined by Studio Munge) and New York, which will call the trendy Hudson Yards home when it debuts this year. Spearheaded by local firms Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Gachot Studios, the much-anticipated 164-room Pendry Manhattan West is a love letter to New York with nods to the brand’s California cool aesthetic.

1 Hotel Toronto

With nine hotels currently on the boards, Barry Sternlicht will bring his sustainably minded 1 Hotels brand to Toronto this summer. The former Thompson property will undergo a refresh from New York-based Rockwell Group via an eco-conscious lens, with a focus on using the existing structural and reclaimed local materials, including timber, driftwood, and limestone. The 112-key hotel will also evoke a curated air, calling to mind the brand’s motto as a place to get inspired, focus, grow, connect, and recharge.

Josun Palace, Seoul

Marriott’s Luxury Collection expands its footprint in Asia this month with Josun Palace, among four of the brand’s properties to open in 2021. Originally built in 1914 as one of Korea’s first hotels, Monaco-based firm Humbert & Poyet draws on the building’s legacy of craftsmanship in central Seoul’s modern Gangnam district. Throughout the property—which comes complete with five F&B outlets, a wellness club, an art gallery, and 254 guestrooms—expect a neutral color palette accented by green hues and luxurious materials like wood, brass, and marble.

The Dubai EDITION

The global domination of Ian Schrager’s lifestyle brand continues with a spate of openings in 2021 and beyond that will bring his portfolio to 19. Launching this year are properties in Reykjavik (a collaboration with New York’s Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors); Rome (housed in a building by Cesare Pascoletti and Marcello Piacentini, one of Italy’s most famed architects of Rationalism); a second in Tokyo, and Dubai, where locally based LW Design Group will conjure a luxe beacon in the city’s most popular location, opposite the Dubai Mall. Rounding out the 275-room property will be F&B outlets, a pool, spa, and dynamic event spaces.

Park Lane New York

Yabu Pushelberg and Highgate lead the team behind the completely reimagined Park Lane New York, situated on Billionaires Row on Central Park South. The New York- and Toronto-based firm will restore the existing architectural details of the historic building, with local artists En Viu creating playful murals for public spaces and the 612 guestrooms (nearly half of which offer park-facing views). The property will also boast an 80-seat lobby bar and outdoor terrace, an intimate second-floor restaurant, and a rooftop cocktail bar that serves libations among Manhattan’s sweeping skyline.

Aman New York

The long-anticipated debut of Aman’s first urban resort in the U.S. is finally coming online this year. Architect Jean-Michel Gathy, principal designer at Denniston, enlivens Midtown Manhattan’s striking Crown Building, restoring the 100-year-old tower with nods to the brand’s roots in Asia, but with a design firmly anchored in its New York context. Home to 83 guestrooms and suites—each with a functioning fireplace—Aman New York will also feature 22 branded private residences, including the five-story penthouse. The three-story Aman Spa, three dining venues, a jazz club, and the members-only Aman Club round out the sanctuary-like property.

The Hoxton, Rome

Debuting as the brand’s 10th hotel when it opens this month, the 192-room Hoxton, Rome is located in the city’s Parioli neighborhood near the lush Villa Borghese park. The 1970s-era property, designed in-house by Ennismore Design Studio in collaboration with London and Los Angeles-based Fettle Design, which handled the public spaces, features a coffee bar and takeout counter, all-day diner, and large outdoor terrace where guests can enjoy cocktails. Calling on the city’s rich architectural traditions, key elements include a large open lobby with vintage seating and a central fireplace and rooms that reference classic Italian cinema. Here, parquet floors meld with lacquered timber, local stone, and midcentury Italian-style bathrooms done in bright colors.

Thompson Denver

With new properties in San Antonio (designed by Amass & G), Hollywood (from Tara Bernerd & Partners), and Denver coming online this year, Hyatt’s lifestyle brand is dominating the scene in cities with a certain cultural cool. Consider the Denver location. Set to open this fall, the 216-room hotel will boast architecture by DLR Group that recalls a modern-day chalet and streamlined interiors from Parts and Labor Design (the New York firm also crafted the Washington, DC and Nashville properties). Spaces like the 90-seat ground-floor restaurant centered around a circular bar with a custom jewel box light fixture and the sixth-floor indoor lounge—which boasts a sunroom with a fireplace—are brought together via a rich material and color palette.

Ace Hotel Brooklyn, New York

There’s perhaps no better location for Ace Hotel Group to plant its flag than Brooklyn. The hotel, located in the New York borough’s Boerum Hill neighborhood, is the third collaboration between Atelier Ace and New York firm Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors, while Stonehill Taylor led the architecture of the ground-up building’s Brutalist façade. Expect layered materials that are woven seamlessly across the communal lobby, an indoor garden complete with a double-sided fireplace and sawtooth skylight, and 287 inviting guestrooms, all imbued with Roman and Williams’ signature eclectic yet refined touch.

Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson

SLS Dubai Hotel and Residences

The SLS Dubai joined Accor’s vast portfolio this spring when it debuted in one of the city’s tallest buildings. Indeed, the 75-story tower offers unobstructed views of the Burj Khalifa and the calming Dubai Creek. Global architecture firm Aedas and locally based Bishop Design were tapped to bring an understated elegance to the project, including in the 371 residential units, 321 hotel apartments, and 254 guestrooms, which are imbued with lilac and violet hues and rose gold accents.

Photo by Gerry O’Leary

Viceroy Kopaonik Serbia

This spring Viceroy Hotels & Resorts will launch a ski-in, ski-out resort as part of its luxurious Icon Collection. With 119 guestrooms, including a two-bedroom penthouse, the property brings a West Coast vibe to the mountain range located between Serbia and Kosovo. Designed by the London office of Wimberly Interiors, details are inspired by the local Suvo Rudiste style, which showcases the beauty of the landscape. The team chose simple, yet sophisticated materials such as raw-cut stone, hammered metals, and timber. Light-filled guestrooms balance a classic design with dark wood tones, while a spa and three dining venues—including an après ski lounge—invite relaxation.

Graduate Roosevelt Island, New York

The Graduate Roosevelt Island, opening this summer, is one of the more ambitious projects from the brand known for its collection of handcrafted hotels in university-anchored towns. The 18-story property integrated into Cornell Tech (a technology, business, law, and design campus of Cornell University) is a group effort between design architect Snøhetta, architect of record Stonehill Taylor, and Graduate’s in-house team at AJ Capital Partners. Quirky design elements are de rigueur for the brand, and Roosevelt Island is no exception, with 5,000 linear feet of textbooks lining the lobby, floating glass desks and plaid prints in guestrooms, and showstopping statement pieces like artist Hebru Brantley’s 12-foot sculpture that reinterprets his iconic Flyboy character found at reception. The hotel will also include a ground floor restaurant, an indoor-outdoor rooftop bar and lounge, and over 3,000 square feet of flexible meeting space by New York natives, Med Abrous and Marc Rose of Call Mom.

Photo by Steve Freihon Photography

Virgin Hotels New Orleans

Virgin will bring its cool aesthetic to New Orleans this summer with a new-build hotel designed in partnership with locally based Logan Killen Interiors. (The brand is keeping busy this year: Its flagship New York property, a collaboration between Stantec and MARKZEFF, is set to debut in the winter.) The property will reveal distinctly New Orleans moments via colorful, tropical motifs that mix with Virgin’s playful and approachable style. Joining brand signatures like the Commons Club restaurant and bar will be the Funny Library coffee shop, a pool and lounge that crown the property, and 238 Art Deco-inspired guestrooms (or, in Virgin lingo, Chambers).

Soho House Tel Aviv, Jaffa

The exclusive members’-only club founded by Nick Jones is growing its global footprint this year with openings in six sought-after destinations, including Austin, Rome, and Paris. This summer, Tel Aviv will join the expansive portfolio, featuring a club, garden, pool, and 24 bedrooms all housed in a restored former convent in the city’s Jaffa neighborhood. Leaning into its location and taking cues from the building’s symmetrical turrets that face historic Yefet Street, the brand’s in-house team opted for a European style, reflecting the soul and spirit of the Middle Eastern destination.

Life House, Chattanooga, Tennessee

The locally rooted lifestyle brand has a busy remainder of 2021 with openings in Brooklyn, New York’s trendy Bushwick neighborhood and its first international launch in the lush tropics of Seminyak, Bali. It will also land in Chattanooga this winter, residing in a transformed historic Beaux Arts-style train terminal. The design, handled in-house, will celebrate the musicians who passed through during the 1920s Jazz Era, nodding to the iconic period with 20 Pullman cars revamped as private suites and details that pay homage to train design. In addition to 118 guestrooms, the expansive property will also include a 1970s-revival living room lounge, 40-seat cinema, recording studio, and exterior courtyard lounges.

Andaz Bali, Sanur

Spearheaded by Bangkok-based Tierra Design and Spin Design Studio out of Tokyo, the brand’s debut in Indonesia reflects the local vernacular with the use of distinctive red brick—a traditional construction material in the beachfront town of Sanur. Set in low-rise clusters, the hotel is spread across the tropical landscape following the cardinal directions, which play a significant role in Balinese Hinduism. Further, the 149 guestrooms, including 18 garden villas and four beach villas, are arranged in a series of courtyards that create unexpected and inviting moments of discovery.

Photo by Werner Segarra

Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix

For the redo of the historic Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, a 1929 gem from Frank Lloyd Wright and his protégé Albert Chase McArthur, New York- and Paris-based Virserius Studio understood the magnitude of retaining and continuing its illustrious history. With that in mind, the team’s intent for the $70 million, two-year renovation—which included the addition of the adult’s-only Saguaro pool and updates to the Spire Bar and event lawn, the Wright Bar, and 11 cottages—was to reimagine the property’s Old Hollywood glamour for a new generation while still maintaining many of its classic Wright details. Indeed, the famed architect’s prairie style combined with American Art Deco elements are still on display with some twists. Take the signature Biltmore Blocks, an architectural element of abstracted geometric leaves that recall palm tree trunks. Virserius Studio recreated and cast many onsite to replace those that have worn down over the years. Additional Wright-inspired elements include custom mosaics and vibrant Spanish tiles that nod to the colorful Southwestern sky.

Under Canvas Lake Powell – Grand Staircase, Utah

Overlooking 220 acres of Southwestern desert vistas, Under Canvas Lake Powell – Grand Staircase is the latest outpost from the upscale camping company (a location in Maine’s Acadia National Park is also in the works for this year). To reinforce its rugged location in Southern Utah, the in-house team wrapped the 50 safari-style tents in weathered wood, top-grain leather, and metal accents—an aesthetic that puts the spotlight on the breathtaking natural environment. A standout: the central lobby lounge tent, which is kitted out with pieces from brand partner West Elm.

Inness, Accord, New York

Nestled on 125 acres, Inness is a remote retreat and members’ club located about 90 minutes outside of New York City. Courtesy of restaurateur and trained architect Taavo Somer, design firm the Post Company, and development team CBSK Ironstate and Lee Pollock, the drive-to destination opens this summer and comes at a time when escaping to the outdoors is at a premium. Indeed, guests can experience solitude across the sprawling site, which includes 28 cabins, a 12-room farmhouse, a restaurant and lounge, 9-hole golf course, hiking trails, swimming pools, a three-acre organic farm, and more, all of which offer a welcome respite from urban living.

Matild Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Budapest, Hungary

One of four planned 2021 debuts for Marriott’s Luxury Collection, the 130-room Matild Palace draws on its heritage. Originally developed under the patronage of Her Imperial and Royal Highness Maria Klotild of Saxe-Coburg and built in 1902 by local architects Kálmán Giergl and Flóris Korb, the property is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. London’s MKV Design transformed the property with Hungarian-influenced design elements and artwork referencing Budapest literature. Located just a short distance from the Danube River, the Belle Époque icon is slated to open this month and will include a spa and four dining destinations helmed by Hungary’s first Michelin-starred chef, Budapest native Eszter Palágyi.

The Porter House Hotel Sydney – Mgallery

Opening late this year, Accor’s new-build Porter House Hotel Sydney – MGallery is part of a 36-story mixed-use development. The 121-room hotel is housed on the lower levels, while 131 residential apartments occupy floors 10-34. Designed by locally based Candalepas & Associates architects, the hotel and apartments will incorporate the adjacent circa-1870s Porter House, cantilevering over the heritage building. Guestrooms and suites in the new tower are inspired by the restored building, with thoughtful use of materials and detailing. Rounding out the offerings are a pool and fitness center, two restaurants, and a fourth-floor bar with rotating art gallery.

W Osaka

At the W Osaka, guests are welcomed by a black monolith exterior, courtesy of Osaka-born architect Tadao Ando (Nikken Sekkei was the architect of record and executive interior design firm). A colorful and exuberant interior from Dutch firm concrete is revealed inside, nodding to the Edo period when excessive displays of wealth flourished in private. Inspired by a Japanese fold, a curtain flows throughout the space, which is dotted with vibrant furnishings. Continuing the theme, the 337 guestrooms feature clean lines and color schemes informed by Osaka’s blazing streetscapes.

The Aurora Lodge, Tromvik, Norway

Nestled in Norway’s Lyngen Alps—known as the best place to see the Northern Lights—the Aurora Lodge is positioned on a natural plateau that slopes down to the sea and rocky beachfront. The main structure comprises two units, terraces, and a separate suite, all of which face the shoreline. Each element of the minimalist design by architect Snorre Stinessen complements the site, with an interior clad in ecologically sourced rift/half-rift Weisstanne wood and high ceilings and glass walls that invite the sky and landscape into the Lodge.