2025 Esquire Best New Hotels: The World's Top Openings

Outpost Inn brings a summer-camp-meets-mountain-lodge sensibility to downtown Highlands, North Carolina. Rooms are stocked with fireplaces, curated bookshelves, and vinyl records, positioning this boutique property at the intersection of outdoor culture and considered comfort. For travelers using Highlands as a base for Blue Ridge hiking and local dining, its central location on North 4th Street keeps everything within reach.

Opened in 2024 on Royal Palm Way, Palm House marks the US debut of London-based L+R Hotels' Iconic Luxury Hotels collection. The 79-room Mediterranean-revival property spent nearly two decades vacant before a full renovation restored its coral-hued facade and reimagined its interiors with sixties-inflected design, Murano glass, and marble bathrooms. It sits steps from Worth Avenue and the beach, at a rate from $996 per night.

Among Papagayo Peninsula's top-tier luxury properties, Nekajui sets itself apart as a Ritz-Carlton Reserve — the brand's most selective sub-brand — with 107 rooms, suites, and treetop tents perched on a clifftop above the Pacific. A 27,000-square-foot spa, multiple pool environments, a funicular-served beach club, and modern Peruvian dining place it in a peer set with the Four Seasons and Andaz on the same peninsula.

Six Senses Kyoto sits in Higashiyama Ward, one of the city's most historically layered districts, with the Toyokuni Shrine on its doorstep and the Kyoto National Museum a short walk away. The 81-room property earned a Michelin One Key in 2024 and appears on Tatler's Best Hotels Asia-Pacific 2025 list. Its dining programme, anchored by the ultra-seasonal restaurant Sekki and the cocktail bar Nine Tails, holds its own against the city's strongest luxury hotel food offers.

Spread across a half-mile of private Atlantic coastline on Florida's Gold Coast, Beach Club at The Boca Raton pairs three private pools and Vilebrequin-designed cabanas with two signature restaurants, a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star spa, and Leading Hotels of the World membership. La Liste ranked it 93.5 points in 2026, placing it firmly in the upper tier of South Florida's resort set.

Founded in 1967 as a discreet retreat for in-the-know travellers, The Potlatch Club occupies 12 acres of Eleuthera's pink sand coastline with just 11 suites, cottages, and villas. Rates are available on request, the Fig Tree restaurant serves three meals daily, and Governor's Harbour's international airport is a 20-minute drive away.

Opened in 2024 inside a restored 19th-century mansion on Bem József tér, Kimpton Bem Budapest brings Marcel Wanders' hypermodern design vocabulary to Buda's quieter left bank. The 127-room property pairs Danube-view rooms with AGOS Restaurant, ranked among Hungary's top 35, and a rooftop bar at Fennen. Rates from $285 per night position it at the design-led end of Budapest's five-star tier.

Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch occupies a converted Curtain Road address in EC2A, bringing the brand's industrial-chic aesthetic to one of London's most creatively charged postcodes. The 120-room property trades on exposed brick, steel-framed windows, and a rooftop bar with open city views — positioning it firmly in the design-led East End tier rather than the West End luxury corridor.

Positioned steps from Piazza del Popolo on Via di Ripetta, ROMEO Roma occupies a distinct tier among Rome's contemporary design hotels, where the architectural influence of Zaha Hadid sets the visual register before guests reach the front desk. The property draws travelers who want modern architecture and art-forward interiors without leaving Rome's historic centre, placing it in a different competitive set from the palazzo-restoration hotels that dominate the city's upper bracket.

Opened in spring 2024 inside a converted soap factory on the French Riviera, Château de Théoule holds 44 rooms and suites, Michelin-starred dining, a private beach, and Leading Hotels of the World membership. The property sits at the junction of the Estérel massif and the Mediterranean coast, placing it outside the main Cannes and Nice corridors while remaining within easy reach of both.

The Four Seasons Toronto holds a particular position in Yorkville: it is the brand's global headquarters city, which means the 259-room Yorkville tower carries an implicit obligation to set the standard. Awarded Forbes Five Stars, Michelin Two Keys (2024), and a 98.5-point score on La Liste's 2026 hotel ranking, it delivers on that obligation through room scale, service consistency, and Café Boulud's French kitchen.

A beachfront property on Long Sands Beach, The Nevada in York, Maine completed a full restoration in 2024 that layers mid-century architectural character with updated amenities. The address at 141 Long Beach Ave places guests steps from the Atlantic, within reach of York's compact coastal village. It occupies a specific niche in the southern Maine coastal hotel market: heritage fabric, ocean-facing rooms, and a 2024 refit that positions it well above the area's dated motor inn tier.

Opened in 2024, Populus is the first carbon-positive hotel in the United States, a 265-room downtown Denver property whose aspen-inspired architecture and on-site food-waste composting place it at the intersection of serious sustainability and genuine comfort. Room rates from $377 per night. The Rocky Mountain views through oval Aspen-eye windows make the environmental credentials feel architectural rather than performative.

Regent Santa Monica Beach occupies 167 rooms along Ocean Avenue, placing guests at the intersection of Los Angeles waterfront history and contemporary luxury. The property carries a 2026 Star Wine List recognition, houses cuisine by Chef Michael Mina, and partners with Guerlain for its wellness program. Rates are available on request, positioning the hotel firmly in the upper tier of California coastal accommodation.

Hotel Bardo Savannah occupies a 19th-century Victorian mansion adjacent to Forsyth Park, operating across 149 rooms as both urban resort and private club. Elected among the best new hotels by Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes, and Travel + Leisure, and awarded a Michelin Key in 2024, it earns its recognition primarily through Saint Bibiana, a coastal Italian restaurant and cooking school that draws both guests and Savannah locals.

SIRO One Za'abeel occupies a central position in Dubai's Za'abeel district, built around a recovery-first philosophy that places its dedicated Recovery Lab at the core of the guest experience. The property targets athletes and performance-focused travellers who treat rest and physiological repair as seriously as training. It sits in a different competitive register from Dubai's beach-resort circuit.

A Leading Hotels of the World member on the quieter Cooper Jack Bay side of Providenciales, The Strand trades the Grace Bay strip's density for private beachfront villas and a calmer orientation. The DelMar Restaurant provides an oceanfront dining anchor, and the property's positioning suits guests who want seclusion without crossing to a separate island.

Tu Tu' Tun Lodge sits on the north bank of the Rogue River in Gold Beach, Oregon, operating as an adults-only retreat where the river does most of the design work. Waterfront dining, a spa, and direct access to kayaking and hiking trails anchor the experience. For a stretch of the Oregon coast that sees far less traffic than Cannon Beach or the central coast, it represents the most considered lodging option in the area.

Park Hyatt London River Thames sits on Nine Elms Lane in the SW8 riverside corridor, positioned between Battersea Power Station and Battersea Park. The hotel offers Thames-facing rooms, terrace access, allergy-free accommodation options, and concierge services, placing it in a distinct tier among London's newer luxury openings outside the traditional West End circuit.

A 500-acre Somerset County estate an hour from Manhattan, Pendry Natirar occupies a 1912 Tudor-style mansion once owned by Moroccan royalty, now reimagined with 68 guestrooms, four dining destinations, an organic farm, spa, and cooking school. The property sits in the narrowing tier of Northeast retreats where scale, architectural provenance, and farm-direct dining programs converge in a single address.

Spread across 300 acres of Southern Vermont farmland and forest, Twin Farms is an all-inclusive, adults-primarily resort of 20 rooms and cottages in Barnard, VT. Awarded 2 Michelin Keys in 2024 and ranked 47th in Condé Nast's 2025 Best Resorts list, it sits in the top tier of American countryside retreats, with rates from $3,219 per night and interiors designed by Jed Johnson and Thad Hayes.

Ranked #29 on Condé Nast's Best Hotels list for 2025, Thompson Palm Springs sits at the centre of downtown on North Palm Canyon Drive, marrying midcentury modern architecture with a contemporary amenity stack that includes an award-winning Middle Eastern restaurant, two outdoor pools, a HALL Napa Valley Tasting Room, and more than 35,000 square feet of dining and retail. It is the kind of property that draws both destination travellers and local residents with equal conviction.

Seven Beach Lane is a 16-room boutique hotel in Westhampton Beach, New York, where heritage architecture meets a deliberately low-key approach to coastal hospitality. The property sits within the quieter, village-scale end of the Hamptons spectrum, offering intimate gathering spaces and personalized service without the volume or visibility of the area's larger resort footprints.

Built in 1926 and restored under the Corinthia flag, The Surrey occupies a discreet corner of the Upper East Side at 20 East 76th Street, one block from Central Park. Martin Brudnizki's interiors update the Art Deco bones without erasing them, and the 100 rooms and suites carry a scale and quiet that the neighbourhood's newer arrivals rarely match. The 2025 World Travel Awards named it New York's leading luxury hotel.

An award-winning boutique hotel in Hensonville, New York, The Henson pairs design-forward rooms and a meditative library with fine dining at Restaurant Matilda. It sits at the quieter, more considered end of Catskills hospitality, appealing to those who come for landscape immersion rather than resort programming. The honor bar and deliberate pace signal a property built around atmosphere over amenity count.

Hotel Hana occupies a five-star position on Rue du 4 Septembre in Paris's 2nd arrondissement, positioned between Opéra Garnier and Palais Brongniart. The property draws on a Franco-Japanese cultural framework, offering Japanese cuisine, kobido spa treatments, and interiors that treat both traditions as equal rather than decorative. For travellers seeking a different register from the grand Haussmann palace hotels, it occupies a distinct niche.

Opened in August 2024 atop East Gros Ventre Butte, Hotel Yellowstone at Jackson Hole is an adults-only boutique property with direct sightlines over the Teton Range and Snake River Valley. The 2025 World Travel Awards named it Wyoming's Leading Boutique Hotel. It occupies a specific niche in the Jackson Hole market: high-altitude seclusion without the scale of the valley's larger resort operations.

A 97-room SoHo property on Thompson Street, The Manner occupies a quieter register than the neighbourhood's louder hotel options. Where many Manhattan boutique hotels trade on maximalist design or celebrity-chef programming, this address pitches toward restraint and residential comfort, making it a practical base for guests who want SoHo proximity without the performance that often comes with it.

FORTH Hotel Atlanta occupies a striking Morris Adjmi-designed building on the BeltLine Eastside Trail in the Historic Old Fourth Ward, operating as both a luxury boutique hotel and members' social club. The 196-room property, from the team behind Ponce City Market, combines floor-to-ceiling city views, a fourth-floor pool, rooftop bar, and full spa with direct access to one of Atlanta's most active pedestrian corridors. Rooms from $339 per night.

Grange Estate occupies a quiet stretch of Worden Hill Road in the Dundee Hills, Oregon's most concentrated wine country. Built with White Oak, Douglas Fir, and Black Walnut sourced from the Willamette Valley, the property operates as an intimate inn where the physical materials of the region shape every interior decision. For travellers who treat wine country as a destination rather than a day trip, it functions as the kind of base that rewards slowing down.

Miiro Borneta sits on Passeig de Picasso in El Born, one of Barcelona's most architecturally layered neighbourhoods, where medieval streets give way to a dense concentration of contemporary galleries and independent design. The hotel holds a Country Winner award for Luxury Design Boutique Hotel and positions itself through a local art programme and contemporary interiors that reflect the quarter's creative character.

A Leading Hotels of the World member on Chemin des Vendanges, Arev Saint-Tropez packages Riviera nostalgia into 35 rooms with maritime blue-and-white interiors, a year-round heated pool, the Strand Restaurant, and Q's Bar. It sits close to Place des Lices, operates open year-round, and holds a 4.5 Google rating across guest reviews. Rates are available on request.

Occupying the former headquarters of the Royal Overseas League on Princes Street, this 30-room Red Carnation hotel operates with the discretion of a private members' club and the sightlines of a front-row seat to Edinburgh Castle. Each room is individually furnished with tartans and Georgian antiques. The Wallace restaurant serves Scottish classics, while Ghillie's Pantry stocks over a hundred whiskies.

London's first all-suite hotel, The Emory occupies a discreet cobbled yard between Belgravia and Knightsbridge, delivering 61 suites designed by a collective of leading hospitality designers. Ranked #32 on the World's 50 Best Hotels list in 2025, it sits within the Maybourne group alongside Claridge's, the Connaught, and the Berkeley, with rates from approximately $1,281 per night.

On the edge of Merrion Square in the heart of Georgian Dublin, The Leinster occupies a setting where art galleries, design studios, and museums define the immediate neighbourhood. The hotel positions itself around considered hospitality and the slower rhythms of a city that still values the art of lingering, placing it in a distinct tier among Dublin 2's character-led properties.

Anna and Bel occupies a meticulously restored 19th-century former women's asylum in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, converted into a 50-room boutique hotel with warm minimalist interiors, an interior courtyard with a heated pool, and the incoming Mediterranean restaurant Bastia. Starting from $288 per night, it represents the first full-featured boutique hotel of its kind in the immediate area.

Spread across five buildings in Montrose's leafy streets, Hotel Saint Augustine brings a strong design point of view to one of Houston's most culturally layered neighbourhoods. Burled walnut, red lacquer, Calacatta Viola marble, and vintage finds mix across 71 rooms, with some offering screened porches set among the trees. Rates from $327 per night place it in the mid-to-upper independent tier for the city.

Set at Km 10.3 within the Cabo del Sol community on the southern Baja Peninsula, Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas sits in the upper tier of Los Cabos luxury, pairing a swimmable beach with a wine program recognized by Star Wine List 2026. The property draws from both Mexican cultural traditions and Mediterranean resort sensibility, positioning it alongside the corridor's most established addresses.

A five-star address on Avenue de Suède, Maison Albar - Le Victoria sits between the Promenade des Anglais and Place Masséna, carrying a 2025 Gault & Millau Exceptional Hotel distinction and a Regional Luxury Boutique Hotel award. Its 132 rooms and suites, a 650 m² spa, and a rooftop pool with restaurant make it one of Nice's more complete luxury propositions in a competitive field of Riviera five-star properties.

Portland, Maine's first independent full-service hotel in over two decades, the Longfellow Hotel occupies a Victorian-era address on Congress Street in the city's West End. Its design draws directly from Maine's coastal character and the literary legacy of its namesake, positioning it among a small cohort of independent properties that treat local identity as a structural principle rather than decoration.

Renovated in summer 2024, Casa Loma Beach Hotel sits directly on the Pacific in Laguna Beach, with oceanfront balconies, a rooftop bar, pool, and direct beach access. It occupies the quieter, boutique-leaning end of the Laguna oceanfront market — closer in character to Hotel Joaquin than to a large resort footprint. The property positions itself as a retreat-minded alternative to the area's larger luxury competitors.

The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection sits on Johns Island's Kiawah River, 40 minutes from downtown Charleston, where 72 rooms and 19 villas are arranged across 2,000 acres of Lowcountry marsh and oak canopy. Named to Travel + Leisure's 2025 It List, it represents the newest Auberge opening in the United States, with a design vocabulary built around Sea Island vernacular: gabled roofs, screened porches, and long views over golden marsh.