25 amazing new hotels for the year ahead — for all budgets

In Europe, Cinderella islands are about to overshadow their party-loving neighbours. In Greece that means the quieter Cyclades islands of Paros, Folegandros and Tinos, which will all feature cool new hideaways, with Odera on Tinos set to throw the most shade on the Cycladic big-hitter, the nightlife-loving Mykonos. In the Balearics, Dunas de Formentera will have clubbers in Ibiza looking wistfully across the sea to this barefoot luxury sanctuary.

Our choices are cool but not necessarily costly. There’s something for every taste and budget, so get out your suitcase and start planning.

This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue

1. House of Gods, Glasgow

JODIE MANN

Glasgow meets Gucci and then goes a bit Gaga
This newcomer makes a very grand entrance in late January and is destined to be the place where Glasgow meets Gucci and then goes a bit Gaga. Following a three-year renovation of a Victorian red-brick mansion in Merchant City, the 28 bedrooms sport unapologetically opulent interiors. Think hand-painted 24-carat-gold embellished de Gournay wallpaper, what must surely be the world’s annual supply of tiger-stripe fabrics, thrice-shined bespoke cabinetry and “naughty” light settings. The suites take cheekiness up another notch, with private cinemas, side-by-side showers and twin roll-top bathtubs. And the rooftop comes with Garden of Eden headiness that includes a marble fountain as the frothy centrepiece of its cocktail lounge and restaurant where the all-day light bites and sharing plates should be devilishly good.
Details Room-only doubles from £119 (houseofgods.com)

2. The Gallivant Littlestone Beach, Kent

Portmeirion designer’s Edwardian concoction
The architect Clough Williams-Ellis is best known for creating the dream-like village of Portmeirion but he also designed this whitewashed confection, which sits between wild sea and wispy Romney Marshes near Dungeness. Harry and Sigrid Cragoe, owners of the super-trendy Gallivant in Camber Sands, are recultivating the property’s Edwardian roots as a wellness escape loaded with Gatsby-esque glamour. By the summer, the 12 bedrooms will shimmer with the romance of the Roaring Twenties, east coast American style. Good vibes will be guaranteed after sessions in the yoga studio, the Bamford organic spa and the wood-fired sauna. Its coastal garden has also been engineered for idling, with a beach gazebo, dining area and assorted picnic nooks with uninterrupted eyefuls of Romney Bay.
Details B&B doubles from £250 (thegallivant.co.uk)

3. The Store, Oxford

Centuries-old department store reborn as boutique hotel
Boswells department store was Oxford’s answer to Selfridges but after 285 years of trading this much-loved institution shut up shop in 2020. It reopens this spring as The Store, a boutique hotel spread over seven floors with many of its 101 bedrooms overlooking the city’s dreaming spires. Decor dances between rooms with dramatic ruby-red velvet headboards, panelled walls and bold art deco details, and others that have soothing sage palettes that blend with the leafy courtyard below. Treadwell, its refectory-style restaurant, promises “untraditionally” British dishes such as chicken tikka masala pie. The statement bar has floor-to-ceiling windows for people-watching Broad Street’s shoppers, while down in the basement, the former household and hardware department is now a walnut-panelled spa and the place for guests to scrub up well.
Details B&B doubles from £285 (thestoreoxford.com)

• The best hotels in the UK
• The best hotels in London

4. The Albion, Isle of Wight

Sunny suites by the sea
The Isle of Wight records more than 37 hours of sunshine a week, compared with a national average of less than 30 so get your factor 50 ready for spring when the island gets an injection of X factor thanks to the phoenix-like revival of the Albion. Once its smartest address, the 300-year-old hotel had strayed into swirly carpet anonymity but a multimillion-pound renovation injects contemporary classiness to its 40 rooms, half of which will be suites and all will have baths or double showers. Some things remain the same: namely, the setting. Hewn from chalk cliffs, Freshwater Bay has a grassy buzz cut on top and a whoosh of pebbles below, which provide a soundtrack of naturally meditative music when the waves rustle over them. Most rooms have sea views but four look up to Tennyson Down where Lord Alfred drafted The Charge of the Light Brigade.
Details B&B doubles from £189 (albionhotel.co.uk)

5. Harbour House, Flushing, Cornwall

Revamped quayside pub near Falmouth
The hotelier Tamara Costin made her name with the much-loved Whitehouse in Devon. She recently sold that property and has done the unthinkable: defected to Cornwall. The chance to renovate a quayside pub and centuries-old sailors’ pitstop in Flushing proved too irresistible. Flushing? Yes exactly, the fact that you’ve probably never heard of this sweet maritime village, a 15-minute ferry ride from Falmouth, was part of the draw. She’s already revamped downstairs in shanty-chic fashion including antique lighting and a bespoke bar crafted by a local boat builder. Dinner by Jeffrey Robinson, who previously worked at the Michelin green star New Yard Restaurant, is already getting plaudits too. By Easter, four bedrooms will open, layered with soulful rusticity and accompanied by grand views.
Details Half-board doubles from £300 (harbourhouseflushing.com)

6. The Bailiffgate, Alnwick, Northumberland

Boutique stay in a former school
For 900 years, Alnwick Castle’s main claim to fame was being England’s second-largest inhabited castle (a family by the name of Windsor have a bigger gaff down south). This magnificent 11th-century military fortress finally hit the big time when it was used as a backdrop in the Harry Potter films in the 2000s. From May, the town will have a bewitching new place to stay too, with the conversion of the former Duchess High School into a boutique hotel. The property sits across from the castle and some of the contemporary-style bedrooms will have terraces overlooking the towers and battlements.
Details B&B doubles from £190 (bespokehotels.com)

7. The Pig on the farm, Warwickshire

16th-century farmhouse joins the Pig pen
Where others see a money-pit wreck, the Pig hotel group sees an architectural gem ready to be rescued, and guests see another great excuse for a shabby-chic holiday. This year’s quirky property receiving a piggy polish is a mid 16th-century farmhouse on the edge of the Walton Estate outside Stratford-upon-Avon. By winter, it will have become the Pig’s most northerly property, with 35 characterful bedrooms divided between the manor house and nearby outbuildings. There will also be a restaurant, bar and spa with three shepherd’s-hut treatment rooms. Borrow a bike and follow directions to a deserted medieval village and the tributary of the River Dene, both tucked into the Pig’s bucolic 53 acres.
Details Room-only doubles from £250 (thepighotel.com)

• 89 of the best holiday destinations for 2024: a month-by-month guide
• The most romantic hotels in the world

8. Soho House and Mollie’s, Manchester

Hot opening for the north
As the old Granada Studios, this building has seen its fair share of scenes of an adult nature. It’ll be business as usual then when it reopens under the Soho House umbrella later this year. For the first time the group with a reputation for the risqué combines its two brands, the private members’ club-cum-hotel Soho House and the more affordable Mollie’s motel. The latter has the run of the first six floors for a cocktail bar with live music, a trademark retro-American diner and at least 105 rooms. Style-wise, like Dannii Minogue, Mollie’s can get a little touchy about comparisons but, sshh, rooms do look a lot like their big sister’s. Soho House, meanwhile, claims the top three floors for its 23 Fifties-inspired bedrooms, one of its unbeatably glamorous bars, a dining space with a retractable roof and a rooftop bar and outdoor pool. That’s right. An. Outdoor. Pool. In. Manchester. This hotelier loves to live life on the edge.
Details B&B doubles from £120 (mollies.com)

9. Brackenrigg Inn, Cumbria

Ullswater inn with brewery
From this 18th-century hilltop inn the views across the silvery expanse of Ullswater to the imperious northern fells are as craggy as they are captivating. The moodboard inside will soon be more than a match for the moodiness outside as the pub is being overhauled by the team from Another Place, the award-winning adventure resort a few minutes’ walk away. From spring, the new look will be muddy-boot friendly, with rich woodland colours to warm up walkers after chilly mountain hikes. Guests in the seven comfy rooms can have breakfast at the inn and then head over to Another Place to chill out in its lounges, library and also take full advantage of its show-stopping pool, sauna and outdoor hot tub.
Details B&B doubles from £180 (brackenrigginn.co.uk)

10. Teffont House, near Salisbury, Wiltshire

Beautiful 17th-century manor house with witty decor
Dan Brod, Charlie Luxton and Matt Greenlees have an indefinable and much-admired talent for creating stylish spaces that work equally well if you’re on a dress-down day off or are suited-and-booted for a special occasion. Until now, they’ve concentrated on posh pubs such as the brilliant Beckford Arms outside Tisbury but in September, they’ll get all grown up to open their first hotel. They’ve chosen well. Their 17th-century manor house is a beauty and Teffont Evias, 20 minutes’ drive from Salisbury, is the sort of rural idyll that Sunday-night TV location scouts dream about. You’ll sleep soundly in its 16 rooms, which will have the trio’s trademarks: top quality mattresses and linen backed up with witty decor. Some overlook the walled garden which will supply produce for the kitchen and there will be a dinky spa in the grounds too.
Details B&B doubles from £220; beckford.group

11. The Emory, London

A mini Claridge’s overlooking Hyde Park
London’s hotel scene continues to be as action-packed as an episode of Top Boy. The most eagerly awaited is the Emory, a mini Claridge’s overlooking Hyde Park. It opens in April with interiors by top designers such as André Fu and Pierre-Yves Rochon, food by the celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a four-floor wellness complex with a 22m pool and a rooftop playground with 360-degree panoramic views. Other spring big-hitters include the Art’otel London Hoxton, which will have 357 art-inspired rooms and an immersive art gallery when it opens in March, and Mandarin Oriental Mayfair in Hanover Square, which will have 50 bedrooms and a rooftop terrace (of course). By summer Hyde London City, set in a lavish grade II listed building at 15 Old Bailey, will open with 111 rooms. It will tap into the brand’s LA club scene roots at its subterranean cocktail bar, which will have its own curated vinyl library.
Details The Emory B&B suites from £2,000 (the-emory.co.uk); art’otel Hoxton: room-only £400 (artotellondonhoxton.com); Mandarin Oriental: B&B £980 (mandarinoriental.com); Hyde London City: room-only from £230 (hydehotels.com)

12. Hell Bay, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall

A facelift for classic Bryher island hotel
Fresh from the sort of discreet facelift that would ensure a Hollywood surgeon a seven-figure salary, Bryher’s best address has a new, more modern groove. The revamp at England’s most westerly resort introduces bold florals by Jane Churchill and Nina Campbell in a palette of coral pinks and coastal greens that reflect the ruggedness of the island while elegantly accentuating the hotel’s much-loved counterpoint, its incredible art collection. Walls are adorned with a gallery’s worth of colourful paintings by leading artists such as Rose Hilton, Barbara Hepworth, Ivon Hitchens and Roger Hilton. This is a brush with the wild west that will leave you feeling ten years’ younger, no nip and tuck necessary.
Details B&B doubles from £210 (hellbay.co.uk)

13. Hôtel des Grand Voyageurs, Paris, France

KATE DEVINE

Moody rooms and a candlelit brasserie
Paris hosts the Olympics this summer but be on your marks now to snap up a room at this newly opened boutique beauty. It’s an affordable luxury option in a city where hotel rates north of £1,000 are becoming worryingly commonplace. Set in the chic 6th arrondissement, it evokes the golden age of travel with the insouciance of Alain Delon mid-cigarette. Rooms are moodily mocha with framed bas-reliefs above the mahogany beds, antique plasterwork, slinky vintage chairs and Diptyque toiletries. The candlelit brasserie is run by Jeremy Lude (previously at the Michelin-starred l’Atelier Robuchon), who has moules marinières beside New York steak on his transatlantic menu (mains from £21). Its secret weapon is Poppy, a basement bar that is so speakeasy sexy you may very well need to adopt a Édith Piaf attitude to regret.
Details B&B doubles from £258 (hoteldesgrandsvoyageurs.com). Take the train to Paris

14. Hôtel du Couvent, Nice, France

Renovated convent with pools and thermal baths
Hamlet’s advice to get thee to a nunnery might end up being the best travel tip around for this summer. Hidden behind high walls in Nice old town, this 17th-century convent is being renovated with a lyricism worthy of the Bard himself. Expect sophisticated interiors with a sun-bleached palette and 88 sanctuary-like bedrooms that blend contemporary and heritage pieces, teamed with two very cool pools, Roman-inspired thermal baths and a resident herbalist for holistic healing. Quiet contemplation is also guaranteed at its cloister courtyard garden and terraced groves of fruit trees that look over a tumble of red rooftops down to the Riviera.
Details Room-only doubles from £215 (hotelducouvent.com). Fly to Nice

15. AlmaLusa Alfama, Lisbon, Portugal

Meticulous townhouse restoration in a cool neighbourhood
AlmaLusa runs some of Portugal’s best boutique bolt holes and its latest doesn’t let the side down. After a meticulous restoration, this 18th-century townhouse has recently opened in Lisbon’s most interesting neighbourhood, the sardine-squeezed ramble of cobbled alleyways in Alfama. The 25-room hotel has the district’s peachiest location, on buzzy Campo das Cebolas square in sight of the mighty Tagus River. Rooms are the colour of a pingado coffee with dreamy murals over the beds and covetable Portuguese textiles and fabrics. You can see the river from some, others overlook the cathedral and all come with complimentary 4G smartphones loaded with 30 free minutes of national and international calls daily and a hotel app with insider tips.
Details Room-only doubles from £162 (almalusahotels.com). Fly to Lisbon

16. Dunas de Formentera, Balearics, Spain

Balearic barefoot hideaway
Formentera is the antidote to clubby Ibiza and from May its reputation for barefoot luxury gets the equivalent of a five-star pedicure with the opening of this laid-back hideaway. Its 44 rooms are discreetly dotted within the marram grasses and dunes of pristine Migjorn beach where, thankfully, you’re far more likely to bump into a green lizard than a lounge lizard. Expect uncluttered beige-on-beige spaces with floaty linens, natural jute and glimpses of the Mediterranean sea, which lies a few steps beyond the resort’s infinity pool. Dinner will concentrate on the day’s catch from the local fishermen, with a chef adding a South American sprinkle to Spanish classics as you dine with your toes sinking into the sand.
Details Room-only doubles from £425 (dunasdeformentera.com). Fly to Ibiza

17. Casa Monti, Rome, Italy

STEPHAN JULLIARD

Boho hotel with spa and bar in the Italian Shoreditch
The family-run Leitmotiv group is fast gaining a reputation for squirrelling out undiscovered corners of the world’s best-known cities. Last year, it unveiled the excellent La Fantaisie in the under-the-radar creative 9th arrondissement in Paris; this summer, the Italian capital gets some attention. Casa Monti is in Rione Monti, the city’s answer to Shoreditch. But this is Rome, so the grime has a generous top-coat of glamour, with its hipster wine bars and new-age galleries taking over candy-coloured, ivy-draped townhouses a stone’s throw from the Colosseum. Casa Monti’s sprezzatura (effortless cool) includes 36 boho bedrooms, an indulgent spa and a rooftop bar with winning views over the Eternal City that’ll have you wanting to stay forever.
Details B&B doubles from £390 (casamontiroma.com). Fly to Rome

18. Odera, Tinos, Greece

Tinos, Greece

ALAMY

Secret Cycladic island beach resort
Tinos is the holiday spot that Athenians treat with “If I tell you I’ll have to kill you” tight-lipped secrecy. They love its wild beaches, rocky thyme-scented mountain trails, distinctive green marble architecture (so abundant that even street signs and bus stops are made from marble) and mouth-watering local cuisine (artichokes and pigeon are Tinian specialities). And somehow, despite being just a 20-minute ferry ride from Mykonos, the island has stayed under the radar. This 77-room resort is set to change all that in May. Perched above a pristine beach, its design offers a sophisticated spin on Cycladic simplicity, while the executive chef, Dimitris Skarmoutsos, a former judge on the Greek MasterChef, brings local influences to his trademark Mediterranean menus, and the spa uses small-batch products made from Greek honeys and herbs.
Details Rates TBC (oderatinos.com). Fly to Mykonos or Athens then take a ferry

19. Hotel Valldemossa, Mallorca, Spain

Adults-only mountain hideaway
The IT Mallorca group operates some of Mallorca’s classiest hotels and in February it adds this adults-only 19th-century hideaway to the collection. It’s embedded in the Unesco-protected Serra de Tramuntana, the island’s stunning mountainous spine, and the hotel’s sleek interiors are inspired by 1950s France with lust-worthy original furniture by Le Corbusier complementing battered old beams and contemporary works by Spanish artists such as Jordi Alcaraz and Antonia Ferrer. Dining is equally eclectic, with a branch of De Tokio a Lima, one of Palma’s most popular restaurants, serving up Japanese and Peruvian dishes with a Mediterranean twist.
Details Room-only doubles from £287 (valldemossahotel.com). Fly to Palma

20. Collegio alla Querce, Florence, Italy

STEFANO SCATA

Incredible 16th-century buildings set around a gallery and Renaissance chapel
It’s three miles from Florence but you don’t really need to step outside for a sightseeing hit at this hotel. Collegio alla Querce, which opens this summer, is the result of a six-year conversion of a cluster of 16th-century buildings that includes an art gallery, a restored Renaissance chapel, an immaculately renovated 400-year-old theatre and a reworked boarding school (no need for smoking behind the bike shed though; the academic admissions office is now a swanky cigar lounge). You can tick off the Duomo and the terracotta-tinged Florentine cityscape from the hotel’s terraced baroque gardens, and contemplate miles of Chianti vineyards while sipping a vintage classico poolside. Much more civilised than getting snappy in a tourist crocodile.
Details Room-only doubles from £860 (aubergeresorts.com). Fly to Florence

21. SLS Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Hip hotel with a beach club
The 22@ district is Barcelona’s coolest neighbourhood, part Bladerunner skyscraper, part red-brick warehouses and now packed out with trendy, techy types. Following in their wake are a string of edgy entertainment options, from indie boutiques and arty bars to zero-waste restaurants. By late summer, SLS Barcelona will become the most stylish address on the block. More resort than standard city hotel, it will have two pools and six bars and restaurants, including a rooftop club and a spa. Each of the 471 contemporary sea-facing bedrooms will have a balcony or terrace, while even the seen-it-all locals are particularly excited at the prospect of its beach club. The one at the SLS Miami outpost has the stamp of approval from Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
Details Room-only doubles from £303 (slshotels.com). Fly or take the train to Barcelona

22. The Wood Hotel, Bodo, Norway

Bodo, Norway

ALAMY

Architectural achievement in cultural hub
Cold is the new cool in travel, so inevitably the focus is turning to Scandinavia. As the mainland gateway town to the Lofoten Islands, Bodo has obvious appeal, but it punches well above its weight in 2024, becoming the first European Capital of Culture north of the Arctic Circle. It will hold more than 1,000 events, with the northern lights, the midnight sun and this newcomer as eye-catching support acts. The wooden construction of the 177-room hotel, which opens in May, offers the double benefit of a lower carbon footprint than concrete, as well as an earthier, more inviting ambience. Its minimalist design defers to views of mountains and sea with your best envy-inducing Insta posts of the Lofoten Islands from the rooftop pool and sauna. Another tasty addition is Bodo-born Christian André Pettersen, one of the world’s top chefs, who will showcase Norway’s new-wave culinary kudos on the plate.
Details Room-only doubles from £156 (woodbodo.com). Fly to Bodo

23. Six Senses Grenada

Caribbean beachy luxury
It’s the first property in the Caribbean from the eco-wellness brand Six Senses and it promises to be well worth the wait. Opening in May, it is in the sleepy south and set in 38 lush acres that include both a sheltered powder-sand crescent and a wilder bay with ocean rollers, and guests can choose from 56 two-storey pool suites or 15 more private villas. There is a spectacular spa, built in the style of a fishing village, with yoga classes and organic treatments or an array of tempting, not-exactly-healthy dining possibilities. Try classic Caribbean comfort food at Callaloo, wood-fire grilled meats at SeaFire, or a cocktail at the poolside bar, which has an indecently tempting selection of Grenadian rums.
Details B&B doubles from £791 (sixsenses.com). Fly to Grenada

24. Warren Street Hotel, New York, US

The colourful Warren Street Hotel

Patterns and colour at new Firmdale in Tribeca
Tribeca has atmospheric warehouses and cobblestone streets, avant garde art galleries, great restaurants and SoHo, Chinatown and Little Italy easily walkable, even in Carrie Bradshaw heels. Next month, adding to its charms is the third New York property by Firmdale, one of the UK’s most stylish hoteliers. Warren Street will be a blast of colour and crazy patterns, typical of Firmdale’s instantly recognisable English eccentricity. Expect plenty of star-spotting in its cosy drawing room, airy Orangery and all-day bar and restaurant as the likes of Woody Harrelson, Hugh Jackman and Emilia Clarke are all firm Firmdale fans. Expect plenty of pizazz in the 57 bedrooms too, which have been sprinkled with original contemporary art and specially crafted furniture.
Details Room-only doubles from £766 (firmdalehotels.com). Fly to New York

25. Umana Bali, Indonesia

Modernist retreat with hilltop villas in the jungle
The Bali before Aussie schoolies turned Kuta crazy still exists down in the deep south, where this new resort’s tropical modernist style is the perfect foil to the island’s soulful artistry. Its 72 clifftop villas have a lush jungle backdrop and views over a dazzling Indian Ocean, while beneath them sits the white-sand stretch of Melasti beach, a favourite spot for sunset Hindu ceremonies. The emphasis is on ethical luxury so even the smallest villas have indoor and outdoor living spaces and private 10m infinity pools and hot tubs, but the five bars and restaurants buy 80 per cent of their ingredients from the local community. If the romance gets to you, there is an onsite chapel too.
Details Room-only doubles from £450 (hilton.com). Fly to Denpasar