The Oberoi, Marrakech The 18 Most Anticipated Hotel Openings of 2020

Want to go somewhere new? Like brand new? Then in 2020, you’re in luck. There are an impressive list of luxury properties opening for the first time across the globe, all daring to be explored. They range from the latest offerings of five-star stalwarts to boutique hotels looking to break out of the mold.

If you’re an old-world aesthete, there’s a grand Belle Epoque villa arriving in Palermo. Minimalism more your style? Check out the Ace Hotel in Kyoto—designed by famed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. And for grand urban getaways, the impending opening of Cheval Blanc in Paris has everyone in the fashion world aflutter.

Below, the 18 hotels we’re keeping an eye on going into the new year.

1. Rosewood Little Dix Bay, British Virgin Islands (January 2020)

Rosewood Little Dix Bay is technically a reopening. But the famed property—that has played host to glamorous guests like Queen Elizabeth—is completely rebuilt after being destroyed by Hurricane Irma. Set upon 500 acres, once the land of Laurence Rockefeller, it features four different restaurants, a state-of-the-art spa, and suites in tree houses. But the greatest attraction? The half-mile of pristine, white sand beach.

2. The Oberoi, Marrakech (January 2020)

Set among 28 acres of citrus trees and olive groves is The Oberoi, Marrakech, a new hotel with views of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains. The architecture is inspired by the regal palaces of Morocco, and if the pictures are any indication, the views will take your breath away.

3. White Elephant, Palm Beach (Early 2020)

New Englanders have long loved summering at the White Elephant, the picturesque hotel perched Nantucket Harbor. Now, the brand has set its sights on another well-heeled destination: Palm Beach. They took over the landmarked Bradley Park Hotel, which dates back to the 1920s, on Sunset Avenue, and plan to update the property while still embracing its Mediterranean-revival architectural roots.

4. Desa Potato Head, Bali (Early 2020)

Potato Head, Bali’s coolest resort, debuts a new creative village in Seminyak this winter. (Design fiends, take note: the architectural firm is Rem Koolhaas’s OMA.) What’s a creative village, exactly? Well, a resort, first off—there are 168 guest rooms and a beachfront pool—but also a farm to table restaurant, an art gallery, a lab focused on sustainability, a recording studio, and a subterranean discotheque.

5. Cheval Blanc, Paris (April 2020)

Cheval Blanc, the hospitality arm of LVMH, has a set of luxury resorts in glamorous locales: St. Barth’s, Courchevel, St. Tropez. This April, they finally open one in the city they call home: Paris.

Architect Peter Marino will transform La Samaritaine, the iconic department store that shuttered in 2005, into a stylish getaway on the edge of the Seine. The design will be inspired by the building’s Art Deco heritage, and filled with furniture displaying the finest French craftsmanship.

It’s sure to become a culinary tour-de-force as well: the restaurant will be helmed by the three-star Michelin chef Arnaud Donckele.

6. The Newbury, Boston (April 2020)

Major Food Group—the company behind Carbone and Dirty French, among other delicious restaurants—is getting into the hospitality game. They’ve partnered with Highgate to open a new hotel perched on the edge of Boston’s Public Garden. Not to state the obvious, but: its rooftop restaurant is probably going to be really, really good.

7. Ace Hotel, Kyoto (Spring 2020)

The Ace goes to Asia with a new property in Kyoto backed by some serious creative forces: Kengo Kuma, the famed architect behind Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic Stadium, is on the project, along with L.A. based interiors firm Commune (whose latest work includes Jackson Hole’s Caldera House). The result seems poised to be a perfect combination of American and Japanese design.

8. Hoshinoya, Okinawa (Spring 2020)

Although the upcoming Olympics mean Tokyo is getting all the buzz right now, visitors to Japan shouldn’t sleep on traveling to other areas of the country. With its ancient historical sites and coral reefs, Okinawa is a compelling destination in its own right. But mix in the opening of Hoshino’s new five-star resort, Hoshinoya Okinawa, with its traditional yet luxurious lodging, and it’s a stand-out spot for a post-Olympic sojourn. Expect the epitome of omotenashi, or Japanese hospitality.

9. Commodore Perry, Austin Texas (Spring 2020)

Auberge Resorts, the group behind the divine Esperanza in Los Cabos, opens their first urban retreat with the Commodore Perry, opening in Austin’s Commodore Park. The name is a nod to the Italianate mansion’s original owners, Commodore Edgar and Lutie Perry, who used the space to entertain when they weren’t in Europe.

They’ve hired a buzzy creative director to oversee it all: Ken Fulk, the must-have interior designer for Silicon Valley’s tech elite. Expect an eclectic mix of vintage objects, splashes of bright-and-bold color, and some truly curious decor. Do we spy some zebra heads in those renderings?

10. Six Senses, New York (June 2020)

Finally! The Six Senses, the Asian hospitality brand known for its flawless, sustainable design and its impeccable wellness programming, is coming Stateside. Opening in West Chelsea—one of its rare urban developments, the others being in Singapore—it’ll feature a 45,000 square foot spa. Some of its many features? A vibro-acoustic mediation dome, magnesium pool, fitness studios, and much more.

11. Villa Igiea, a Rocco Forte Hotel, Palermo Italy (June 2020)

Villa Igiea has a rich history: once a private villa overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, the famous Florio family of Sicily turned it into a hotel that drew artists, Hollywood stars, and royalty. Now, the Art Nouveau palazzo will be restored to its former glory by the Rocco Forte group—including its mirrored ballroom and frescoed vaulted bar.

12. One & Only Portonovi, Montenegro (June 2020)

While Croatia may get the lion’s share of attention when it comes to the Adriatic Coast, don’t sleep on Montenegro, an emerging playground for jetsetters. Case in point: The One & Only is opening their first property there, One & Only Portonovi, which sits on the Bay of Boka Kotorska. It will have its own private beach, secluded pools, and pristine Venetian courtyards.

13. NoMad, London (Summer 2020)

The NoMad makes their international debut in Covent Garden, transforming a former court and police station into a 91-room hotel. The interiors, done by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman & Williams, will pay homage to England’s decorative traditions, as well as the relationship between New York and London’s art scenes. (It should be noted that the design duo are also redesigning the British Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.) Some of the intriguing details? Jail cells turned into guest rooms, and a museum dedicated to the history of the Metropolitan Police force.

14. The Edition, Tokyo (Summer 2020)

Just in time for the Tokyo Olympics comes the opening of the Tokyo Edition, the latest outpost for Ian Schrager’s hotel brand, located in the city’s Minato district. Details are still scarce at the moment, but if it’s anything like its sister properties, expect it to be instantly trendy.

15. The Lake House on Canandaigua, New York (Summer 2020)

Brother-sister cofounders of Brooklyn Home Company, Bill and Lyndsay Caleo, are originally from the Finger Lakes region of New York. So when it came time to try their hand at a hospitality project, they decided home was where their hearts were.

Together, they created a lakefront compound in Canandaigua, complete with a timber-frame event barn, a wellness center, and a bar perched right on the water. Their spa partner is renowned London-based facialist Alexandra Soveral, and Brooklyn-based design Studio Tack worked on the interiors.

And while the Finger Lakes has traditionally been a bit of schlep for New Yorkers looking for a weekend getaway, they’ve got just the travel fix: seaplanes, to and from the hotel, departing from the Hudson River.

16. The Mayfair Townhouse, London (Fall 2020)

From the team behind Cliveden House (where Meghan Markle stayed the night before the royal wedding) comes The Mayfair Townhouse, a boutique hotel in one of London’s poshest neighborhoods. It’s not meant to be loud and flashy—the hotel won’t have a full-service restaurant, for example—but that’s kind of the point. It’s supposed to be a home away from home for those in the know.

17. Aman New York (Late 2020)

Billionaire’s Row just got a new player with the arrival of the Aman New York, the hotel group’s third New York property, and second in a city. They took over the iconic Crown Building—designed by the same architects behind Grand Central—for their grand urban project. There’s a bar with sweeping views of Central Park, a wine library, and not one, but two, spa houses.

If you check in and never want to leave, they’re also debuting their first-ever private homes in the space, the “Aman Residences.”

18. Rosewood São Paulo, Brazil (Late 2020)

The Rosewood makes their South American debut with the Rosewood São Paulo. Housed in a former hospital, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel is overseeing the architecture, and famed interior designer Phillipe Starck is working on the interiors. One particularly elegant offering? A caviar bar.