Forbes Travel Guide’s 25 Most Anticipated Hotel Openings Of 2025

Travel

From Montana to Melbourne, here are the hottest new luxury getaways for the coming year.By Forbes Travel Guide

Every year, Forbes Travel Guide rates the finest hotels, spas, cruises and restaurants in the world, but its editors and ratings team are always scouring the globe for the most anticipated luxury hotel openings.

For 2025, the emphasis is on wellness getaways, city-center stays, remote retreats and other hotels that will make guests want to rethink old favorites and be among the first to check into a new property. From a stunning sanctuary rising from the Arizona desert to a snow-capped masterpiece coming to Italy, 2025’s best new hotels include a galaxy of future Four- and Five-Star properties.

Waldorf Astoria San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
A central Mexico city known for its timeless architecture and colonial sensibilities, San Miguel de Allende will get a jolt of modernity when this Waldorf Astoria opens in early 2025. The high-end brand is strengthening its presence in the country with a 120-room, 24-residence property that will include a lavish spa, a meditation area, an on-site art gallery and three restaurants—all in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Faena New York
When Faena debuts in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood in the spring, it will be a red beacon in a sea of greige hotels. The design team that devised the aesthetics for Faena properties in Buenos Aires and Miami will add the same dramatic, whimsical touches to the 120 rooms and suites overlooking the High Line. Faena also will feature the Tierra Santa Healing House spa and sizzling nightlife.

The Lake Como EDITION
Italy’s third-biggest lake has been a draw for European nobles and elite travelers since the 18th century. With Marriott’s Edition taking over for the weathered Britannia Excelsior Hotel, that trend should only continue. This re-envisioned Lake Como stay with sparkling water and mountain vistas will also include 145 rooms, a floating pool and a host of restaurants and bars done with the Edition’s subtle, sophisticated touch.Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort
Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort
For Naples, Florida, to be a city of less than 20,000 people, it carries a hefty share of luxury hotels. To stand out from the competitive crowd, the Four Seasons’ new 216-room Beach Club plans to woo with outdoor lounges, a beachside garden, numerous dining options, stellar waterfront looks and a 58-unit private residence village.Corinthia Rome
Corinthia Rome
The site of the former Central Bank of Italy will be a traveler’s treasure trove when it opens in the summer as Corinthia’s first hotel in the country. The 1914 neoclassical palazzo is minutes from sights like the Pantheon, it will have 60 lavish accommodations and a spa, and it will debut restaurants from noted chef Carlo Cracco encircling a lush courtyard.One&Only Moonlight Basin
One&Only Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, Montana
This majestic Montana hideaway will serve as One&Only’s sole U.S. property, offering premium access to the beauty of Big Sky in the form of hikes, rock climbing and fly fishing. Olson Kundig designed the 73 rooms and 19 cabins with warm woods and floor-to-ceiling windows that stun in every season.Fairmont Golden Prague
Fairmont Golden Prague
This riverside Brutalist landmark will get a new life as a hotel with 320 stylish contemporary rooms and suites (including 44 Fairmont Gold accommodations that come with access to a lounge), striking Czech art and glass pieces throughout the property, six restaurants and bars, and a 15,000-square-foot spa featuring treatment suites that open to private gardens.
Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai
This superyacht-like hotel (top) will drop anchor next to the sail-shaped Jumeirah Burj Al Arab and the wave-inspired Jumeirah Beach Hotel. The Dubai brand’s newest architectural marvel will have 386 accommodations, five pools, a three-story spa with 13 treatment suites that come with terraces and, fittingly, an 82-berth superyacht marina. But the property will truly make waves with its 11 restaurants and nine bars.Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Cabo Del Sol
Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Cabo Del Sol
Sitting along the Sea of Cortez, the Park Hyatt will give guests a view of the water from all 163 sand-hued accommodations and the three ocean-facing pools. But you will also want to visit to try the top-notch golf course, the beach club and the 59,000-square-foot wellness center with a spa, yoga studio and lap pool.
Mandarin Oriental Cristallo, Cortina
By taking over the historic Hotel Cristallo in mountainous Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, this new Mandarin Oriental becomes the brand’s first alpine getaway. As if that weren’t enticing enough, the opening of the amenity-filled property (83 rooms, extensive dining options, an indoor-outdoor pool) comes in advance of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which will host some events less than 20 miles from the hotel.Capella Kyoto: Kengo Kuma and Associates
Capella Kyoto
Japan’s first Capella hotel will embrace the local culture. In the Miyagawa-chō district, known for its geiko (or geisha) heritage, it will curate cultural experiences with the Miyagawa Maiko Performance School. The 92-room hotel with a bamboo courtyard also will showcase Japanese design. “The interiors weave a tale of intimate harmony between art, culture and composition,” told Forbes Travel Guide in 2022.
Regent Bali Canggu
Taking up a coveted stretch of the surfer-favorite Canggu coastline, the beachfront hideaway sits among 15 acres of gardens. Inside the 150 suites and villas, the design takes cues from contemporary Indonesian fashion and culture. Upgrade to Regent Club accommodations for entry to a private lounge and infinity pool, but all guests can enjoy the five restaurants and bars.Four Seasons Resort Mykonos Greece
Four Seasons Resort Mykonos, Greece
Greece’s famed beach-club-laden island will get a new dose of sophisticated luxury when Four Season moves in. Stretching from the beach to the cliffs, the hotel will adopt Mykonos’ Cycladic architecture with whitewashed courtyards, winding pathways and stunning piazzas for its 94 rooms, villas and suites. It’ll also feature a modern Mykonian kafeneio (café) and an infinity pool overlooking the Aegean Sea.Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley The Palmeraie
The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, The Palmeraie, Scottsdale
This Scottsdale hotel promises a desert sanctuary of 215 light-filled, casita-inspired guest rooms dotting the lush 18-acre grounds nestled beneath Camelback Mountain. Guests can also expect an oasis-like feel throughout the property, with hydrating treatments at the full-service spa, oxygen-enhanced accommodations and North America’s longest resort pool.
Park Hyatt Johannesburg
Park Hyatt will unveil its first hotel in South Africa in early 2025. Renowned design studio Yabu Pushelberg has overseen the transformation of the former Winston Hotel with 31 individually designed guest rooms, an atmospheric open-air bar, a restaurant serving fire-grilled fare and a sought-after location in the Rosebank district.Four Seasons Resort and Residences Amaala at Triple Bay
Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA at Triple Bay, Saudi Arabia
This Red Sea refuge is destined to be the next premier wellness destination, offering a harmonious blend of luxury and landscape. The resort’s 220 rooms and suites center the stunning surroundings along Saudi Arabia’s northwestern coast, where nature’s rejuvenating qualities merge with wellness amenities such as the organic spa garden, outdoor workouts by fitness expert Harley Pasternak and a sleep concierge.
Mandarin Oriental, Vienna
This Vienna newcomer is poised to make a remarkable debut with a beautifully restored Art Nouveau building, designed by Alfred Keller in 1903. The structure served as the city’s commercial law court for the past century, but now it will feature 163 rooms and suites, a winter garden, a pool and a fitness center, all designed to meld Vienna’s rich history with its future.
Six Senses Burnham Beeches, Australia
This former private mansion will revive Australian Art Deco when it opens as an elegant, 43-room haven outside Melbourne in the forested foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. A library bar, a garden rooftop retreat and unique design elements will evoke the building’s genteel, festive heyday. The country’s first Six Senses aims to be regenerative, and guests can join the effort in the onsite Earth Lab.
The Carlton, Milan
Like the city itself, The Carlton, Milan will radiate style, sophistication and good taste. Rocco Forte Hotels’ director of design Olga Polizzi collaborated with interior designers Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen to create 70 rooms and suites, a wellness center and a panoramic rooftop bar befitting the Italian capital of design.1 Hotel Melbourne
1 Hotel Melbourne
This Melbourne addition will mark the eco-friendly hospitality brand’s debut Down Under. Given the shared cultural emphasis on sustainability, wellness and celebrating the natural landscape, the 277-room property is a natural fit. The space will provide an urban oasis on the Yarra River, with Bamford Wellness Spa, waterfront views and locally sourced, reclaimed building materials setting a mood of low-impact lavishness.
Amanvari, Los Cabos
The Aman brand prides itself on offering vacation escapes that seamlessly blend into their surroundings (see: Utah’s Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Amangiri and Hangzhou’s Four-Star Amanfayun). When Amanvari (“peace” and “water” in Sanskrit) opens on an estuary in Baja’s East Cape, it’ll be the latest example of nuanced design (20 hotel pavilions and 24 private residences) and nature (a spa and an infinity pool overlooking the Sea of Cortez) working hand in hand.
The Langham, Tokyo
The Langham brand chose starchitect Kengo Kuma, designer of Japan’s National Stadium for the 2020 Summer Olympics, to create a hotel in Tokyo’s buzzy Roppongi Hills district. Although much is still under wraps for this project, with the brand’s seal of approval and Kuma’s visionary talent, The Langham, Tokyo is sure to dazzle.Collegio alla Querce
Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Resorts Collection, Florence
History and luxury will converge at Collegio, set to open in Florence in March. This former boarding school has been meticulously transformed into an 82-room estate close to Tuscany’s cultural treasures. The famous duomo is just three miles away, but the stunning property’s three restored 16th-century buildings and terraced Baroque gardens could be enticing enough to keep you from leaving.
Rosewood Amsterdam
According to the 2024 World Happiness Report, the Netherlands is the sixth happiest place on Earth. If the Dutch keep building lovely escapes like this new Rosewood—the former Palace of Justice building overlooking the Prince’s Canal will feature 134 rooms and suites, a library-adorned lobby lounge, a spa and an indoor pool—the smile on Amsterdam tourists’ faces will rival the grins on its full-time residents.The St. Regis Cap Cana
The St. Regis Cap Cana Resort, Dominican Republic
While its opening may be delayed until early 2025, this Dominican Republic escape promises to make the wait worthwhile. Through 200 neutral-toned rooms (including some swim-out options), nine culinary entries, the St. Regis Spa and the Punta Espada golf course, the Cap Cana retreat seems destined to handsomely reward travelers’ patience.
BONUS PICK
Romeo Roma
You won’t have to wait until the new year for your next Roman holiday, as this 74-room boutique beauty will open December 17. The historic palazzo, which dates to the 1500s, once served as a residence for a noble family. This converted property represents the final project of the late Zaha Hadid, continuing her architectural legacy with 16th-century frescos, an Alain Ducasse restaurant and the 13,000-square-foot La Spa Sisley Paris.

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The Science Behind Smiling

Science and Health

You smile when you’re happy. You smile when you’re satisfied. Now try a smile when you’re bummed—see if good feelings start to kick in 3…2…1…Turns out, actions affect emotions: you’re not smiling because you’re happy, but rather, you realize you’re happy because of your instinctive reaction to smile. Darwin suggested that that our emotions are influenced by, not the cause of, our facial reactions; only after having a physical reaction can you deduce how you feel about something. With that logic, faking a smile actually increases positive vibes. Studies show that smiling reduces stress-enhancing hormones while boosting mood-enhancing hormones. Scientific American, however, cited studies that showed knowledge of this effect could reverse its results. “At first the brain says ‘I’m smiling; I must be happy!’ But upon learning that smiling can be a proactive strategy, this turns into ‘I’m smiling; I must be trying to make myself happy—I must be sad!’… In the same way you can’t set your alarm clock forward 10 minutes to trick yourself into punctuality, artificially forcing a smile isn’t going to do much for your happiness. Too much knowledge and the jig is up.” (quick! forget you read this!)But it still doesn’t hurt to fake it, as one study from Penn State notes that smiling makes you appear more likable, courteous, and competent. Plus, it’s a global communicator, translatable in all languages: smiling is one of few biologically uniform reactions across the world. Babies smile in the womb. Blind babies smile at the sound of a human voice. And researchers found that members of a tribe in Papa New Guinea, one that’s completely disconnected from Western civilization, also smile when feeling joyous or satisfied.In his TED talk, “The Hidden Power of Smiling,” Ron Gutman said that a third of Americans smile at least 20 times a day, and roughly 14 percent smile less than five times a day. Children, on the other hand, smile around 400 times a day. One British study managed to put a price tag on it: One smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as receiving up to $25,000 in cash or 2,000 bars of chocolate.Gutman cites an amusing 30-year study that looked at yearbook photos and accurately predicted, based on their smiles, their sense of fulfillment in their marriage, standardized scores of well-being, and how inspiring that person would be to others. Looking at old baseball cards, research also found that the span of the player’s smile directly correlated with his life span: those who didn’t smile lived an average of 73 years, and those with beaming smiles on average lived to be 80.Interested in reading more positive and solution-focused articles? Receive the Utne Uplifter newsletter! This video by BrainCraft explores the origins of studies in smiling:[embedded content]Image by joyuousjoym Blessings, licensed under Creative Commons.

Singapore Writers Festival 2024: Humour and hard science in Cat Bohannon’s lecture

Science and Health

SINGAPORE – The mating habits of pandas, rhinoceroses and wombats, the relative sizes of hominid baby heads versus birth canals and why women rack up an additional US$15 billion (S$20 billion) in healthcare spending were just some of the topics covered in Cat Bohannon’s wide-ranging keynote lecture at the Singapore Writers Festival on Nov 16. Pacing back and forth across the Victoria Theatre stage, the author of Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years Of Human Evolution (2023) held a packed audience rapt as she spoke about the male norm and how badly made models lead to bad medicine. 

US agriculture exporters fear trade war 2.0 will ‘kill’ China business

Business News

SHANGHAI – Mr Manuel Garibay travelled from the American north-west to Shanghai in early November, hoping to sell dried cherries to Chinese consumers.
But even in an exhibition hall filled with prospective buyers at China’s largest import expo, he worried that the lucrative market – which makes up a fifth of his company’s profits – might soon grow harder to reach.
As the spectre of a renewed trade war looms under a second Donald Trump presidency, the sales manager at Royal Ridge Fruits, a Washington state cherry grower, expects Beijing to retaliate with levies of its own “to agriculture, and to us”. 

“I think if tariffs are imposed, it could potentially kill all our Chinese business,” he told The Straits Times on Nov 6, shortly before Trump won the US presidential election.
The American agri-food industry is bracing for a fresh round of economic pain, should he up the ante in a trade war that has already hit it hard.
Heavily exposed to the Chinese market and seen to form part of Trump’s support base, the farm sector has been a handy target for Beijing to retaliate against US tariffs.

When Trump slapped levies of up to 25 per cent on a range of Chinese goods in 2018, China responded with tit-for-tat duties on US products including soya beans, pork and fruit.

American farmers lost more than US$27 billion (S$36 billion) in exports from mid-2018 to 2019 – mostly from China, the US agriculture department estimated.
A de-escalatory deal known as the Phase One agreement was later inked in 2020 during the Trump administration, and Beijing granted some tariff waivers to support farm purchases.
This time, the President-elect has said that he would impose taxes of 60 per cent or more on Chinese imports.

“US soya beans and corn are prime targets for tariffs,” wrote economists from the American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association in October. 
A study commissioned by both associations and released that month projected that their farmers could lose as much as US$7.3 billion combined in annual production value over the next decade, if China responds with 60 per cent tariffs.
“The soya beans, the beef, the chicken – they’re going to hurt,” said American whiskey exporter Daniel Benefield of Rad Beverage International, on the sidelines of the Shanghai import fair.
He believes that his industry will be spared as Chinese imports of American spirits are low, but that Beijing would “hit” agriculture given the large volumes traded.
China is the US’ largest overseas market for agricultural products. The sector accounted for a fifth of total US exports of goods to China in 2023.  

2 Tourism Villages in Indonesia Receive Best Tourism Villages 2024 Award from UN Tourism

Travel

SEAToday.com, Jakarta – Two tourist villages in Indonesia, Jatiluwih Tourism Village (Bali) and Wukirsari Tourism Village (Special Region of Yogyakarta) won the “Best Tourism Villages 2024” award from the United Nations World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism. The fourth edition of the award was held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, Thursday, November 14, 2024.
Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana welcomed the award from the UN Tourism to two Indonesian tourist villages that successfully became part of the 55 Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism 2024.
The tourism village development program has become the Ministry of Tourism’s flagship program in recent years. This is also in line with the vision of village development as stated in the national priorities of the Asta Cita of the Red and White Cabinet.
“I am very proud and optimistic that this award can be an inspiration for other tourist villages in Indonesia to continue to optimize the potential of natural wealth, cultural heritage, and empowerment of the village community towards more inclusive and sustainable tourism,” said Menpar Widiyanti in her statement in Jakarta, Saturday, November 16, 2024.
Best Tourism Villages is held to capture pilot villages that successfully develop tourism, by empowering local communities, and preserving local traditions and heritage.
Based on data, by 2024, 245 villages have become members of the Best Tourism Villages Network, which is expected to be part of the largest global tourist village network.
The success of Nglanggeran Village in 2021, Penglipuran Village in 2023, as well as Jatiluwih Tourism Village, and Wukirsari Tourism Village in 2024 to be awarded as Best Tourism Villages is a form of international recognition of the quality of tourist villages in Indonesia.
“Of course, we cannot be complacent about this achievement. We at the Ministry of Tourism will continue to strive to strengthen the ecosystem of tourist villages in the country through collective commitment for the advancement of Indonesian tourism,” said Widiyanti.
Jatiluwih Tourism Village, Bali and Wukirsari Tourism Village, Yogyakarta Special Region were successfully selected from around 260 candidates from more than 60 UN Tourism member countries.
Nominees from Indonesia were selected from tourist villages that were certified as sustainable in the 2019-2024 period. This is because the certification assessment indicators represent the nine evaluation areas of Best Tourism Villages. For tourist villages that have not been included as Best Tourism Villages, UN Tourism presents an assistance program in the form of an upgrade program for 20 selected tourist villages.

Queer Books For Your Christmas Reading List

Arts & Culture, Books

With Christmas fast approaching it’s the perfect time to start thinking about your next read to enjoy during some down time in the holidays and these queer books are the perfect place to start.
And at this time of the year there are no shortage of options.
So if you enjoy a good queer story, we’ve picked some of the latest stories you might not have heard of just yet.
The Sweetness Between Us: Sarah Winifred Searle
Sarah Searle had a fantastic year in 2023, her book The Greatest Thing picked up the top prize for Young Adult Literature at the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards . The story of queer high school student Winifred received plenty of praise and was also shortlisted as the CBCA Book of the Year. In 2024 Sarah follows up with The Sweetness Between Us, described as Heartstopper meets vampires this addictive graphic novel offers a unique perspective in the world of queer young adult literature.
Image: Allen & Unwin
Avast! Pirate Stories from Transgender Authors
After something a little different? Pirate Stories From Transgender Authors is a unique anthology with a twist. Part short stories, part poetry and prose and part graphic novel every story is just that little bit different. Tackling the theme of pirates each of these seven transgender authors write about everything from friends bootlegging CD’s to chasing UFO’s and punk renegades. These bite sized stories will have you hooked.
Image: Fremantle Press
Girl Crushed: Maggie Horne
Girl Crushed is another queer YA story, this one follows the story of Noah as she navigates high school in middle America. Returning from summer camp Noah faces the challenges of understanding her identity has her friends around her start to develop interest in boys. As she begins to feel left out among her peer group Noah has to make plans about just what she’s prepared to do to fit in with her friends.

Image: Affirm Press