Whether you seek a getaway to reunite with loved ones or a wellness retreat to get your pandemic-worn health back on track, a slew of new hotels will be ready to welcome you. For our annual list of top luxury hotel openings, we scoured the globe to find properties of all types, from high-end brands to boutique gems, with top-notch amenities, striking facilities and coveted locales.
From Kauai to Kuwait, here are Forbes Travel Guide’s most anticipated hotel openings for 2022:
Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection, Napa
This 712-acre working ranch will feed your body (its restaurants use ingredients from local farms), spirit (the spa’s wellness experts will create personalized programs) and sense of wonder (snap a photo of the 60-by-40-foot Infinity sculpture). Unwind in the 78 rustic-luxe cottages and suites featuring terraces with fire pits and views of the Mayacamas Mountains and the property’s vineyards.
Atlantis The Royal Resort, Dubai
Steps from sister property Atlantis, The Palm, this resort will go big with 795 rooms; 17 restaurants from noted chefs like José Andrés, Ariana Bundy and Heston Blumenthal; the world’s largest waterpark; a flashy water and fire show; and a showstopping 22nd-floor, 295-foot-long infinity sky pool.
100 Princes Street, Edinburgh
Tucked along a premier shopping thoroughfare, this more-than-150-year-old building will have its façade and interiors restored. The boutique hotel will also have 30 rooms, an executive lounge and impeccable touches like a mural honoring Scottish explorers. But its best asset may be its unobstructed views of Edinburgh Castle.
Conrad will mark its first California foray with Los Angeles’ Frank Gehry-designed cultural corridor, The Grand LA. The 305-room property will have sweeping vistas of Walt Disney Concert Hall, a 16,000-square-foot rooftop pool and two José Andrés restaurants — one with Latin and Asian flavors and the other with classic Spanish fare.
This 13th-century refuge is steeped in history. The 108 unique rooms will reside in a former monastery, a 15th-century chapel will host weddings and there’s a 200-year-old botanic garden. But it will also offer modern perks: four restaurants from renowned chefs like Gert De Mangeleer, who will revive his famed Hertog Jan, and an innovative three-floor botanical spa.
If you need a sign that Tampa is on the cusp of a luxury travel resurgence, this spring opening is it. Nestled within the new 56-acre Water Street Tampa area, the hotel will have 172 rooms (including a vast 2,195-square-foot penthouse) and six restaurants and bars, including a rooftop lounge.
Located within The Avenues — Kuwait’s largest mall with more than 1,100 stores, an amusement park, a movie theater and more — the hotel will have easy access to entertainment. But with 200 sophisticated accommodations overlooking the skyline, Japanese restaurant ROKA Kuwait and a 13,560-square-foot spa, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy in the hotel.
Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa, Maldives
Spread across 17 acres in the Raa Atoll, this island getaway will plunge you into paradise with 80 minimalist villas, an Italian restaurant and bar at the end of a picturesque jetty and a spa with eight rocket-ship-shaped suites hidden high among the palm fronds.
The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad
One of the tallest buildings in the area, the newly built hotel will afford views from the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty. But your eyes will be locked on the property’s dining options — chef José Andrés will serve a mezze menu at Zaytinya and avant-garde cuisine at Bazaar and oversee the rooftop bar — and the 6,800-square-foot spa.
Raffles London at The OWO
Stay in the former offices of British prime ministers like Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George when Raffles opens in the Old War Office. The white Edwardian building will hold 120 rooms, dining from decorated chef Mauro Colagreco and a rooftop restaurant and bar overlooking Whitehall and Buckingham Palace.
Sensei Porcupine Creek, Palm Springs
Tech pioneer Larry Ellison will convert his Porcupine Creek home and golf course into a 230-acres desert wellness destination. Like its excellent sister property Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort in Hawaii, this retreat will adopt a science-based approach with a state-of-the-art diagnostic center, a slew of fitness and mindfulness programming, a spa and healthy fare by Nobu.
Along the Cumberland River and a block from Broadway’s honky-tonks, a glass tower will house 230-plus rooms, all with city or water vistas. Check out the seventh-floor terrace’s infinity-edge pool and alfresco restaurant and exclusive experiences like penning a country song with a local musician.
The 79-story skyscraper recently arrived on the scene with some of the largest accommodations in the southern China city and luxurious amenities like Diptyque toiletries and Dyson Supersonic hairdryers. Don’t miss the 68th-floor spa with a pool under cathedral ceilings and the modern Cantonese plates at The Bay by Chef Fei.
The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, Australia
Soaring above the city, The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne will be Australia’s tallest hotel. Zip up to level 80 to check in and then take in sweeping views of the bay and the skyline. More riveting vistas will be on display from the 257 rooms and the indoor infinity pool.
The Inn at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards, Virginia Highlands
Since 2013, family-owned Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards’ bucolic 450 acres showcased fare from James Beard-nominated chef Travis Milton, wine and yurts. But the mountain escape will add a 28-room luxury inn with a presidential suite, an infinity pool, a spa and a new restaurant from Milton called Hickory.
The alpine resort gets a modernist makeover at this ski-in/ski-out Canyons Village chalet. There’s a Japanese American steakhouse; a lively pizza parlor; après-ski in front of the lobby lounge’s fireplace or outdoors on Ski Beach; and Park City’s only rooftop pool and bar.
Portrait Milano — Lungarno Collection
The style tastemakers in the Ferragamo family will bring a new hotel to Italy’s fashion capital in an unlikely place: a former archiepiscopal seminary. The divine structure has a grand 1652 baroque entrance that opens onto an imposing nearly one-acre piazza framed by a double-colonnaded loggia. Its once hallowed walls also will contain restaurants, a shopping arcade and event space.
This 14-acre cliffside enclave will bring Mediterranean flair to Providenciales’ north coast. Forty-six cottages will have plunge pools overlooking the ocean. The big attractions will be the Beach Club’s secluded stretch of sand, a 130-foot jetty lined with daybeds and the largest infinity pool in Turks and Caicos.
Ambiente, A Landscape Hotel, Sedona
Take in the stunning red rocks from the adults-only hotel’s 40 Atriums, standalone cube-shaped accommodations that hover on tall steel piers. Most have a rooftop deck with a roaring fire pit and a daybed perfect for stargazing. Inside each glass-walled Atrium, enjoy 360-degree views of the landscape.
Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
To complement its Knightsbridge grande dame, Mandarin Oriental will move into another tony London neighborhood: Mayfair. But the new Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners-designed boutique hotel will be more intimate with only 50 accommodations, and it will have a fine-dining restaurant, a lobby lounge and a rooftop terrace bar.
Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences
Raffles will unveil a 35-story LEED Gold structure in its first Americas venture. It will possess memorable features like a curved oak grand staircase that spirals through a three-story sky lobby. Also in the works are a speakeasy and a guests-only spa with an indoor pool.
Regent Phu Quoc, Vietnam
Every accommodation in the all-suite-and-villa island hideaway is a stylish sanctuary. But villas have an edge with sprawling pools and courtyards. A wellness coach will lead you through offerings like hot sand therapy on a Gharieni quartz bed, indulgent Biologique Recherche treatments and a Pedi:Mani:Cure salon by Bastien Gonzalez.
The two towers’ distinctive cutout façades designed by Qatari architect Ibrahim M. Jaidah recall coral reefs in the waters surrounding Qatar. Within the hotel, you’ll see eight restaurants and bars, including a cigar lounge; a spa; and a Manor Club executive lounge for Club Room and Suite guests.
The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection, Santa Barbara
A popular stagecoach stop during the California gold rush and later a Prohibition speakeasy, this property has a storied past. Its newest incarnation will be as a luxury inn with 67 rooms and cottages sporting a modern farmhouse design, an open-air restaurant and an outdoor pool with a bar, cabanas and fire pits.
The recently opened hotel lures you in with its secluded bay. But it also boasts five pools; nature-inspired décor (lots of stone, wood and metal); 349 rooms with a balcony and tub or a patio and plunge pool; and a spa featuring a shaman and services inspired by Mayan gods and drawn from Mexican herbs.
The Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York
This NoMad newcomer will combine a restored historic bank building (originally designed by McKim, Mead & White) and a new 24-story glass tower. Inside, Martin Brudnizki enlivens the 153 rooms with eclectic accents, like a dresser with gold elephant head knobs and a mother-of-pearl bar cart.
Close to the popular square Puerta del Sol and the Golden Triangle of Art — Madrid’s three top art museums — this well-situated urban escape will have 200 accommodations, some with terraces; a sky bar and rooftop terrace; an outdoor pool; a state-of-the-art fitness center; and a spa.
Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale
A waterfront location in the world’s yachting capital will influence this 189-room hotel, including its yacht-shaped design from Kobi Karp, a yacht-club-like Ocean Terrace with Atlantic panoramas from two infinity pools and Honey Fitz, a lounge named after John F. Kennedy’s presidential yacht and set to be ready with pours of coffee in the morning and champagne at night.
The Reykjavik EDITION, Iceland
Although this black-covered hotel first opened for previews in November, only a few public outlets such as Tides (chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason’s modern Icelandic restaurant) have opened so far. The property’s big debut will be in the spring when it’ll unveil 253 inviting rooms with ash wood and gray oak, a “social spa,” a rooftop bar and a nightclub.
The Ritz-Carlton, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale
The 400-foot-long pool that seems to stretch into the horizon will be reason enough to stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Paradise Valley. But the 20-acre desert haven will offer much more, including restaurants using produce from the resort’s citrus orchard and garden, a meditation garden and an indoor-outdoor spa.
St. Regis’ vice president and global brand leader George Fleck called this tower “a skyline-defining icon.” That’s not hyperbole — the hotel will reside in the city’s third-tallest skyscraper and the tallest building in the world designed by a woman (architect Jeanne Gang). The 101-story glass structure will showcase 360-degree views of Chicago and Lake Michigan.
This beachfront sanctuary will take up 100 acres of coastline. The ocean-facing 173 rooms and suites will have bright interiors with white, gray and pops of pink as well as balconies with plunge pools. A spa and five restaurants and bars will round out the offerings.
Raffles Doha
The eye-catching U-shaped towers housing this hotel will symbolize the scimitar swords in Qatar’s national seal. Inside, you’ll discover 132 suites with butler service, shopping, movie theaters, restaurants and a cigar lounge. The sumptuous Royal Suite will span the 33rd and 34th floors with its own gym, spa, games room and salon.
Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences, Palm Beach
Singer Island will provide a soothing backdrop for this wellness retreat. Indulge in the four-story spa’s services and Florida’s only indoor-outdoor hydrothermal experience; join yoga, boot camp and Egoscue classes; try IV and sound and light therapies; consult with sleep specialists; savor plant-based fare; or take to the surf.
The Ritz-Carlton, Amman, Jordan
When the Amman hotel opens in the heart of Jordan’s capital, expect opulent design, nine restaurants, impressive event spaces and a blissful ESPA spa. A 5th Circle address will make it easy to explore Rainbow Street’s galleries and eateries as well as Taj Mall’s luxury boutiques.
Sitting on Petersplatz, a famous square in Vienna’s Old Town, Rosewood will occupy a historic 18th-century building. Dine in an intimate restaurant in the garden, head to the rooftop bar for views of the city and then rest in one of the 99 spacious guest rooms and suites.
Shangri-La Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Jeddah’s tallest tower will draw inspiration from the natural beauty of the Red Sea and the port city’s maritime heritage. Glimpse the water from the floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the hotel and enjoy rooms that borrow from the sea and sand with a blue and tan color scheme.
The design-centric brand will make its East Coast debut in the Crown Building (the Museum of Modern Art’s original home). The Jean-Michel Gathy-designed hotel will feature 83 rooms, a three-story spa, a jazz club, the company’s first urban private residences and a vast 10th-floor terrace.
Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern
For its second Switzerland property (the first is in Geneva), Mandarin Oriental will take over the stately Hotel Palace Luzern, which opened in 1906 on the shores of Lake Lucerne. The renovation will include revamping the rooms as well as a redesign of public areas, restaurants and bars.
Eco-trailblazing brand 1 Hotels will christen this Hawaiian wellness hideaway as its flagship. Choose among four-, seven- or 10-day customized itineraries that include everything from Ayurvedic therapy to infrared sauna sessions, and then have post-trip check-ins with wellness experts. The jaw-dropping sunsets from this hillside perch will also rejuvenate you.
