Fall’s Most Exciting Hotel Openings

From The Hoxton to the Waldorf Astoria, Amsterdam's best hotels are beginning to embrace a more updated kind of luxury—and landmarks are following suit. The Pulitzer, an icon for centuries, is the latest to refresh. Each of the 225 rooms, spread across 25 historic canal houses, have been individually redesigned as artful combinations of past and present Dutch aesthetics. For inspiration, Creative Director Jacu Strauss (whose previous work includes the Mondrian London under Tom Dixon) drew heavily from the dark, moody work of Old Masters (oil paintings and gold-framed mirrors sourced from city markets; Delft tiles and stucco ceilings), but also included modern pieces such as Maarten Baas furniture and Persian rugs by Piet Hein Eek.

Europe’s most anticipated new stay, built on a cliff in the quiet Lake Como town of Torno, lives up to the hype. Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola designed all 30 suites and villas with the open-plan style of sister property Le Sereno in St. Barts in mind: interiors are done up in stone and copper as well as a smattering of local artisan artwork, geometric armchairs, and sculpted wood tables, all of which lends a contemporary, more relaxed vibe than traditional hotels like Villa d’Este. Our favorite perks: the terrace overlooking Lake Como, with two vertical gardens designed by botanist Patrick Blanc, and the two wooden motorboats on hand to whisk guests north to Bellagio for a romantic dinner.

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This Yucatán Peninsula newcomer, debuting this October, is proof the luxury circuit isn’t only limited to Cancún. And jungle living never looked so good: 38 pool villas, two presidential suites, and a 19th-century restored hacienda are scattered across 750 acres of Mayan forest, complete with a Maya garden (cultivated using century-old harvesting methods) that provides ingredients for the main restaurant as well as a cellar that reportedly stocks the world’s largest private tequila collection. The hotel's best asset, however, is the destination spa, built within a natural cenote (cave), which uses ancient Mayan healing techniques to help transport you even further back in time.

It's been an agonizing three years since we heard NYC's landmark 5 Beekman Street building would reopen—and the wait is finally over. The glorious 1881, red-brick Beekman has debuted with 287 rooms including two duplex "Turret" suites with roof access; destination restaurants from Tom Colicchio and Keith McNally; and, in the restored nine-story atrium, an atmospheric lobby bar with layer upon layer of Persian rugs, velvet armchairs and hanging portraits of Edgar Allen Poe, who once wrote in this very space.

This coastal retreat on New Zealand’s North Island, which debuts just in time for summer in the Southern Hemisphere, is giving nearby Huka Lodge a run for its money. With just five villa suites that fit up to 10 guests, the residential retreat is a luxurious study in exclusivity, where balconies overlook the bay and a main house has communal areas for socializing—be it in the library, around the outdoor fire pit, at the gym, or by the heated courtyard swimming pool. At the hotel's restaurant, executive chef Michele Martino and chef Ernesto Iaccarino (of Italy’s two-Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890) dish up elevated Italian cuisine using ingredients sourced from the estate's own farm. JS Tip: It's a two-hour scenic drive from Auckland, but a 45-minute helicopter flight is available for those looking to make an entrance.

Welcome to St. Bart's next destination hideaway. Opening in October, this glamorous hotel has 46 elegant, understated rooms set along 600 feet of beachfront. The sun-filled interiors feature natural materials, terraces with drop-down screens (for extra privacy), and pops of turquoise and lime green that echo the sea and swaying palm leaves just a stone's throw away. Spend your afternoons paddle boarding or sunfish sailing out on the still waters of the Grand Cul-de-Sac, then head to Le Spa for a body scrub or massage.

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Japan's second Four Seasons outpost opens in October at the foot of Higashiyama Mountain in Kyoto’s temple district. Here, public spaces take cues from the area's bamboo groves and Zen gardens, incorporating materials like natural wood and stone as well as walls made of shoji screens. There are four restaurants on the property but the standout is undoubtedly the garden tea house, accessible via a glass bridge. Guests can sign up for tea ceremony lessons before retiring to their spacious room, all 124 of which come with luxurious customizable beds (choose between plush, signature, and firm) and—in some—beautiful views of the surrounding temples and 800-year-old ikeniwa (pond garden).

You might say the 20-year-old Nomad Tanzania knows this corner of the world more intimately than most—which might explain how their next venture is the first to secure a previously untapped viewpoint. Six canvas bungalows, lined up along the Ngorongoro Crater Rim, feature unprecedented vistas of both the crater floor sunrises and Serengeti sunsets. The camp itself is modest, built with a minimal environmental footprint, so that the focus stays on why you're there—game drives to explore the wildlife-rich Crater (home to the big five), Masai village visits, and Highland walks.

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Myanmar has been high on the traveler's bucket list for a while, but the country has lacked a true luxury resort until now. On the glittering shores of Inle Lake, known for its stilt-house villages and floating gardens, Sanctum sets a new standard for the region. The 94 teak and timber rooms, with high ceilings and four-poster beds, are arranged around a lush courtyard framed by Spanish-style archways; there's an Olympic-size pool overlooking the lake, a full-service spa, a room stocked with books and board games, Shan cooking at the Heritage House, and a Cloister Bar serving local brews, international wines, and Cuban cigars.

We’ve lost count of how many luxury resorts are breaking ground in the Maldives this year, including a St. Regis, a Soneva, and a Four Seasons. Hurawalhi, however, stands out from the rest. And why, do you ask? The resort will have the world’s largest underwater restaurant. Named "5.8" after its metered depth, the dining space is reachable via a spiral staircase from a jetty hut and will serve tasting menus to 16 guests. Above ground, the resort is all about sustainable luxury: there’s a property-specific water bottling plant, huge solar panels that blend seamlessly into the surrounding architecture, and a desalination system that turns seawater into clean drinking and shower water. In other words, a stay here will have you feeling good—in more ways than one.

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The Aparium Hotel Group is on a mission to transform historic buildings in less-visited cities to destinations in their own right—all while maintaining a strong sense of place. This fall, a 19th-century logging warehouse in the North Loop opens its doors as The Hewing. One step inside is all it takes to see the city's Nordic history come alive. Rooms are a blend of Scandinavian cabin-chic, while a rooftop Social Club and bar keeps a steady crowd. Next up for the brand? The highly anticipated Foundation Hotel in downtown Detroit, slated to open early next year.

This 19th-century family estate in coastal Lagos is a fresh vision of contemporary Portuguese design—though it operates more like its own tiny community than a boutique hotel. At Casa Mãe, there are 30 individually designed guest rooms spread throughout three houses decorated with local art (think colorful textiles, woodwork, and ceramics), as well as two restaurants with their own organic gardens, a bakery, a farmer's market, an alfresco movie theater, and even an in-house magazine.

Zimbabwe is fast becoming one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, thanks in part to the expansion of Victoria Falls Airport and a new outpost for &Beyond. Each rebuilt villa, suite, and private residence at Matetsi, split between two camps on a 123,500-acre private wildlife concession, is fitted with local crafts and ensuite bathrooms and looks out over the Zambezi River. Just 24 miles upstream, the camp is the perfect jumping off point for exploring Victoria Falls. A free tour of the falls is included with a two-night stay plus hikes and high tea at the Edwardian-style Victoria Falls Hotel.