Issue #11-22: New Hotel News from HotelMap™

What’s happening in the world of super cool new hotels? Check out our latest five most noteworthy openings of 2022 as featured by the editors at HotelMap™ & Roomcard™.

“A Daintree Rainforest retreat even the Kardashians love” (Vogue) opens minutes from the Great Barrier Reef and Auberge Resorts Collection invites guests to “unplug in the beauty of the Hudson Valley” (Conde Nast Traveler) with its latest opening. Habitas opens “a dramatic nomadic retreat” (Forbes) located “deep in the Moroccan desert” (Forbes), Virgin Hotels brings the brand to Europe and Hotel Per La opens in the 1920s “neoclassical Giannini Building” (Dezeen) that most recently house NoMad Los Angeles.

Wildflower Farms | Opened October 2022

USA: “Nestled at the foothills of the Catskill Mountains” (Vogue) Wildflower Farms is a new addition to the upscale Auberge Resorts Collection. “An experiment in rustic luxury” (Bloomberg), the resort invites guests to “unplug in the beauty of the Hudson Valley” (Conde Nast Traveler) with the help of well-equipped cabins that have been designed “to make the great outdoors feel as close as possible” (Town and Country). Guests are invited to take part in a number of outdoorsy activities, including “picking fresh-laid eggs and bringing them to the chef for a morning omelet” (Bloomberg) as well as hiking, climbing and cycling. A “surprisingly progressive food-and-beverage program” (Conde Nast Traveler) includes a restaurant that “offers literal farm-to-table dishes” (Vogue) and a lobby where you can enjoy cocktails by a roaring fire. There’s also a 9,000-square-foot spa with an indoor saltwater pool and seasonally-themed treatments.

Our favourite feature: The literal farm-to-table restaurant with an entire section dedicated to freshly-laid eggs.

Caravan by Habitas Agafay | Opened September 2022

MOROCCO: The latest opening from Habitas - “a young hotel group hoovering up sustainability and design awards” (The Times) Caravan Agafay is “a dramatic nomadic retreat” (Forbes) located “deep in the Moroccan desert” (Forbes) yet only 45 minutes from Marrakech. With 20 canvas-walled tents peppered across five hectares of desert landscape, the glamping site provides an “immersive glamping experience … with modern conveniences” (Travel + Leisure). Solar-powered tents look out onto the mountains and come fitted with king-sized beds dressed in luxury textiles, and an achingly hip bar is decorated with “bold Majorelle blue-and-white striped textiles with splashes of tangerine, and rattan weave lampshades” (The Times) and sits “against a backdrop of Atlas peaks and incandescent sunsets” (Conde Nast Traveller). Guests can enjoy yoga classes, horse riding and intimate musical performances during their stay.

Our favourite feature: The sunset views from the on-trend bar.

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh | Opened June 2022

SCOTLAND: The first Virgin Hotel to open outside of the US, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh offers “a playful redesign of the 19th-century India Buildings ” (The Times) located just off the Royal Mile. ”Much of the 19th-century charm … has been preserved” (Conde Nast Traveller) with a three-tiered dome rotunda and an Eve Branson suite - “an ode to company founder Richard Branson's late mother” (Travel + Leisure) - located under the bell tower of a restored medieval church among the highlights. There’s a library space that “cries out for fireside games of Scrabble and after-dinner whiskies” (The Times) along with a social club and a coffee shop with areas for working and socialising.

Our favourite feature: The preserved 19th-century charm.

Silky Oaks Lodge | Opened December 2021

AUSTRALIA: “A Daintree Rainforest retreat even the Kardashians love” (Vogue) Silky Oaks Lodge can be found within the world’s oldest rainforest and “minutes from the Great Barrier Reef” (Travel + Leisure), giving guests “access to Australia’s most treasured ecosystems” (Conde Nast Traveler). “40 luxurious treehouses overlook the Mossman River” (Vogue) with all of them “designed to smoothly blend into the landscape” (Conde Nast Traveler) and many fitted with their own outdoor tubs where guests can soak against the backdrop of the rainforest. There’s also an open-air dining room that serves local-sourced cuisine and a “wonderfully calm and understated” (Conde Nast Traveler) spa.

Our favourite feature: Easy access to Australia’s most treasured ecosystems.

Hotel Per La | Opened September 2022

USA: Housed in the 1920s “neoclassical Giannini Building” (Dezeen) that was once home to the Bank of Italy headquarters, and more recently, NoMad Los Angeles, which closed in early 2021, Hotel Per La is “a gorgeous new hotel” (Forbes) that will “transport your directly to Italy” (Forbes). Designed by Jaqui Seerman, the new opening was “envisioned as an oasis-like stay” (Surface Mag), bringing together olive trees and lush foliage against a backdrop of mirrored archways, handpainted tapestries and figurative murals. A ‘Los Angeles Italian’ restaurant can be found inside along with a coffee shop and “beautifully appointed rooms by Jacques Garcia” (Travel + Leisure).

Our favourite feature: A mirrored archway that leads guests into oasis-like interiors.

Previous New Hotel News editions:

Issue10-22: The Standard’s new Asia flagship provides “a vibe Bangkok’s hotel scene was still missing” (Conde Nast Traveller) and Conrad Los Angeles is a “mesmerising proposition” (Wallpaper*).

Issue 09-22: Madrid’s “first luxury lifestyle urban resort” (Dezeen) brings innovative design to the city and The Hoxton Poblenou becomes “undoubtedly the coolest spot in Barcelona” (Condé Nast Traveller).

Issue 08-22: “A net-zero energy building, generating 100% of its own electricity” (Forbes), Hotel Marcel opens its doors, becoming "the only all-electric hotel” (Time Out) in the United States.

Issue 07-22: "One of the most highly anticipated hotel openings in years" (Forbes) Aman New York finally opened its doors and Rosewood Vienna becomes the new "powerhouse place to stay in the Austrian capital” (Tatler).

Issue 06-22: The Mitre Hampton Court gets a new sibling with the opening of The Retreat at Elcot Park, The Ned heads stateside, and Banyan Tree premieres its new Escape brand in Bali.