Expansive oceanfront resorts or historic city-centre boutiques, contemporary and innovative or charming and rustic: hotels come in all shapes and sizes, and the mark of a good hotel comes down not just to the quality of service or convenient location, but also your own personal taste.
However, a little expert insight never hurt anyone, and it wasn’t long ago that World’s 50 Best announced its roundup of the most glorious hotels on the planet for 2025.
But excitingly, to supplement that list, the platform has also unveiled a sparkling list of all the most lavish, enticing and idyllic new openings we can look forward to booking this year – and there are some showstopping places to stay on the roundup.
The first of these is Amanvari, a collection of stylish modern villas along the coast of the Sea of Cortes in Baja California, Mexico. What the brand calls ‘organic, contemporary design’ features earth-toned colours and lots of wood, as well as floor-to-ceiling glass walls to allow the surrounding nature to permeate the interiors.
Another new opening that should be on the radar of nature lovers is the Kulu Ora Lodge by Wildplaces Africa, which is nestled in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. It’s scheduled to open early this year, and is home to 11 individual canvas suites which each come with copper bathtubs and private plunge pools. Impressively, everything runs off of energy from solar power, and a portion of the money from each stay goes towards conservation projects in the surrounding area.
As for what’s going on in Europe, Four Seasons is set to take over The Park Gstaad (undoubtedly one of the region’s most iconic Alpine destinations) and according to World’s 50 Best, it will be the resort’s first-ever five star hotel. Expect quintessential ski lodge vibes with a gleaming spa and swimming pools.
These are all the hotly anticipated hotel openings in 2026, according to World’s 50 Best Hotels
- Cambridge House, Auberge Resorts Collection, London, UK
- Six Senses Milan, Italy
- The Park Gstaad, A Four Seasons Hotel, Switzerland
- Na Praia, Comporta, Portugal
- Anantara Kafue River Tented Camp, Kafue National Park, Zambia
- Kulu Ora Lodge by WildPlaces Africa, Murchison Falls National Park
- Fregate Island Private Resort, Seychelles
- The Langham, Customs House, Bangkok, Thailand
- Capella Kyoto, Japan
- Amanvari, East Cape, Baja California, Mexico
- Rosewood Shenzhen, China
- Bulgari Resort Ranfushi, Raa Atoll, Maldives
For ’s picks of the best hotels across the planet, head to our global hotels page.
Plus: Europe’s largest hotel operator has collapsed into administration – here’s everything you need to know.
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