As we prepare to round-off 2023 in style, Hamish Kilburn, Editor of Hotel Designs, has this year’s final words, picking out which hotel openings in 2024 should be on your radar…
We love looking ahead here at Hotel Designs; exploring emerging trends – think gamechanging next-gen hotel concepts like disappearing beds – and understanding ‘what’s next’ fuels our curiosity on the editorial desk.
Following what has been a phenomenal year for hotel development and hotel design industry – marked aptly, we feel, at The Brit List Awards 2023 with the ‘unlocking creativity’ theme – it’s time to focus our lens on the horizon, because there are some curve balls coming our way regarding hotels that are getting ready to open in 2024.
So, to give you just a flavour of the hotels we expect are about to arrive onto the hotel design scene in style, here is my editor’s pick on the hotel openings to look forward to next year.
The Barn by pepper-collection, Lech, Austria
Image credit: Pepper Collection
The Barn is the sixth chalet within the pepper-collection’s impressive portfolio of Alpine abodes in the picturesque Austrian resort of Lech. The pepper-collection’s dedicated team are champion of their local surroundings, curating bespoke escapes to showcase the very best of the region. Each of the Chalets are located within a short stroll or drive of the collection’s flagship Aurelio, so that all concierge services are easily accessible. Opening officially this month, in time for this ski season, The Barn offers indulgent interiors, carefully paired with a contemporary alpine flare giving a cosy, chic feel.
Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
Image credit: Hilton Hotels
Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Hilton’s signature luxury hotel brand, is set to open the highly anticipated Waldorf Astoria Seychelles PlatteIsland – signalling the debut of the brand in the Seychelles.
Creating a new benchmark for luxury in the Indian Ocean, the resort lies just over 130 kilometres south of Mahé, in a pristine atoll fringed by palm forests and migratory seabirds and turtles protected by its own lagoon and coral reef. The resort will be home to a collection of 50 seafront villas, featuring up to five-bedroom villas for unique vacation experiences, all equipped with their own private pool and personal concierge. Home to native Hawksbill turtles, eagle rays, manta rays and whale sharks, much of Platte Island’s surrounding scenery remains beautifully untouched, promising a plethora of firsts and an unrivalled sense of magic for guests.
Trailborn Rocky Mountains
Image credit: Christian Harder
Trailborn is a new hospitality brand, rooted in and inspired by the great American outdoors – bringing an elevated hospitality experience to the heart of the country’s most extraordinary outdoor destinations. Inspired by themes of Americana, renowned Venice-based architecture firm Electric Bowery designed Trailborn Rocky Mountains to pay homage to the rustic wilderness that surrounds it.
Often referred to as ‘Colorado’s original playground’, the picturesque mountain town of Estes Park is known for its scenic landscape, free-roaming wildlife, world class hiking and outdoor recreation. Situated at the eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, Trailborn Rocky Mountains features 86 hotel rooms across two properties (40 at Trailborn Rocky Mountains, and 46 at Trailborn Rocky Mountains Outpost), a restaurant and café, a performance area for entertainment and events, two pools, and extensive outdoor public areas including expansive porches, firepits, and communal game areas.
Image credit: OKU Hotels
Set on a secluded stretch of white sandy shores, where the Andalusian hills meet the sea and with views across to Gibraltar and North Africa, OKU Andalusia, located just outside of Sotogrande will be the ultimate beachside retreat, bringing with it the brand’s much loved reputation for laid-back, soulful and offbeat luxury. This opening will mark a first for the brand, naturally growing into the family market in OKU style.
The property will offer a mix of swim-up suites, penthouse rooms with expansive terraces and two-bedroom suites for families and friends. Each suite has been carefully designed to reflect the signature boho-chic, minimalistic style that defines every OKU property, from earthy toned linens to beautiful natural materials and contemporary lines.
91 Athens Riviera
Image credit: Domes Hotels & Resorts
Slated to open in summer 2024, 91 Athens Riviera will introduce a brand-new concept for Domes and the destination itself. Coined as a ‘private lifestyle members’ club with ultra-luxe glamping’, this inaugural project has been meticulously designed by Chadios Architects and styled to offer exceptional restaurants including Barbarossa, vibrant bars, and modern sporting facilities including eight tennis courts.
The 30 spacious ‘tents’, most with their own private plunge pools, start at 46sqm each and are luxuriously equipped as a Domes resort room for true comfort, to cater to families and couples for a unique and stylish experience. With accommodation open to everyone yet facilities exclusive to members, 91 Athens Riviera will create a distinctive offering centred around exclusive wellbeing, adventure and gastronomy.
MOLLIE Aspen
Image credit: MOLLIE Aspen
MOLLIE Aspen, a 68-key boutique hotel, has been developed by HayMax Capital in collaboration with internationally acclaimed firm CCY Architects.
Drawing inspiration from the many individuals that shaped Aspen throughout its history (including the inimitable Mollie Gibson and others) known for their restless enthusiasm for the outdoors, ability to bring people together and passion for art, design and freedom of expression, the hotel pays homage to their significant contributions to Aspen’s early social, artistic, and adventurous fabric. Designed by award-winning studio Post Company, the property holds a quiet confidence and commitment to a reduction of excess with interiors that thoughtfully utilise native materials from Aspen and the wider Western region, accentuated with natural woods, earthen ceramics, and hand-dyed textiles.
SIWA CliffsÂ
Image credit: SIWA Cliffs
27 miles east of Bali positioned on a clifftop high above Kuta Beach, SIWA Cliffs will be opening 11 luxury villas as part of their Phase one opening. Each residence will offer spectacular views of Gunung Rinjani- Indonesia’s second-highest volcano- from their spacious pool villas, as well as soothing and luxurious interiors which pay homage to the jungle-clad surroundings. The resort will also offer a dynamic onsite club which will roll out weekly performances for guests, showcasing the locale’s best artistes and entertainers.
Main image credit: Hilton Hotels
