The USA is always a thrill to visit; a bucket-list destination of wide open spaces, dazzling landscapes, and intoxicating cities. Not only is 2024 proving to be a record year for US travel, it’s also a big year for new hotel openings, too.
With a haul of standout spots welcoming guests already, and others preparing to do so, we round up some of the most luxurious. Including small boutiques, luxury resorts and wellness retreats in big-ticket cities, dusty deserts and mountain towns, these are eight of the most exciting new hotels in the USA to have on your radar this year.
Mollie Aspen, Colorado
Inspired by a traditional ski-chalet aesthetic, the 68-room Mollie Aspen is a lesson in understated, high-quality, sleek design. Its earthy-toned interiors by Post Company artfully mix natural woods (sourced from nearby forests), earthenware ceramics and hand-dyed textiles. You’ll be at home in the lobby with its big cosy fire, while the café provides fuel for the slopes. Dazzling views of Aspen Mountain backdrop the rooftop pool, complete with a terrace bar, which transforms into a speakeasy by night.
Hotel Bardo, Savannah, Georgia
Dating back to the 19th century, the 149-room Hotel Bardo in Savannah is fresh from a distinctive remodel. It occupies a striking turreted Southern Gothic building on Forsyth Park, a comfortable hop from Savannah’s busy riverfront district. Design-wise, it’s an exercise in traditional meets modern-whimsy, particularly in the light, bright, spacious rooms and the back terrace. Here, you’ll find a mosaic-lined historic pool dotted with loungers and striped umbrellas, a scene evoking the retro-rich aesthetic of a Slim Aarons photograph. Members of Club Bardo are invited to linger over a frozen negroni in its elegant salon.
The Regent Santa Monica Beach, California
Decadent and sophisticated, the sparkling Regent Santa Monica Beach will add a fresh perspective to beachside California’s typically laid-back hotel scene when it opens later this year. Its 167 serene rooms range from inviting queens to spacious suites, some with balconies overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica pier. Life inside the Regent centres around a chic earth-toned atrium drenched in natural light and filled with designer furnishings. Other hotel highlights include a beachfront pool deck surrounding multiple pools, a harmonious spa and an artisan marketplace stocked with handcrafted souvenirs by local makers.
The Dunlin, Johns Island, South Carolina
Settings do not get more pristine than at The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection – a hotly-anticipated coastal retreat resting on the Kiawah River in the Charleston Sea Islands. A haven of soul-soothing activities, the whole place is designed to blend exquisitely with the waterside ecosystem environment it calls home. Lush, scenic grounds are scattered with whitewashed buildings. Languish in a luxury spa, cosy in the library lounge, or hang out in the main lodge, complete with a quintessential Southern wraparound porch, an ideal spot for birdwatching or sipping a mint julep. The planned 72 cottage-style rooms, suites, and 19 villas are styled by Lindroth Design to evoke the spirit of old-time Southern summer retreats.
The Vineta Hotel, Palm Beach, Florida
A pastel pink Mediterranean Revival grande dame of the Palm Beach hotel scene, the 1926 Vineta – formerly the Chesterfield – places you two blocks from Worth Avenue, renowned for its designer boutiques, art galleries, and coveted restaurants. It’s also just minutes from the beach. As the first US property from hoteliers behind the legendary Hotel du Cap Eden Roc in Antibes and Le Bristol Paris, it promises stylish opulence once it’s been restored to its original splendour, courtesy of Parisian interior designer, Tino Zervudachi. This includes a transformation of the elegant Leopard Lounge – a once popular Palm Beach night spot for celebrities and locals alike – into a modern gathering place.
The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, The Palmeraie, Arizona
Casa Loma Beach Hotel, Laguna Beach, California
Perched on a rocky palm-studded slope, this dreamy coastal hideout will have you kicking back in no time. A pleasing bohemian European summer vibe meets California coastal cool, thanks to the all-female interior design studio Electric Bowery. The 70 rooms – most facing the Pacific – have a beach-bungalow aesthetic. Think pastel blues, white shutters and rattan furniture. You’re within an easy, walkable reach of everything on a stay here, too. Come morning, you can hit Laguna’s main beach for a surf, then it’s a short walk to the village for coffee, to shop and browse local art galleries, or to Laguna Canyon for hiking. Complimentary wine on the Pacific Terrace each evening is a nice touch.
Thompson Palm Springs, California
Downtown Palm Springs makes a great base for exploring the nine desert cities in the Coachella Valley, and is bursting with historic sights, cafés, bars, restaurants and a Friday evening market. The newly built Thompson Palm Springs offers 168 bungalow-style rooms, some with private pools, and the 18 suites here will feature private spaces for entertaining friends. Two restaurants, including the Middle Eastern-inspired Lola Rose, will make the Thompson a destination worth stopping at for a bite, not to mention the spacious wine-tasting room.
Lead image: Hotel Bardo
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