HOTELS • December 2018
The nine hottest hotel openings for 2019
From castaway private island escapes in the Maldives to under-the-radar Greek islands and millennial-friendly urban crashpads in London, 2019 will be a bumper year for exciting hotel openings. The Club rounds up the new kids on the block
The Nautilus, Maldives
Opening: January 2019
Nicely bringing together the ‘small is beautiful’ ethos and the new trend for private island escapes is this exclusive resort on 250-metre-diameter Thiladhoo island in the Baa Atoll. The Nautilus will have 26 boho-style beach and overwater houses. Guests will be encouraged to help chefs create personalised menus, and a marine biologist will lead snorkelling trips through the surrounding Unesco biosphere reserve. Another scene-shaker is LUX* North Male Atoll, opening in February, which will have 67 Art Deco, Miami-feel penthouse villas with private rooftop sundecks.
Silversands Grenada, West Indies
Opening: January 2019
A real design game-changer in the Caribbean, Silversands, with 43 contemporary suites and linear architecture on Grand Anse beach, opened late in 2018, but it makes the list because its spa – with hammam, ice cave and nail bar – arrives in the new year. It’s also home to the Caribbean’s longest (100 metres, and highly Instagrammable) infinity pool.
Nobu Hotel Barcelona, Spain
Opening: March 2019
Hot on the heels of Nobu Marbella and Ibiza Bay, Nobu hospitality group – founded by Robert De Niro, chef Nobu Matsuhisa and film producer Meir Teper – will open a 244-room property in the Catalonian city. A transformation of the Gran Hotel Torre Catalunya, its design – led by Rockwell Group – is Japanese-inspired and walls and ceilings will feature kintsugi, or ‘golden joinery’, a Japanese art form that sees broken pottery intricately repaired. Expect stunning city views from the 23rd-floor Nobu restaurant.
Rosewood Hong Kong
Opening: March 2019
Fresh from a $2.6bn revamp overseen by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (who redeveloped Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills), Victoria Dockside is Hong Kong’s newest art and design district. Adding glitz is Rosewood Hong Kong, which will have 413 rooms spread across 27 floors inside the former New World Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, plus eight restaurants and a soul-soothingly elegant spa.
Mandarin Oriental, Lake Como, Italy
Opening: Spring 2019
Hollywood glitterati, the fashion pack and royalty – the great and good love Lake Como and 2019 will see its appeal ramp up even further, with the arrival of Mandarin Oriental. The heavyweight hotel brand has taken over CastaDiva Resort and Spa, and is set to reopen as a Mandarin Oriental after a top-to-toe refurbishment. Details remain closely guarded, but it will be surrounded by lush parkland, have 76 rooms, plus an expectedly opulent spa and outdoor floating pool.
Sonop, Sossusvlei, Namibia
Opening: Summer 2019
Namibia is the African destination on everyone’s lips, with noteworthy openings including Hoanib Valley Camp, Skeleton Coast’s Shipwreck Lodge and Omaanda’s luxe thatched huts just outside of Windhoek. Less than a year after its debut with Omaanda, Zannier Hotels will open an exclusive 10-tent camp in the Namib desert in Sossusvlei. The vibe will be high-end explorer meets adrenaline junkie, with horseback desert hacks and e-biking alongside suppers served on silverware.
Calilo, Ios, Greece
Opening: June 2019
While Santorini and Mykonos get the lion’s share of attention in the Cyclades islands, in 2019 eyes will turn to lesser-known Ios. Set in 1,100 acres of atmospheric scrubland, criss-crossed with winding trails, and groves where 485 olive trees (some 700 years old) facing destruction on the mainland have been replanted, Calilo will open on the private 300-metre-long Papas Beach. There will be 30 smart suites, each having a marble pool and Jacuzzi, and you can expect a restaurant serving homegrown organic fare. How to get there? It’s easily reached by a 45-minute ferry ride from Santorini.
The Hoxton Southwark, London, UK
Opening: Summer 2019
The popularity of the hip Hoxton hotel group shows no signs of abating, and its most exciting opening is a 192-room new build on the south side of London’s Blackfriars Bridge, just moments from Tate Modern. A rooftop bar plus five floors of co-working space mean it’s going to be the summer hangout for city creative types. The Hoxton also opens in Chicago’s Meatpacking District in the spring, with a swish rooftop pool and buzz-worthy restaurant in partnership with local hit, Boka.
The Magdalena, Austin, USA
Opening: Autumn 2019
No-one has done as much in recent years to transform Texas’s hotel scene as Liz Lambert – brainchild behind the chic Austin Motel, plus cool teepees and vintage trailers at El Cosmico in Marfa. The Magdalena, the latest project from Lambert’s Bunkhouse Group, is its largest to date. The 89 rooms will open in Austin’s South Congress neighbourhood in buildings designed by renowned architecture firm Lake|Flato, with interiors inspired by the free-spirited lakeside 1970’s culture of Austin’s Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park.
This article has been tagged Destination, Hotels
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