For the hotel industry, 2015 is a year of remarkable openings and re-openings. While the Middle East continues to wow, China is rising as a hospitality hotspot. Two amazing architectural feats are set to debut in Beijing. New York and Paris welcome re-imaginings of grand old dames, while England, South Africa and Florida are home to some sizzling newcomers. A South Pacific nation gets its first international-brand property and in Australia, a fire-ravaged township welcomes a significant new hotel development.
There are openings galore, and something for every taste. In this distilled list, Traveller looks at 15 of the best.
15. Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey's Hotel
Those who loved fabled Aggie Grey's for the old South Pacific classic it once was will be bereft, but the fact is, the Apia property was all but destroyed by cyclone in 2012. And the new hotel is great (in many respects) for Samoa – this is the island nation's first internationally branded property. Expected to open first quarter, it will comprise 198 hotel rooms and bungalows, taking interior design cues from British Colonial and plantation style. Also up, the newly Sheraton-branded and seriously upgraded Samoa Aggie Grey's Resort, which opens before Christmas See starwoodhotels.com.
14. Lowell Hotel, New York City
The likes of Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Lopez have called the Lowell their New York City home. The Upper East Side property of 47 suites (with full kitchens) and 27 deluxe rooms is a landmark for discretion, service and ultra-luxury. When it re-launches in the northern spring, it will include a new restaurant, bar and a guest lounge, all designed by the man known as "The White House Designer," LA-based Michael S. Smith, who reimagined the Oval Office (among other spaces in the historic building). Though he also had a hand in some of the Lowell accommodation spaces, this is a much-anticipated restaurant and bar design first for Smith. See lowellhotel.com.
13. NUO Hotel, Beijing
If you had any doubts that the times they are a-changing in the Chinese capital, NUO Hotel Beijing will be a low-carbon, "intelligent hotel", built around high, officially quantified environmental standards, with a sophisticated air purification system that will make it an oasis of breathability and a German-design that will significantly minimise heating and cooling energy expenditure. NUO Hotel Beijing has its own organic farm and tea plantation and just when you thought it couldn't get any more of the zeitgeist, it happens to be in the groovier-than-though 798 Arts District. And in a world where everything old is new again, NUO's beautiful interiors will pay homage to 3000 years of cultural history and the mighty Ming. It's the debut of a new luxury hotel brand (owned by Kempinski). Open in the northern spring. Website not yet live, but will be nuohotels.com.
12. JW Marriott Resort and Spa, Venice
Luxury brand JW Marriott's Italy debut could not be more spectacular. A new build on the island of Sacca Sessola, the 266 guest rooms and suites designed by chic and sustainability-aware Matteo Thun & Partners of Milan, will be accompanied by a health club, spa, and indoor, outdoor and rooftop swimming pools with amazing views of the city. It's a happy ending for a man-made island that has been a fuel store, waste dump and an infectious diseases hospital. Fortunately, the hospital also featured lovely gardens which gave the site the unofficial name, Isle of the Roses. The gardens and olive groves will be part of the resort. Open in March. See marriott.com.au.
11. Boschendal Estate, South Africa
Boschendal, a National Heritage site built by renowned architect Sir Herbert Baker for historical giant Cecil John Rhodes, welcomes overnight guests for the first time in 2015. One of the oldest wineries in South Africa noted for its white wines, the property's history dates back 300 years to Hugenot origins. The property is near Franschhoek and Stellenbosch and is the Winelands' largest working farm. The farm-stay accommodation is in elegantly and authentically renovated original Cape Dutch labourer cottages as well as the five-bedroom Rhodes Cottage. Guests can roam trails in the scenically located 200-hectare farm, do cellar tours, mountain biking, trout fishing, swimming in the dam, and feast from amped up restaurant facilities and the cellar door. See boschendal.com.
10. EAST, Miami
Joining the EAST stable (there are two existing, one in Hong Kong, the other in Beijing) comes this Miami marvel. Designed by edgy architects Arquitectonica with interiors by cucumber-cool New York-based Clodagh Design, the 263 rooms, eight suites and 89 serviced apartments will be perched on the top of a billion-dollar multi-use development, The Brickell Centre and have great views of Biscayne Bay and the city. The relaxed, fun hotel will be home to an offshoot of the world-renowned Uruguayan seaside grill, La Huella. But the big seller for bright young things will be the spectacular 40th-floor rooftop bar and pumping poolside scene. See east-miami.com.
9. Vibe Hotel and Conference Centre, Marysville, Victoria
Beautiful tourist town Marysville in the Yarra Ranges made international headlines when it was devastated by the Black Saturday fires of February 2009. Six years later comes a good-news story. The Vibe Hotel and Conference Centre Marysville is set to provide 101 sustainable and stylish guest rooms (including five suites), a wood-fire grill gastro pub, cafe, deli and bakery as well as a spa and wellness centre. The venue will also cater for large events, with conference facilities for up to 300 people. It's very important that it succeed – Melbourne architects Metier 3 have seen this as "an opportunity to rebuild a substantial part of the local character" and to "re-establish the charm of an eclectic alpine village". See tfehotels.com.
8. Intercontinental London The O2
The latest chunk of wasteland to be reclaimed in London, the Greenwich Peninsula promises a lot. It is touted to be a high-tech, creative village with gardens, public art and facades designed by some of England's edgiest young visionaries. The 77 hectares of Thames shore, with a Jubilee Line station and of course, the oft-used O2 Arena, will soon have cafes, bars, artists' studios, performance venues, and 10,000 homes in five distinct districts. Plus one very glam hotel. The 452-room InterContinental London The O2 will feature all the usual public spaces. But it's piece de resistance will be a sky bar with 180-degree views over Canary Wharf and the Thames. It will also house Europe's largest pillar-free ballroom. See ihg.com.
7. Mayfair Hotel, Adelaide
As Adelaide continues to grow in stature as a tourism destination, so too the need for hotel space. Hot on the heels of the fabulous budget ibis Adelaide which opened in 2014, comes the Mayfair, a new 4.5-star bringing to life the historic Colonial Mutual Life building on King William Street, right in the heart of the CBD. The 14-storey former office building will comprise 170 guest rooms, including three executive levels with an exclusive outdoor terrace on an upper floor. On the southern side of the existing building will be the "jewel box", a steel and glass atrium that will house the dramatic entry to the hotel. It promises to be the sophisticated inner city heritage property the pretty southern city has been missing. See mayfairhotel.com.au.
6. Hard Rock, Dubai
Inexplicably to some, the Hard Rock brand continues to be one of the strongest in the hospitality world with nearly 200 themed hotels, cafes and casinos around the world, each housing dazzling music and fashion memorabilia and gaudy interiors. Now the US-based Hard Rock International is set to open its first hotel in the Middle East, in Dubai Marina, in the third quarter of 2015. The 281-room Hard Rock Hotel Dubai Marina, costing a cool $190 million, will occupy the first 33 floors of the Marina 101 tower, which will be the second tallest building in the UAE. But the highest floor in the building, level 101, will also be Hard Rock, with a no doubt spectacular bar and restaurant being installed. It's in a lively part of the Dubai, close to Media City and the university, so expect its restaurants and bars to attract a young crowd. See hardrock.com.
5. Hilton Paris Opera
The Concorde Opera Paris hotel may still be open, but a US$50 million restoration is under way ahead of its much anticipated re-launch as Hilton Paris Opera in early 2015. Once the refurb is complete, the 125-year-old classic Parisian hotel will have 268 rooms across five floors, and a big, glamorous events offering. Designed by French monument and train station architect Juste Lisch, the hotel opened in time for the Exposition Universelle of 1889. Paris-based ERTIM Architects in collaboration with august hospitality designers Richmond International of London are conjuring Paris' Golden Age, bringing back to life the grand original arched entrance hall and Grand Salon. Frescoes, Corinthian colonnades and imposing original balustrades are offset with bespoke modern furnishings and a bar inspired by fashion designer Christian Lacroix. See hilton.com.
4. Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel, Bath, England
World Heritage listed Bath has been quietly evolving back to its Roman bath roots. The Thermae Bath Spa, now attracts 260 thousand visitors a year with its roof-top pool and thermal waters. Up until now, it's been the only spa of its kind in Britain. Enter the Gainsborough Bath Spa, not only a natural thermal spa but a hotel as well. When it opens in early 2015, the property, with a Georgian, Grade II listed facade will feature 99 guestrooms, the Gainsborough Restaurant offering locally sourced and seasonal fare, and of course, a great spa. Spa Village Bath will cover two levels and 1300 square metres and features an apothecary, natural thermal water pools, ice chamber, sauna, steam room, movement studio, fitness centre and 11 treatment rooms, all based around the local thermal waters. See thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk.
3. Nobu, Riyadh
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his high-powered backer Robert de Niro are doing it again, this time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Nobu Riyadh, on King Fahed Road in the Al Anoud Tower 2, a member of Leading Hotels of the World, opens as the second Nobu hotel in the world, after the hot Las Vegas property. The brand is more known for 30-odd high end, new-style Japanese restaurants in New York, London, Tokyo, Milan and elsewhere. The Riyadh property will spearhead the proliferation of Nobu-themed hotels in the UAE. What's that theme? Simple, zen, streamlined comfort with interiors by long time Matsuhisa collaborator David Rockwell injecting signature elegant ultra-luxury. The property will include a Nobu restaurant, a Zan patisserie and tea shop and the usual fitness and spa facilities. Expected mid-2015. See nobuhotelriyadh.com.
2. Palazzo Versace, Dubai
The second Palazzo Versace hotel has been a long time coming. Since the first opened on the Gold Coast in 2000, it's maintained the glory of being the one and only while other fashion-label branded hotels have sprung up (Bulgari, Armani). That's about to change with a Versace-branded luxury hotel finally set to open in Dubai, seven years after construction started. Slowed by the financial crisis and changes in ownership, Palazzo Versace Dubai is slated to be finished before the end of March. The 215-room property will include 169 luxury suites with one to six bedrooms and a residential tower. The project, located between Garhoud Bridge and Business Bay Crossing, will eventually have residential, commercial, retail, entertainment and cultural components. A 3.8-kilometere creek-side promenade will connect it to a souq and marina. Like its Gold Coast counterpart, Palazzo Versace will have furniture and fittings designed by Donatella Versace. See palazzoversace.ae.
1. Sunrise Kempinksi, Beijing
It's a December 2014 opening, but the hotel story of 2015 will be this architectural wonder. On the edge of a lake 60 kilometres outside the centre of Beijing, buildings don't come with better feng shui than this. "Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing embodies the shape of the rising sun and symbolises harmony, unity and infinity. From a side-angle view, the hotel building is shaped like a scallop which represents 'fortune' in the Chinese culture. The front view is that of the 'Rising Sun'– Symbolic of the 'fast- developing economy of China'. The main entrance of the hotel is shaped like the mouth of a fish, symbolic of 'prosperity'," or so says the hotel's official spin. All that, yet it still has smoking rooms. Some things in China are slower to change than others. See kempinski.com.
