Here’s a look at the coolest new hotels opening around the world now through the end of February, including a new St. Regis in Dubai and a Brooklyn boutique with views of the NYC skyline.
1. St. Regis Dubai, Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club
Location: Dubai
Number of Rooms: 136
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Yes, you read that right: polo resort. The equestrian sport is very popular in the UAE, and the St. Regis resides on the same expansive grass field that hosts the Dubai Polo Gold Cup. 2. Horses figure prominently into the design of the Andalusian-style resort, from the statues in the lobby to the art on the guest room walls. 3. All five dining and drinking venues are smoke-free.
Loyalty Program: Starwood
Price: From $341 or 20,000 Starpoints per night. Book with the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express so you can earn up to 5x Starpoints on eligible Starwood stays.
2. Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort
Location: Kooddoo Island, one of the northern atolls in the Maldives archipelago
Number of Rooms: 68
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Mercure is an economy-chic brand from AccorHotels, which has been on a blitz in Asia lately with 700 properties opening last year in the Asia-Pacific market. 2. The brand is positioning its new Kooddoo resort as a (relatively) affordable alternative in the famously pricey Maldives, so think of it as the islands’ version of an Aloft. 3. Despite the lower price point, 63% of the rooms will be overwater bungalows, with the rest scattered along the beach.
Loyalty Program: Le Club from AccorHotels. This loyalty program works a bit differently than what we’re used to seeing in the US, with every 2,000 Le Club points earning you a 40 euro (~$42) voucher. Then you simply need to accumulate enough vouchers to score some free nights.
Price: From $490 or 24,000 Le Club points (or 12 vouchers) per night.
3. The President by Akaryn
Location: Vientiane, the largest city and capital of Laos
Number of Rooms: 32
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Housed in a regal Neoclassical building, the President is the first project in Laos from the Akaryn Hotel Group, a Southeast Asian firm with hotels in Thailand and Vietnam; it’s also affiliated with Small Luxury Hotels of the World. 2. This property puts a premium on privacy; four dining venues mean an average of eight couples per restaurant. 3. Grounds include an English country house-style garden maze, great for a morning stroll or if you’re in the mood to recreate scenes from The Shining.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $380 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty 4th 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.
4. 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Number of Rooms: 194
Three Interesting Facts: 1. This is 1 Hotels’ sophomore effort in New York City, joining the Central Park 1 that opened in August 2015. There’s also a 1 Hotel in Miami. 2. The dining situation includes grab-and-go bags filled with goodies from Brooklyn artisans, a lobby farm stand and a restaurant by chef Seamus Mullen. 3. Opening guests can grab the Get Green or Give Green package: you’ll get a $20 credit applied to your bill and whatever you don’t use gets donated to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $256. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty 4th 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.
5. Le Méridien Visconti Rome
Location: Rome’s trendy, Vatican-adjacent Prati neighborhood
Number of Rooms: 240
Three Interesting Facts: 1. This property, a re-do of the former Visconti Palace Hotel, represents Le Méridien’s re-entry into the Italian market. 2. While most hotels in the Eternal City take their design cues from the Renaissance, the Méridien has a clean look that favors mid-century modern furniture, soft woods and glass. 3. At the top of the hotel, an expansive rooftop terrace is the perfect place for sipping Aperol Spritzes as the sun goes down.
Loyalty Program: Starwood
Price: From $124 or 10,000 Starpoints per night. Book with the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express so you can earn up to 5x Starpoints on eligible Starwood stays.
6. Sagamore Pendry Baltimore
Location: Baltimore’s historic Fells Point district
Number of Rooms: 128
Three Interesting Facts: 1. This is the second Pendry hotel in the country, a follow-up to the San Diego debut from this urban branch of Montage Hotels & Resorts. 2. While Pendry manages the hotel, it’s owned by Sagamore Development, the real estate arm of Under Armor CEO and founder/Baltimore cheerleader Kevin Plank. 3. The two restaurants, room service and banquet catering are all courtesy of New York-based chef Andrew Carmellini’s NoHo Hospitality Group.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $270 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty 4th 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.
7. Chileno Bay Resort & Residences
Location: Los Cabos’ hotel “Zona,” the highway resort district linking San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas
Number of Rooms: 60, plus 32 villas
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Chileno Bay is the second Auberge Resorts Collection property in Cabo; its sister property, Esperanza, is located just down the road. 2. Guest rooms start at 750 square feet, while outdoor showers and private terraces with pool, ocean or garden views are standard. 3. Chileno Bay is situated on a protected cove of the same name that’s one of the few swimmable areas in Cabo.
Loyalty Program: N/A
Price: From $575 per night. Book with the Citi Prestige card to earn 3x points on your stay and take advantage of its nifty 4th 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.
8. Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach
Location: Clearwater Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast
Number of Rooms: 343
Three Interesting Facts: 1. More than a decade in the making, this hotel is the largest development ever for Clearwater Beach, at more than 750,000 square feet. 2. Every room has a balcony with a view of the Gulf of Mexico or Intracoastal Waterway. 3. If you’ve been wondering what to do with a cache of Wyndham Rewards points, this isn’t a bad place to spend them on a quick winter getaway.
Loyalty Program: Wyndham Rewards
Price: From $295 or 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points per night.
9. The Aloft — and The Element — Dallas Love Field
Location: Dallas’ secondary airport, Love Field
Number of Rooms: 133 at The Aloft, 91 at The Element
Three Interesting Facts: 1. Fittingly for the Love Field location, both properties will open on Valentine’s Day. 2. The dual-branded tower will feature facilities, like a swimming pool and gym, that’ll be shared between the hotels. 3. The hotels are part of West Love, an ongoing 37-acre mixed-use development of residences and retail.
Loyalty Program: Starwood
Price: Aloft from $159 or 10,000 Starpoints. Element from $149 or 7,000 Starpoints. Book with the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express (to earn up to 5x points on Starwood stays).
10. El San Juan Hotel & Casino
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Isla Verde resort district
Number of Rooms: 388
Three Interesting Facts: 1. This sprawling historic hotel (est. 1958) has been through many renovations through the years; the one completed this month — courtesy of designer Jeffrey Beers, who was behind Miami’s Fontainebleau and the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya — comes with a new Hilton Curio Collection affiliation. 2. The hotel’s new flagship restaurant, Caña, is overseen by Puerto Rican chef Juliana Gonzales, formerly of Barceloneta in Miami. 3. Isla Verde Beach, which the El San Juan Hotel & Casino fronts, was recently voted the best urban beach in the country by 10 Best.
Loyalty Program: Hilton
Price: From $329 or 40,000 HHonors points. Book with the Hilton HHonors Surpass Card from American Express, which lets you earn 12x points on stays at eligible properties within the brand’s portfolio of hotels and resorts.
Which of these new hotels are you most excited about? Let us know below.
Featured image of Chileno Bay Resort & Residences courtesy of Auberge Resorts.