10 of the Coolest New Hotels Around the World
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Here’s a look at the coolest new hotels that opened around the world between July and August, from EDITION’s debut in Eastern Europe to an exclusive chalet with NBA pedigree in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Since not all of these are points properties, make sure you read up on the best credit cards to use when you’re paying cash for a hotel stay.
1. TOURISTS
Location: North Adams, Massachusetts
Number of Rooms: 48
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Situated on 55 acres in western Massachusetts, TOURISTS hopes to do for the Berkshires what boutique inns such as Scribner's Lodge and Arnold House did for the Catskills. Five partners on this project, including a brewer (Bright Ideas’ Eric Kerns) and chef (Cortney Burns, formerly of San Francisco's Bar Tartine), who’s heading up the onsite restaurant, LOOM, early next year. 2. The name (caps intended) is a shout out to an old sign pointing mid-century travelers to the Mohawk Trail. 3. The comfortable rooms are all white walls, light wood and big windows, but the point here is to get outside. The inn sits at the nexus of the Mohawk and Appalachian Trails and the Hoosic River, and outdoor amenities include a heated saltwater swimming pool, river boardwalk and 220-foot suspension footbridge.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $185 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty fourth night free perk, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve to earn 3x points on travel purchases — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card lets you earn 2x points on travel as well.
2. Bodrum EDITION
Location: Bodrum, Turkey
Number of Rooms: 102
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Rambling down a green hill to a quiet cove and 30-foot beach near Yalikavak Marina, this property is EDITION’s first in Eastern Europe. The closest airport is Milas-Bodrum (BJV), which operates flights to most European capitals, making Bodrum an easy beach addendum to a vacation on the continent. 2. The rooms are crisp and airy in shades of ivory and beige, and most face the turquoise sea. Upgrade to a suite for a private plunge pool and terrace, or ball with the international socialite set by booking the four-bedroom beach villa. 3. Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz, whose resumé includes a beach club in Bali and Belmond’s Andean Explorer train, is handling the food at the two restaurants, Brava and Kitchen. Think: Turkish ingredients and techniques woven through with South American tradition.
Loyalty Program: Marriott
Price: From $409 or 40,000 Marriott Rewards points per night. Book with the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card to earn up to 6x points on your stay.
3. Little Makalolo Camp
Location: Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Number of Rooms: 6
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Originally opened in 1998 at the edge of a watering hole in Hwange National Park, Wilderness Safaris’ Little Makalolo just renovated all its public areas and collection of six tented accommodations. Views of the watering hole, frequented by passing elephants, were a focus of the renovation. The breakfast and bar areas, pool deck and infinity pool were raised to provide the clearest vantage points of the animals. 2. The solar-powered “tents” are more like luxury cabins, with en suite bathrooms furnished with copper sinks and indoor/outdoor showers. Woven baskets hang behind every bed, each made by the Lupane Women’s Centre, “a non-profit organization with 3,200 members from the Lupane District who are empowering themselves socially and economically,” according to the camp’s representatives. 3. Game drives head out twice daily. The camp also offers nature walks, visits to local villages and the chance to camp overnight in the “Star Bed” treehouse.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $470 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty fourth night free perk, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card to earn 3x points on travel purchases — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card lets you earn 2x points on travel as well.
4. Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Number of Rooms: 55
Three Interesting Facts: 1. The first Malaysian property for the Banyan Tree brand, this 55-room hotel occupies the top seven floors of a skyscraper in the capital’s downtown Golden Triangle zone. 2. Spa-like amenities are Banyan touch-points, and this hotel is no exception, with aromatherapy-centric bath products and chromotherapy showers in the spacious, wood-detailed bathrooms. Even the standard rooms have TOTO intelligent toilets and deep soaking tubs, which are positioned by floor-to-ceiling windows so you can relax while taking in the city skyline. Suites have plunge pools. 3. The hotel is running an opening offer for bookings through the end of September. It includes daily breakfast for two, two complimentary non-alcoholic cocktails at Vertigo (the rooftop bar), 15% off afternoon tea and spa products and a spa credit of MYR150 (about $39) per stay. That spa credit doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but consider the spa prices are not aligned with Western expense accounts. The 150-minute Malaysian Bliss package, for example, includes a turmeric honey cleanse, scalp and body massage, face mask and green tea bath for about $185. Add the credit and you’re at $146 for two-and-a-half hours of pampering.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $218 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty fourth night free perk, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card to earn 3x points on travel purchases — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card lets you earn 2x points on travel as well.
5. JW Marriott Nashville
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Number of Rooms: 533
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Tall, light and glassy as a chrysalis, this southern JW property opens in Nashville in the SoBro (South of Broadway) zone. It’s a new build hotel in partnership with Turnberry Associates, whose portfolio includes the Fontainebleau and Turnberry Isle in Miami. 2. Chef Michael Mina has been tapped for the food and beverage program. His Bourbon Steak and Bourbon Sky, a restaurant and rooftop bar on the 33rd floor, will specialize in (duh) brown liquid and beef when they open in September. 3. In its high-end packages, JW Nash offers some of the more outlandish amenities in the business, including a VIP boot-fitting at the city’s Lucchese Bootmaker store and a private in-suite songwriting session to Music City hit-makers.
Loyalty Program: Marriott Rewards
Price: From $399 or 50,000-70,000 Marriott Rewards points per night. Book with the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card to earn up to 6x points on your stay.
6. Caldera House
Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Number of Rooms: 8
Three Interesting Facts: 1. This independently owned chalet in the heart of Teton Village is for ballers — literally. It consists of only two- and four-bedroom suites (each with its own full kitchen) and one of the partners is Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wesley Edens. 2. Edens and his partners spent six years and $100 million building Caldera House to spec, and it shows, with luxury finishes and amenities. There’s a heated outdoor infinity pool, cedar sauna, ski in/out gear shop, ski valet and more. 3. Winter sports are a huge draw for Jackson Hole, sure, but Caldera House also has a full menu of programming for warm weather months, including horseback riding, wildlife photography walks and even a two-day hike up Mount Teton.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $2,500 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty fourth night free perk, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card to earn 3x points on travel purchases — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card lets you earn 2x points on travel as well.
7. Hyatt Regency, Seragaki Island
Location: Okinawa, Japan
Number of Rooms: 344
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Located on a tiny island connected to the west coast of Okinawa by a ripple of road, this new-build Hyatt has the resort DNA of a beach hotel in Phuket, Bali or Antigua: breezy sand-toned rooms, meandering pools and white sand beaches. Just keep in mind while booking, the beaches and outdoor pool are only open seasonally, from April to October. The indoor pool stays open year-round. 2. Every room has a private balcony and water view, regardless of category. 3. For bookings through October, if you stay two nights, the second night is 50% off.
Loyalty Program: World of Hyatt
Price: From $500 or 15,000 Hyatt points per night. Book with the Hyatt Credit Card to earn 3 points per dollar at Hyatt properties.
8. The Link Hotel & Hub
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Number of Rooms: 94
Three Interesting Facts: 1. For as long as “millennial” has been a demographic label, hotels have been falling over themselves (and one another) to capture the millennial traveler, and Dan Hotels in Israel is no exception. The Link is the group’s latest, with a motto to match: “wireless, cashless and meatless.” Like other brands, the Link shuns traditional trappings like a bell staff and a check-in desk — everything is handled by the guest on a companion app — but they’ve made some unique improvements to the genre, as well. In addition to controlling the guest room TVs and lighting, the app also serves as a house phone for making free calls in Israel. 2. Located in the former headquarters of a public housing company, the Link comprises two parts: the hotel and the Hub, a 7,000-square-foot co-working space for guests. 3. Tel Aviv’s street art culture comes inside with work from a dozen local artists coloring the property interiors. French artist and photographer Daniel Siboni has curated the collection.
Loyalty Program: Not a member of a major points program, but Dan Hotels has its own loyalty program called the Dan Club.
Price: From $137 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty fourth night free perk, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card to earn 3x points on travel purchases — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card lets you earn 2x points on travel as well.
9. Bank Hotel
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Number of Rooms: 115
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Located in a former bank built in 1910, this is the second hotel from Swedish hospitality firm Stureplansgruppen. It’s located in a pretty Stockholm neighborhood filled with museums and design shops by the Nybrokajen Bay, where you can catch a ferry to outlying islands. 2. The owners, architect and designers took care to preserve the building’s history when converting it to a hotel, retaining original architect Thon Thoren’s art deco flourishes and details like the front bronze double doors. The main banking hall is now Bonnie's, specializing in French and Italian cuisine. 3. There are six suite categories, each featuring marble bathrooms with bronze hardware, picture windows and plush bedding. The showstopper is the Bank Extreme Terrace Suite, measuring almost 2,000 square feet, with a balcony running the full length of the room.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $225 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty fourth night free perk, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve to earn 3x points on travel purchases — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card lets you earn 2x points on travel as well.
10. The Source Hotel
Location: Denver, Colorado
Number of Rooms: 100
Three Interesting Facts: 1. The source of the Source is a circa-1800s foundry-turned-artisan food hall that opened in 2013. This month marks the debut of an adjacent hotel in Denver’s River North (RiNo) arts district. 2. Considering its sister property, the food and beverage program comes correct, with a 10-barrel New Belgium’s brewery functioning as the lobby and a new restaurant, Safta, from New Orleans chef Alon Shaya. 3. Rooms throw back to the building’s industrial past with thick columns and exposed concrete, balanced by blonde wood, big windows and fabrics in primary colors. In the curated minibars, expect New Belgium cans, rosé 40s and Japanese snacks.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $250 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty fourth night free perk, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card to earn 3x points on travel purchases — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card lets you earn 2x points on travel as well.
