VIP arrivals: hottest hotel openings in August 2025

This month’s newest hotels are dressed to impress; ancient ruins reimagined as velvet-clad lounges, rooftops turned spa sanctuaries, and rooms that feel more like storyboards than suites. From jungle-fringed daybeds to skyscraper porches that nod to local tradition, some of these August openings are channelling cinematic drama, while others go full sensory playground. Whether you’re barefoot on mosaic tiles or sipping cocktails beneath Murano glass, these new openings prove one thing: design is the destination.

Aliée, Istanbul

This month, Istanbul welcomes its most exciting new design hotel: Aliée, perched dramatically on the historic Golden Horn. Conceptualised by LA-based design duo Dayna Lee and Ted Berner of Powerstrip Studio, in collaboration with Paris Society, this 122-key flagship Accor property redefines luxury with a narrative-rich, cinematic approach to interiors.

Once a palace, then a shipyard, the site’s deep history is palpable throughout. Original Roman walls remain exposed, juxtaposed with silk Turkish rugs, bespoke bas-relief headboards, and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame Istanbul’s glittering skyline. Rooms feel like sanctuaries — complete with fireplaces, marble-carved sinks, and private terraces — where every detail is tuned to tactile, quiet opulence.

Aliée Istanbul’s storytelling continues in its Heritage Villa, a former Ottoman hammam reimagined into a three-bedroom masterpiece, and in the Aliée Swim Club, where Malibu-chic meets Ottoman romance via a lagoon pool, Olympic lap lane, and sea-facing gardens.

The Well + Spa, layered within ancient stone ruins, offers mosaic pools, fire bowls, and a mosaic peacock centrepiece — a design echo of East-West synthesis. Meanwhile, the Little House, built inside the lobby, channels a domestic Ottoman scene, complete with roaring fires and art deco flourishes in The Pink Bar upstairs.

Noema, Bali

Image credit: Noema

Noema, the newest hospitality experience by Indonesian developer JHL Collection, opens its doors this August, introducing a refined yet expressive design-led retreat in Pererenan, Bali. Conceived as a sanctuary for curious and creative minds, the 157-room hotel reimagines the island’s hospitality landscape through architecture, art, and intentional experiences that invite presence, play, and peace.

Rooted in the philosophy of noema: the content of a thought within intentional experience — the hotel’s design language flows through every element from its art-filled spaces to its climbable installations. Noema’s playful, multi-sensory environments invite interaction, with standouts like the three-story Noema Hoola Play — curated by SIURA Studio, inspired by kraken mythology, and sculptural climbing walls by Japanese artist Kanoko Takaya.

Guest rooms and suites are designed to echo Bali’s natural textures and tones. With private balconies, locally crafted amenities, and curated artwork, the interiors channel a grounded sense of calm. At the summit, rooftop suites and a three-bedroom penthouse offer expansive views and seamless indoor-outdoor living.

Across the property, spaces encourage a slow, connected rhythm — from tranquil spa zones to community co-working nooks. The Oori Concept Spa, Bali’s first Korean-style scrub spa, crowns the hotel with a rooftop sanctuary that blends ancient rituals, cold plunges, and infrared therapies, framed by sweeping coastal views.

Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is about to take luxury to new heights – quite literally. Sitting pretty on floors 97 to 112 of the soaring 679-metre Merdeka 118 (the tallest building in Southeast Asia, and third tallest in the world), this highly anticipated debut marks Park Hyatt’s first foray into Malaysia.

Architecturally design by Australian firm, Fender Katsalidis with interiors by G.A Group, Park Hyatt’s spaces unfold like a private residence in the sky. Guests are welcomed not by a lobby, but a porch, reminiscent of traditional Malay homes, leading into a layered sequence of living spaces –  from dining rooms to lounges – each designed to feel intimate, grounded, and deeply local. Even the canopy over the escalators evokes the charm of a kampung roofline, a subtle but powerful gesture of cultural storytelling through design.

The 232 guestrooms, including 28 suites and 30 apartments, channel understated elegance: natural textures, panoramic windows, and curated Malaysian craftsmanship. Up top, Cacao Mixology & Chocolate, the city’s highest bar, turns indulgence into art, blending house-made chocolate with regional spirits under Kuala Lumpur’s glittering skyline. Add in two refined restaurants, a serene spa, and a sky-high pool too – and you have a vertical sanctuary that mirrors Malaysia’s heritage while reaching confidently toward its future.

The Ritz-Carlton, Masai Mara Safari Camp

The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp will introduce the brand’s hallmark of refined design and intuitive service to Sub-Saharan Africa, anchoring its presence in one of the world’s most captivating natural settings. Nestled deep within the Masai Mara National Reserve – renowned for its vast savannahs, cinematic vistas, and the Great Migration – the camp is elevated among the trees on a secluded island along the Sand River near the Tanzanian border.

This treetop sanctuary is intentionally designed to blend into its environment, offering uninterrupted views of riverbanks and forest canopies. With a light-on-the-land architectural approach, the retreat allows guests to witness nature’s drama in immersive comfort.

The camp will feature 20 elegantly appointed tented suites, including a four-bedroom presidential suite. Each suite is conceived as a private pavilion, curated for visual serenity and spatial fluidity: from sunken lounges that frame the horizon to seamless indoor-outdoor showers and infinity plunge pools that echo the river below.

Design-led communal spaces are crafted for both intimacy and exploration – a multi-cuisine restaurant with a wine cellar, an open-air sky deck for stargazing, and a modern take on the traditional boma. The aesthetic language combines organic textures, locally sourced materials, and a palette that mirrors the landscape, creating a tactile connection to place.

Wellness and discovery are interwoven throughout, with a spa sanctuary, outdoor fitness area, a swimming pool, interactive map room, and a photography studio that invites guests to engage deeply with their surroundings.

TRIBE Krakow Old Town

Image credit: TRIBE

TRIBE Krakow Old Town is where bold design meets city buzz — Orbis’s newest hotel, created in partnership with international studio Stone Designs, brings smart style and serious comfort to the heart of Krakow.

This isn’t your average hotel. TRIBE is built on design-first thinking: open spaces that invite connection, rooms that maximise every square metre, and interiors that hit the sweet spot between edgy and elegant. Whether you’re in town to hit the sights or crush a pitch deck, TRIBE’s got your vibe.

The aesthetic? It is geometric textures, curated art, zigzag floors, moody lighting, and furniture that looks straight off a design fair floor – because it is. Everything here is crafted to feel fresh, fluid, and just a bit unexpected.

Rooms are compact sanctuaries with plush beds, clever storage, and bathrooms that actually make you feel good in the morning. Downstairs, the Social Hub is part coworking space, part all-day hangout. Add a killer coffee bar, pan-Asian eats at TRIBE Table, and cocktails that know how to party – and you’ve got Krakow’s most stylish new stay.

Main image credit: Alièe Istanbul