2025 AFAR Best New Hotels: The Definitive Global List

On Ocean Avenue where Santa Monica's coastal light hits hardest, the Regent Santa Monica Beach operates at a tier where rates are quoted on request and the 167-room inventory rarely discusses itself loudly. Floor-to-ceiling Pacific views, a soft-palette interior program, and direct beach path access position it inside Los Angeles's premium oceanfront conversation, a category with very few genuine participants.

A converted heritage property in AlUla's Old Town district, Dar Tantora The House Hotel earned 93.5 points in the 2026 La Liste Top Hotels ranking, placing it among the most recognised addresses in the Arabian Peninsula's fastest-developing destination. The property's position within the historic mud-brick quarter distinguishes it from the resort-format alternatives opening across the wider AlUla valley.

One&Only Za'abeel sits on the 25th floor of its Za'abeel district tower, where a lobby designed around desert-dune chandelier forms announces the property's architectural ambition before a guest reaches their room. Part of the One&Only Resorts group, this Dubai address positions itself at the upper end of the city's vertically integrated luxury tier, drawing a repeat clientele from both the regional business circuit and long-haul leisure travel.

A former convent at the foot of old Nice's hilltop park, Hôtel du Couvent ranks #27 on the World's 50 Best Hotels list for 2025 and holds a 5-point Gault & Millau Exceptional Hotel designation. Its 88 rooms occupy a building still shaped by centuries of monastic architecture, from cloistered gardens to Roman baths, with rates from $385 per night.

On a private quay at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, Cape Grace sits between Table Mountain's sandstone cliffs and the working yacht basin of Table Bay. Scoring 97.5 points in the 2026 La Liste Top Hotels ranking, the 112-room Fairmont-managed property reads like an elegantly nautical private residence, with a maritime-themed whisky bar, South African cuisine, and a location that puts the city's dining corridor within walking distance.

Sandals St. Vincent and the Grenadines occupies a private cove at Buccament Bay, positioning it as the most secluded entry in the Sandals Caribbean portfolio. Overwater Villas and beachfront suites with private plunge pools sit against forested hillsides and calm blue water, with scuba diving, spa facilities, and multiple dining venues included in the all-inclusive rate.

Tawana sits along the Gomoti River in Moremi Game Reserve, one of Botswana's most wildlife-dense protected areas inside the Okavango Delta. The camp positions itself at the intersection of contemporary design and deep-bush immersion, where floodplains, mopane forest, and permanent waterways converge. For travellers seeking sustained proximity to the delta ecosystem, it represents a considered choice within Moremi's premium camp tier.

The Dorchester Collection's first Middle East address, The Lana occupies a pair of interlocking towers on the Marasi Bay waterfront in Business Bay. Ranked #35 on the World's 50 Best Hotels list in 2025 and #23 in 2024, it pairs Gilles & Boissier interiors with restaurants from Martín Berasategui and Jean Imbert, and a wine programme that swept five Star Wine List UAE awards in 2025.

Royal Mansour Casablanca occupies a different register from the city's business hotels, its marble-columned entrance and La Liste Top Hotels ranking of 98 points placing it firmly at the upper end of Casablanca's accommodation tier. The property holds Leading Hotels of the World membership and carries the cinematic weight of a city long associated with old-world grandeur. For travelers who want Casablanca's commercial energy without sacrificing serious hospitality, it sets the reference point.

A mid-century celebrity retreat on Eleuthera's central coast, The Potlatch Club has re-emerged under new ownership with 11 suites, cottages, and villas spread across 12 acres near Governor's Harbour. With on-site dining at the Fig Tree restaurant, a Natura Bissé spa, and pricing available on request, it occupies the intimate, design-conscious tier of Bahamian boutique hospitality.

Opened in 2024 on Jaipur's northern edge with the Aravalli hills as backdrop, Raffles Jaipur is an all-suite property of 50 rooms built around domed chhatris, jaali screens, frescoed corridors, and mirrored doors. Every suite includes a private pool or tub. The rooftop infinity pool, mashaal torches, and live classical musicians mark it as a considered entry into the city's increasingly competitive palace-hotel tier.

Warren Street Hotel brings Firmdale's signature collision of bold color, layered pattern, and considered comfort to Tribeca, where 69 individually designed rooms sit behind a bright blue façade on Warren Street. A 2024 Michelin 1 Key recipient, the hotel occupies a distinct position in Downtown Manhattan's accommodation market, pairing fashionable common spaces with a bar and restaurant that draws both guests and locals.

Reopened in 2024 after a complete rebuild, Dusit Thani Bangkok returns to Rama IV Road with André Fu-designed interiors, 257 rooms with floor-to-ceiling views over Lumpini Park, and a wellness centre that ranks among the city's most considered. Ranked 60th in the World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 list, it occupies a position in Bangkok's upper tier that blends genuine heritage with a thoroughly modern physical plant.

A 16th-century palazzo steps from the Trevi Fountain, redesigned by film director Luca Guadagnino through his own design studio. Palazzo Talìa offers 26 rooms where period architecture meets custom-designed contemporary furniture, a spa modelled after a Roman bath, and restaurant Tramae serving Italian classics from farm-sourced ingredients. One of Rome's most culturally charged conversions of recent years.

Platte Island sits roughly 120 kilometres south-west of Mahé in the Outer Islands, and the Waldorf Astoria property here operates at a scale and remoteness that separates it from the Seychelles mainstream. Recognised by Forbes with a 5-Star rating and placed at 98 points in the 2026 La Liste Top Hotels ranking, it represents the category of private-island resort where isolation is the primary architectural decision.

Built in 1909 for the Brussels Exposition of 1910, the Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria sat dormant for decades before Corinthia Hotel Group completed a meticulous restoration and reopened it in 2024. The 126-room property on Rue Royale earns 94 points in the 2026 La Liste Top Hotels ranking, with rates from $605 per night. The Palm Court's stained-glass skylight remains the clearest argument for booking.

Opened in July 2024, Kibale Lodge is Volcanoes Safaris' eight-banda chimpanzee camp in Uganda's Kasenda corridor, built entirely by an in-house team of African artisans in the group's signature handmade style. The property sits within reach of Kibale Forest National Park, one of East Africa's most concentrated primate habitats, and pairs that access with a spa and pool. It is a considered addition to Uganda's small roster of design-led wilderness lodges.

Opened in August 2024 in Osaka's Kita-ku district near Umeda, Four Seasons Hotel Osaka ranked #10 in Japan in the 2025 Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards within its first year of operation. The property combines contemporary design with a dedicated ryokan floor, tatami rooms, private ofuro baths, Michelin-recognized dining, and city skyline views from central Dojima.

Populus in Denver is a design-forward boutique hotel offering minimalist rooms, a rooftop bar with panoramic city views, and the on-site restaurant Pasque. Opened in October 2024, Populus blends tree-inspired architecture and natural materials with modern comforts, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere steps from the Denver Art Museum and Paramount Theater. Guests appreciate the highly rated breakfast at Pasque, crisp, clean rooms such as the Poplar Two Queen, and a 24-hour fitness center. Time named the property to its World’s Greatest Places 2025 list, marking Populus as a culturally focused urban stay with striking interiors and easy access to downtown Denver’s galleries and theaters.

Soneva Secret sits on Dhipparufushi Island in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, among the most remote and least developed reaches of the Maldives. Ranked 92nd in the World's 50 Best Hotels 2025, the property makes an explicit case for geographic seclusion as its central offering, placing it in a small global cohort of resorts where the absence of development is the defining amenity.

Mandarin Oriental Mayfair occupies a quietly modern building on Hanover Square, with 50 rooms, a Korean chef's table, and a spa that leans toward considered craft over flashy amenity. Scored 94.5 points on the 2026 La Liste Top Hotels list, it sits in a different register from the group's Hyde Park flagship: smaller, more residential in atmosphere, and deliberately calibrated to Mayfair's current cultural character.

Positioned within the Azabudai Hills development in Minato City, JANU Tokyo is the sister brand to Aman that trades absolute seclusion for direct city engagement. Across 122 rooms, six restaurants, and a substantial spa, it ranked 37th on the World's 50 Best Hotels list in 2025 and holds two Michelin Keys — making it one of Tokyo's more compelling arguments for luxury with a lower threshold than its parent brand. Rates from $1,772 per night.

A 15th-century lakeside castle on the shores of Lake Fuschl, less than 30 minutes from Salzburg, Rosewood Schloss Fuschl holds Michelin's 3 Keys rating (2024) and 98 points from La Liste's 2026 Top Hotels ranking. Across 98 rooms, suites, and freestanding chalets set within 37 acres of Alpine grounds, the property sits at the upper tier of Austrian castle hotels — where historical architecture and contemporary hospitality operate without compromise.

Six Senses La Sagesse sits on Grenada's quieter southeastern shore, spreading 56 pool suites and 15 villas across 38 acres where a protected bay meets the Caribbean Sea. The design draws from traditional Caribbean village architecture, threading garden walkways through a property shaped around the island's spice heritage and natural topography. For travellers seeking a low-density, nature-anchored resort over a high-rise beach strip experience, this is the southeastern alternative.

The Dunlin is the newest Auberge Resorts Collection property in the United States, set along the Kiawah River on Johns Island, 40 minutes from downtown Charleston. Its 72 rooms, suites, and 19 villas draw on classic Sea Island design: gabled roofs, screened porches, and marsh views across 2,000 acres of Lowcountry terrain. Travel + Leisure named it to their 2025 It List of best new hotels.