The best hotel openings 2023

One&Only Aesthesis, Athens, Greece

Known for its resorts around Africa and Asia, One&Only launched its first European outpost in 2021 in Montenegro – one of the year’s biggest triumphs. Now, it’s opening a second European site on the Athenian Riviera. A short drive from the ancient city, the Athens Riviera is the summer haunt of the city’s jet-set – beaches, coves, marina towns and pine-covered peninsulas. One&Only Athens will debut in autumn 2023 on a private 21-hectare oceanfront estate near Glyfada, harking back to the Sixties halcyon days of the Riviera – where the likes of Aristotle Onassis and Frank Sinatra would sail on yachts. Rooms and pool bungalows will dor the private cove alongside two signature restaurants, stylish bars and a destination Beach Club: The soul of a Greek island resort, but 30 minutes from the city centre. 
Opening October 2023; oneandonlyresorts.com

Six Senses Desert Dunes, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia

Guests will be able to experience the first taste of Saudi Arabia‘s much-hyped giga projects this year with the opening of the first phase of the Red Sea. Dubbed ‘the world’s most ambitious tourism project’, the Red Sea development will encompass island resorts with overwater villas and extend into the striking nearby desert dunes, where Six Senses will debut in the Kingdom. The beautiful resort, one of the most exciting hotel openings in 2023 in the region, will lie among the sands near the rugged Hijaz mountains and offer guests accommodation in luxury tented villas, with a Six Senses spa, an all-day dining restaurant complemented by a chef’s table and cooking school, and juice, brew and water bar.
Opening autumn 2023; sixsenses.com

Raffles OWO, London, UK

A hotel can rarely open and already have such an intense soul, history and identity. That’s precisely the case for Raffles OWO, which, after years of anticipation, will finally open its doors this summer in London’s neo-Baroque Edwardian-era Old War Office. It’s a befitting location for the Singapore-based hotel brand‘s London debut – the former HQ of MI5 and Winston Churchill’s war office. If the walls could live, they would tell stories of Winston Churchill and John Profumo – of spies and wartime secrets, but they will soon see another side to the property in its new guise as a luxury hotel. Classical British rooms and suites will fill the palatial space – with suites themed on iconic figures from the office’s history, while restaurants include openings by Chef Mauro Colagreco. Expect a sprawling spa and wellness centre – the first Guerlain branded in the UK capital – and rooftop bar with views of London’s most iconic sights. 
Opening summer 2023; all.accor.com

The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai, UAE

Set to take Dubai’s Business Bay neighbourhood and canal to new, elevated heights, The Lana, Dorchester Collection will open in September 2023. From the group behind global properties like the eponymous Dorchester in London, The Beverly Hills Hotel and Paris’ Plaza Athénée, the new hotel and residences occupies a visually striking 30-storey waterfront property and boasts 225 luxurious guest rooms (of which 69 are suites). Guests can expect neutral contemporary design – furnishings in gold, olive and taupe – and leading facilities like a vast, transforming rooftop space – complete with lounge, bar and pool – and a wellness centre. Dining outlets include a Mediterranean restaurant, an Italian café and an alluring experiential restaurant. Guests can enjoy boat rides from the property to One at Palm Jumeirah, Dorchester Collection’s original Dubai property to use the beach facilities.
Opening September 2023, dorchestercollection.com

Janu Tokyo, Japan (now March 2024)

This year sees the debut opening of a highly anticipated project from luxury hotel brand Aman – a ‘more affordable’ social spin-off named Janu. While Aman means ‘peace’ in Sanskrit, Janu means ‘soul’ – a name which will inspire the brand to focus on creating energetic social spaces and human connection. Janu Tokyo will mark the debut of the exciting and luxurious new lifestyle brand in Autumn 2023, opening in the city’s ‘Modern Urban Village’ Azabudai Hills and occupying 13 floors of the new B-2 District Tower, Aman Janu will feature 122 light-filled guest rooms and suites (many with views of the iconic Tokyo Tower), six dining outlets, including an open-kitchen grill offering, an Italian food emporium and two Japanese restaurants, as well as a bar, lounge and terrace. A real draw here will be Janu Tokyo’s sprawling 4,000sq m wellness space – one of the largest in the Japanese capital – which will house five movement studios, Pilates and gold training, a gym, hydrotherapy and thermal area, two indoor pools and seven treatment rooms. Janu is also set to open in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla in 2027 and in historic Diriyah.
Opening March 2024; janu.com

Hotel La Palma Capri, Italy

Another exciting hotel opening in 2023 will take place in Capri – the glamourous Italian island off the coast of Naples. While the branding is new, the hotel certainly isn’t, as this was Capri’s first ever hotel dating back to 1822. Over 200 years later, the hotel has been taken over by the Oetker Collection (or St Barths’s Eden Rock, The Woodward Geneva and Le Bristol in Paris) in collaboration with the Rueben Brothers (known for their modern and shiny designs like Mondrian Shoreditch and Venice’s Palazzo Experimental). The white-washed building has been painstakingly renovated to retain its original charm and soul: rooms have been reduced from 80 to 50, allowing for more spacious rooms and suites and all now come with a balcony. Pop across the way to La Palma Beach club, the hotel’s waterfront hangout, or stroll around the corner to Capri’s famous dining hub Piazzetta.
Opening summer 2023; oetkercollection.com

Mondrian Singapore

Mondrian has exciting plans for the world – recently announcing an opening in Riyadh and joining its property of hotels in the likes of Doha, East London and Los Angeles. This year the playful brand will open in Singapore’s Duxton Hill neighbourhood – occupying a high rise amidst the area’s historic Chinese shophouses, art galleries and artsy hangouts. As it is Mondrian’s DNA, art is at the hotel’s heart, and locally commissioned works will be found throughout. Guests can dine at a steakhouse or enjoy views of the neighbourhood from the rooftop bar and pool. 
Singapore; opening March 2023; ennismore.com

Le Grand Mazarin, Paris, France

Martin Brudnizki’s projects are known for their warmth, colour and Art-Deck style design (the man is behind revered interiors in the likes of London’s The Ivy and Annabel’s and Greece’s Four Seasons Astir Palace). The Swedish designer had his first foray into holistic hotel design last year with the opening of Broadwick Soho – a 57-bedroom townhouse – and this year has turned his attention to Paris with a boutique opening slated for spring. Le Grand Mazarin, located in the charming Le Marais neighbourhood, will take inspiration from the literary salons of the Parisian Belle Epoque, with 61 rooms and 11 suites featuring Brudnizki’s signature whimsical design. On top of a restaurant and bar centred around aperitif, there will also be a swimming pool – a rarity in the City of Light. 
Opening spring 2023; legrandmazarin.com

Six Senses Rome, Italy

Marking Six Senses’ debut in Italy, Six Senses Rome opened this spring – taking over a historic UNESCO-listed palazzo just minutes from the Fontana di Trevi and Pantheon. All the hallmarks of a Six Senses property are present – focusing on wellness and rejuvenation – but with the best bits of the Italian capital – such as a courtyard garden and rooftop terrace. Guests can enjoy the famed Six Senses Spa – which centres around the ancient traditions of Roman baths and a restaurant blending Six Senses’ focus on organic living and wellness with the tradition of a classical Italian trattoria – a marriage we’re intrigued to see come to life.
Opening now; sixsenses.com

Bulgari Rome, Italy

Surprisingly, a Bulgari hotel is not yet present in Rome – but such has been the case until 2023 (20 years after the marque opened its first hotel in Milan). London, Dubai and Bali followed, but now is the Eternal City’s turn with Bulgari Roma’. For lovers of La Dolce Vita and quintessential Italian glamour, this is one of the most exciting hotel openings in 2023: the property is set in a 1930s modernist building around the corner from the Spanish steps. There will be an appointment-only reading room showcasing the history of Jewellery, a Bulgari spa, a rooftop view with beautiful city views and a restaurant helmed by Michelin-starred chef Niko Romito.
Opening 2023; bulgarihotels.com

Anantara Plaza Nice Hotel, France

Most will know Anantara for its collection of Asian and Indian Ocean resorts: tropical, palm-strewn hideaways in Seychelles, Maldives, Thailand and Sri Lanka. In a bold move, the brand has gone on a mission for European cities – one of the most exciting being Anantara Plaze Nice. Located in a historic Belle Epoque building (a two-year renovation) and just a stroll from the Old Town and Promenade des Anglais, the hotel has 151 rooms and suites, a rooftop restaurant and bar and the signature Anantara Spa.  
Open now; anantara.com