Hot Hotels: Most Exciting New Hotels To Book This Summer

This year has seen some seriously stylish new hotel openings. Across the globe, fashionable getaways are springing up so fast it’s hard to pick where to head next.

From former embassies and municipal buildings, to towers with sky-high pool views and cabins that fringe white sand beaches, here’s our pick of the most exciting new hotels to book this summer.

Purveyors of one-of-a-kind properties, Proper’s fifth branch in Santa Monica has taken over a Spanish colonial revival building dating from 1928, giving it a new lease of life with cool, sleek architectural additions.

The 271 room hotel will showcase attention-grabbing artwork by emerging LA artists, and satisfying textures and tones of neutral stone, woven headboards and bare wood create a calming atmosphere. Further to their mantra of relaxation, the incredible 3,000-square-foot Surya Ayurvedic Spa offers therapeutic massage and steam treatments with plant-based products. There will also be yoga classes on a dedicated second floor terrace, plus cooking and meditation.

The restaurants are guaranteed to be a draw too. The principal restaurant is headed up by two award-winning chefs and there’s a funky rooftop space kitted out with a luxurious pool, bar and bistro that overlooks the ocean. What’s more, they offer “boards and bikes at the ready” encouraging you to embody your inner beach babe and hit the waves or take a leisurely spin along the esplanade.

Nobu Matsuhisa – the man known for perfecting miso black cod – is more than a household name in contemporary Japanese cuisine—he’s now a master of high-end hospitality too, thanks to his Nobu Hotels, which he launched with partner Robert De Niro in 2013. Adding to their portfolio in Vegas, Malibu and Ibiza, now Cabo San Lucas has a scintillating celeb hangout.

The idyllic stretch of the Baja Peninsula now has brand new hotel, perched upon its southernmost tip with a distinctly unique aesthetic of contemporary Japanese minimalism. Built using locally-sourced materials, each of the 200 rooms come with a balcony and either a teak onsen-style soaking tub or a standalone tub. Some even have direct access to the hotel’s main palm-fringed pool.

The most high-end rooms are beautifully simple, with large stone fireplaces, separate living room, dining area, full kitchen, 15-foot ceilings, and ocean views, the light and airy spaces provide a rare personal refuse in buzzing Cabo.

The sumptuous spa offers an extensive list of treatments using Natura Bissé products in its indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy areas, creating the ultimate sanctuary to unwind. For dinner, there’s of course a Nobu restaurant, serving up unparalleled teppanyaki, or in the day indulge in more casual bites from the poolside eateries.

From its sleek design to its wealth of amenities, it’s safe to say Nobu has just secured the title of Cabo’s finest stay.

Taking over a prime spot in the island’s capital, Funchal, this stunning property boasts fabulous views of the ocean and its manicured gardens, harmoniously blending modern and historical styles. Emphasising absolute comfort, the suites are equipped with beautiful custom-created fabrics and bespoke furniture manufactured mostly by local artisans.

Its sweeping, contemporary architecture almost resembles a great cruise ship, and provides quite the panorama while luxuriating by the pool. There are four restaurants to choose from and an incredible 11 bars dotted about the complex where you can indulge late into the night.

The Savoy Palace truly provides the ideal hideaway for exploring this achingly beautiful and diverse island.

Perched on the shores of glimmering Lake Como, you’d be hard pushed to find finer splendour in this region. Taking residence within the 19th-century Villa Roccabruna, the Mandarin Oriental comprises 21 rooms, 52 suites and two private villas for the ultimate escape.

The renovation was led by interior designer Eric Egan who bedecked the petite palace with oriental charm (expect orchids at every turn) and the botanical gardens that surround the structure feature more than 50 different species of plant, tree and flower were created by Italian landscape designer Patrizia Pozzi.

The exceptional restaurants, CO.MO Bar and L’Aria, are both overseen by executive chef Vincenzo Guarino and the spa features four private suites and a salon.

But its the resort’s swimming pool and floating sundeck that extend onto the lake where you’ll want to spend most of your time, bronzing under that Italian sun.

Set upon of the the most beautiful beaches for the Aegean, seclusion is the order of the day at Calilo.

Promising to “raise the laid-back-luxury bar higher than anywhere else in the Greek islands” the hotel’s striking suites come with private ponds with waterfalls and picture-perfect sea views, and are scattered throughout a quiet valley. Overlooking the gorgeous little 300-metre long sandy Papas beach you’ll barely take two steps from you villa to the ocean.

Stylish stonework surrounds the complex and grass-roofed gazebos provide respite from the rays. You can order a luxurious picnic basket too, replete with organic goodies and local, perfectly chilled wine and take it off down the beach, into the hills or onto the ocean on one of their private boats.

This romantic spot really was made for two, and there’s not doubt you’ll fall in love with its offering of total tranquility.

Once upon a time this fairytale-like abode was an annex of the City Hall. Now reborn as Maison de la Luz, it is a lofty, light-filled and luxurious A-list addition to downtown New Orleans. On arrival, you’ll question whether Wes Anderson led the interior design, as you’re met with a colour-block check-in desk (complete with tassled keys on various hooks), two sweeping staircases and a living area of plush sofas beckoning you to lounge. The covetable furnishings and colour-pop details will have you agog straight away.

The striking red Bar Marilou serves up delightful cocktails, to be enjoyed on whimsical tiger-print bar stools, and provides the soundtrack of all important jazz. This palatial residence is dotted with indoor palms, and the greenery provides a breather from this frenetic, humid but eternally exciting city.

A Japanese-inspired retreat in a renovated water mill, could anything be more Long Island? The sculpted and raked Japanese rock gardens really set the scene for a totally zen escape, and so too does the big buddha who greets you on arrival.

Trickling fountains and reflective pools add to the serenity, and if that isn’t enough, the property sits among three acres of unspoilt woodland to (figuratively) lose yourself in. The Scandi-Japanese minimalist bedrooms feature white-oak Kobe style beds and some have bathrooms with a Hinoki wood tub as a centre piece.

The restaurant features long communal tables on which to dine with fellow hedonists, and the spa, stocked with Biologique Recherche products, is headed by a team of ‘healers’. There’s a high chance you won’t want to leave.

And finally, one to watch is the deemed-to-be-incredible JK Place. Opening later this summer, this prestigious address was once an embassy building, and elements of its diplomatic past are shown in its rebirth.

Huge high ceilings crown wood-panelled walls and an eclectic mix of furnishings with all sorts of international influences dot the rooms and common spaces. The 29 rooms and suites have generous living areas (most with fireplaces), and there’s a library-style reception area clad in oak that leads through to the beautifully refined bar and restaurant.

Taking up residence in the world’s fashion capital was an obvious choice for the brand’s fourth venture, and anywhere you look within the little palace could provide a Vogue backdrop. Even the Sisley spa and subterranean pool lined in grey and white marble are the chic-est in this postcode.

Soaring skyward out of Chicago’s supercool Fulton Market suburb, the UK brand’s ninth venture is built on a plot that was previously a meatpacking warehouse, and there are nods to industrial chic design all over. The 182 guest rooms with concrete ceilings and “warehouse-style” windows allude to the area’s industrial past, but are softened by two-toned walls in white and muted rose.

The furnishings are an eclectic mix of mid-century styles, with brass bed lamps, and tall leather headboards, along with custom rugs and bedding designed by Chicago-based artist Cody Hudson. On the theme of art, the hotel is adorned with numerous pieces that “spotlight the creative reach of Chicago’s art community”.

It’s found within the trendy downtown area West Loop, which is also home to members’ club Soho House and the Ace Hotel. As well as the brand’s first rooftop pool where you can drink in views of the world-famous skyline across to glittering Lake Michigan, there is also a superb wellness studio, two restaurants (one a Peruvian-inspired cevicheria) and a double-height co-working space that will no doubt be a hive of activity.