Some of the most exciting reasons to travel come in the form of new hotels. This year’s openings include soaring city towers, secluded beach retreats and design-led countryside estates, creating fresh possibilities for every type of long-haul escape. Check into an urban landmark, disappear to a private island or slow down amid acres of countryside.
Ambitious architecture, destination restaurants, cultural programming and a strong connection to place distinguish the year’s most anticipated arrivals. Here are the best new luxury hotels to book in 2026.
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.Here, Maldives
Privacy and design combine at this ultra-intimate retreat in the Maldives’ UNESCO-listed Baa Atoll. Spread across two islands – Somewhere and Nowhere – .Here is surrounded by turquoise water and the atoll’s extraordinary marine landscape. Its nine residences are conceived on the scale of private estates, providing considerably more space and seclusion than a conventional villa.
Pools extend beyond 40 metres and incorporate glass-bottom sections above the lagoon, while a sequence of decks connects each residence directly with the sand and water. Butler-style service runs throughout, complemented by a restaurant and bar for outdoor dining beside coral reef formations. Either island can also be reserved in its entirety, giving guests complete privacy within one of the Maldives’ most biodiverse marine environments.
.Here, Baa Atoll, Maldives, +960 660 77 00, www.here-maldives.com
Airelles Palladio Venice, Italy
Occupying a restored 16th-century estate on Giudecca Island, with expansive lagoon views towards St. Mark’s Square, Airelles makes its Italian debut in suitably grand fashion. The 40-plus rooms and suites draw on the building’s history through hand-painted frescoes, antiques, and Rubelli and Fortuny fabrics, while three swimming pools and what is billed as Venice’s largest spa add resort-scale facilities. Despite the grandeur, the atmosphere remains residential – an Italian palazzo where dining by Nobu Matsuhisa and Jean-Georges Vongerichten can still conclude with an Aperol Spritz.
Airelles Palladio Venice, Giudecca 33, 30133 Venezia, Italia, +39 041 872 7400, www.airelles.com
Capella Kyoto, Japan
History and modernity meet at this elegant Kyoto hotel, housed in a contemporary interpretation of a machiya townhouse in the historic Miyagawa-chō district. Capella Hotels’ first Japanese property has 89 rooms across four storeys and sits just steps from Kenninji Temple, Kyoto’s oldest Zen Buddhist temple. Natural woodwork and an internal waterfall run throughout the hotel, which also houses an Auriga spa influenced by onsen bathing and six private Onsen Suites. Dining includes a contemporary French brasserie and an intimate Japanese kappo restaurant by three-Michelin-starred chef Kyle Connaughton. The strongest reason to stay, however, may be the Culturist programmes, which bring guests closer to Kyoto’s traditions through lacquerware workshops, maiko dance performances and other local rituals.
Capella Kyoto, 130 Komatsu cho, 4 Chome, Yamatoooji dori, Shijo sagaru, Higashiyama ku, Kyoto City, 605 0811 Japan, +81 75 541 8877, capellahotels.com
The Huntington Hotel, San Francisco USA
One of San Francisco’s most storied grande dames, The Huntington Hotel has returned to Nob Hill after nearly six years in the dark. Rooms retain the property’s original Georgian character while offering expansive views across the bay and city. The three-storey Nob Hill Spa has been restored, The Big Four restaurant is back, and Arabella’s Cocktail Salon brings something new to the hotel. Together, they capture much of what continues to set San Francisco apart.
The Huntington Hotel, 1075 California Street, San Francisco, California 94108, USA, +1 415 745 9001, www.thehuntingtonhotel.com
Amanvari, East Cape, Mexico
This long-awaited Mexican debut from Aman takes shape on Baja California’s secluded East Cape, where the desert, Sierra de la Laguna mountains and Sea of Cortés meet. Located within the Costa Palmas community, it strikes a balance between an off-the-grid hideaway and a controlled slice of elemental Baja.
As expected of Aman, wellness is a major focus. The resort’s 18 beachfront casitas each come with a heated pool, outdoor shower and broad terrace, while the Amanvari Spa includes a temazcal sweat lodge and dedicated Hydro Houses. A yoga pavilion, 24-hour fitness centre and three miles of swimmable shoreline may tempt you beyond the casita, but we cannot confirm whether you’ll ever want to leave its terrace.
Amanvari, 23570 East Cape, B.C.S., Mexico, +52 624 124 1400, www.aman.com
Ytri Island Retreat – Relais & Châteaux, Norway
Isolation and raw beauty surround this remote island retreat, a Relais & Châteaux property located within the fishing community of Husøy, some 60 kilometres off Norway’s coast. Its 38 wood-built Nordic rooms and suites reflect the spirit of traditional fishermen’s houses, pairing minimalist interiors with wide views of the open Atlantic and jagged sea cliffs. A Northern Lights lounge, seafood restaurant, bar, co-working and meeting spaces, saunas and outdoor wellness decks provide plenty of reasons to remain at the property, although the wild Træna archipelago is the greatest attraction. Guests can kayak or travel by boat between the islands, take cold-water dips, cycle and hike across Husøy, and chase the aurora in winter or midnight sun in summer. Here, luxury is measured in space, silence and natural wonders.
Ytri Island Retreat, Fløholmen 8, 8770 Træna, Norway, +47 48858290, ytri.no
Uga Ghiri, Ella, Sri Lanka
For a perfect all-inclusive hill-country retreat, look no further than Uga Ghiri in Sri Lanka’s central highlands. Ostensibly, it’s an eco-resort, but lacks absolutely none of the luxury of a high-end hotel, and contains several villa features that should bump it to the top of your list – floor-to-ceiling windows and private heated jacuzzis on your deck are especially appreciated if you’re arriving after a long stint exploring the tea country. So dramatic is the setting, set on the edge of a plateau above Ella, that misty views of tea-covered slopes, rolling valleys and the Nine Arch Bridge feel almost within reach from each of the 15 standalone villas. Contemporary and sustainable, the restored colonial manor also includes an infinity pool, restaurant and bar, library, sauna and steam room, and a Balinese-inspired spa – and, best of all, experiences like artisanal tea walks and cycling the Namunukula Ridge maintain a strong commitment to conservation and biodiversity.
Uga Ghiri, Sutherland Estate, Passara Road, Ella, Sri Lanka, +94 11 5 671 000, www.ugaresorts.com
Born in Korea and raised in Hong Kong, Min Ji has combined her degree in anthropology and creative writing with her passion for going on unsolicited tangents as an editor at Friday Club. In between watching an endless amount of movies, she enjoys trying new cocktails and pastas while occasionally snapping a few pictures.
