2023 will be a big year for luxury travel if the laundry list of hot new hotel openings is anything to go by. From the local front, with the likes of W Sydney and Ritz-Carlton Melbourne to international heavy-hitters like Dubai’s Atlantis the Royal – which was recently previewed with a private Beyonce concert – the hotly anticipated Peninsula Istanbul and Oil Nut Bay on the British Virgin Islands. There’s plenty to get across if you want to be in the know about the best new hotels for 2023. So here’s a little round-up to help.
There are a lot of reopenings, some substantial additions to iconic properties and notable refurbishments to look forward to as well. We’ve kept the scope fairly wide so it isn’t all just new-build hotels, giving you a comprehensive rundown of where you should be staying this year when you head off on your next trip.
New Hotel Openings – Table Of Contents
Best New Hotel Openings 2023
Australia & New Zealand
Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island
Opening: September 2023
Southern Ocean Lodge was considered Australia’s best luxury hotel until it tragically burned down in the devastating 2020 Kangaroo Island bushfires. With the brand new Southern Ocean Lodge set to open in September 2023, the property’s original architect Max Pritchard will be revealing some slight changes to the 25 luxury guest suits, which have been remodelled to better maximise those ocean and coastline views.
Most excitedly, South Ocean Lodge 2.0 will have a new Ocean Pavilion suite which will sit separately from the property with its own wet-edge pool and four bedrooms.
Capella Sydney
Opening: March 2023
The famous Capella brand, perhaps best known for its epic Bali property, will finally debut in Australia this year. Opening in March, the 192-room hotel has taken over the historic Department of Education Building and retained many of its Edwardian-Baroque features for an appropriately grand aesthetic.
No less than three restaurants will feature throughout the new luxury hotel, including the fine French eatery Brasserie 1930 headed up by the same team behind Sydney’s legendary Bentley Restaurant & Bar.
Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne
Opening: March 2023
Ritz-Carlton is one of those brands synonymous with high-end accommodation, so it’ll be no surprise to see its 257-room Melbourne debut shoot straight to the top of the list for luxury travellers heading to Australia’s capital of culture.
Mark Best and executive chef Michael Greenlaw will be heading up Ritz-Carlton’s culinary scene, with an 80-floor restaurant that seems destined to become one of the best new restaurants in Melbourne.
W Sydney
Opening: October 2023
After many years of delays and construction setbacks, W Sydney is finally ready to open in October. The striking wave-like facade that shadows Darling Harbour will bring the W brand back to the harbour city after many years of absence.
It’s already positioned as one of the most anticipated hotel openings Australia has seen in years, with a planned IMAX theatre, a lush rooftop bar and 585 stylish rooms and suites that should be illustrated with W’s rich and irreverent signatures.
25Hours, Sydney
Opening: Early 2023
It seems grossly overdue, but Sydney’s upscale Paddington is finally getting a luxury hotel worth raving about. Accor’s 25Hours brand has never been in Australia before, so it’ will be interesting to see how it reinterprets the former Grand Pacific Blue Room and brings the building into the modern age with a 105-room hotel.
With various restaurants, bars and even a live performance space being planned as amenities, the 25Hours brand should be sticking true to its reputation as a comprehensive lifestyle luxury hotel that’ll be just as popular amongst locals as it would be guests.
The Royce, Melbourne
Opening: Early 2023
The former home of Rolls Royce in Melbourne will become a boutique 94-room hotel with a decidedly opulent design. The Royce is promising lavish interiors that have a vintage lean to them, from the marble staircase and a huge fireplace to a swanky late-night bar given a bit of personality with botanical wallpaper.
It’s been a while since South Yarra got a new pop of luxury for locals and visitors to get around, so once The Royce opens later in 2023 you should expect it to become Melbourne’s newest scene for the high-end market.
Le Méridien, Melbourne
Opening: Early 2023
Located on the Parliament end of Bourke Street, Le Meridien Melbourne will bring the beloved luxury brand back Down Under after many years of absence. And the address will once again become a bustling lifestyle hotel with 235 rooms and expansive views of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
The rooftop pool deck has been the main point of talk for Le Meridien Melbourne so expect that to become a bit of a hotspot for locals.
The Americas
Oil Nut Bay, British Virgin Islands
Opening: Early 2023
Carving out 400 acres on the northeastern tip of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands archipelago, Oil Nut Bay is one of the area’s most renowned luxury resorts. In 2023, the property will get a substantial face-lift along with a new international heliport, a reimagined beach club and more, as well as butler and chef services.
Corinthia New York
Opening: Late 2023
Upper East Side institution The Surrey has always been a boutique favourite amongst New Yorkers, so when it reopens as the new Corinthia New York to very high expectations. Especially when you consider how highly regarded the group’s London property is.
The Reuben Brothers are the new custodians of the 1926 heritage building, which has been redesigned by Swedish maximalist Martin Brudnizki with 70 guest rooms and 34 suites, all of which are said to pay homage to the building’s illustrious history as a celebrity-favourite hauntTurtle Bay Resort, Oahu.
Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama
Opening: January 2023
Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama just opened its doors after years of anticipation, presenting a hungry mix of French hospitality and local culture within a UNESCO World Heritage-listed waterfront enclave.
Consider it a bit of a fortress as far as size goes, presenting one of Accor’s biggest openings in 2023 and an easy validation of the Sofitel Legend collection.
Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya
Opening: May 2023
You’ll find Maroma between 200 acres of verdant jungle and white sand, facing the Caribbean waters of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Scheduled to open in May, the resort and spa have been completely refreshed by Belmond and prolific designer Tara Bernerd, presenting a 72-room luxury resort that puts great emphasis on local craftmanship and connecting guests to the immediate surroundings.
Asia
Janu, Tokyo
Opening: Early 2023
In 2023, Aman will launch its very first sister brand with Janu Tokyo. It’s supposed to be much more affordable than Aman, but still, nails that sense of occasion and luxury that has made Aman such an unimpeachable hotel group for luxury travellers. Janu Tokyo will be located in the city’s Toranoman-Azabudai neighbourhood, bringing the area six dining outlets and a massive spa.
Reverie, Kayaam House Tangalle
Opening: January 2023
New brand Reverie, from The Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company, is bringing a new angle of luxury to Sri Lanka with three openings in the pipeline. Two will be on the country’s south coast, while Kayaam House will be located just outside of Tangalle with only eight rooms and a sharp focus on encouraging guests to live a healthy, active lifestyle. Various activities ranging from kayaking to birdwatching will be available for guests.
The Middle East
Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
Opening: February 2023
Possibly the most ambitious hotel opening of 2023 is Atlantis The Royal in Dubai. Eight years in the making, this attractive Lego-like structure is a sister hotel to the well-established Atlantis the Palm, located just a stone’s throw from the original with 17 restaurants – many celebrity-helmed – and 795 well-appointed rooms.
So much has been invested in the property that even Beyonce played the hotel’s soft launch ahead of the public opening on February 10, 2023.
The Peninsula, Istanbul
Opening: February 2023
Positioned directly on the Bosphorus Strait, The Peninsula will be one of the most noteworthy hotel openings in Istanbul in many years. Water views, lush gardens, a boat deck and no less than 177 rooms and suites will help the property match The Peninsula’s solid reputation, along with a massive rooftop bar and restaurant that is big enough to seat 350 people.
Continental Europe
Six Senses, Crans Montana
Opening: February 2023
2023 will be a big year for Six Senses, with several properties from the iconic high-end wellness brand opening up in Europe and elsewhere like the Maldives and Himalayas. Crans Montana, however, looks to be one of the group’s most impressive to date, fashioned as a classic Swiss chalet with 78 rooms all with terraces or balconies facing the final turn of Chetzeron piste. Of course, the spa will be a major drawcard here – expect a multifaceted wellness experience set against one of Switzerland’s most stunning destinations.
Hôtel Dames des Arts, Paris
Opening: February 2023
Opening in February 2023, Hôtel Dames des Arts will add a spectacular multisensory accommodation experience to Paris’s Left Bank. With a boutique aesthetic, the 109-room hotel has been designed by Raphael Navot, shaped after Saint Germain with an artistic leaning toward natural light and exquisite interiors.
Son Bunyola, Mallorca
Opening: June 2023
Richard Branson’s biggest opening of the year is this new property in Spain, sitting on an 810-acre estate on Mallorca’s northwest coast. With a UNESCO World Heritage Site at its doorstep, Son Bunyola draws much of its identity from the frame peaks and olive groves, adding a great deal of natural beauty to this restored 16th-century finca. With just 26 rooms, it’s likely to be one of the most exclusive new hotel openings of 2023.
Six Senses Rome
Opening: March 2023
Located between the Trevi Fountain and The Pantheon, Six Senses Rome will be relentlessly urban in its approach – a stark contrast to what one usually expects from the famed wellness-focused hotel brand. With 96 rooms and suites, it’s the very first Six Senses property in Italy so the hotel group is pulling out all stops to make this a special property for the Eternal City.
Bulgari Hotel, Rome
Opening: June 2023
Rome’s other big hotel opening in 2023 is the Bulgari Hotel, adding more high-end fashion accommodations to the Eternal City. It took quite some time for the Italian fashion label to open a hotel in its home city, so Bulgari will be going to great lengths to make this a fashionable flagship, set in a 1930s modernist building that’s all travertine marble and red brick.
One&Only Aesthesis, Greece
Opening: Late 2023
With 1,600 metres of private seafront, One&Only Aesthesis will lean heavily on retro glamour to help distinguish this from the hundreds of other big waterfront resorts that are found throughout Greece. The One&Only brand’s penchant for lush, sophisticated accommodation will certainly come into play here, making this an easy essential if you want to live large in an overlooked part of Athens.
United Kingdom
The OWO Raffles, London
Opening: Late 2023
You may recognise London’s Old War Office from just about every Daniel Craig-starred James Bond film. The heritage building perfectly aligns with that thrilling, mysterious aesthetic, and so when it is transformed by the glossy Raffles hotel group, expect nothing short of excellence. The baroque building will host 11 restaurants and bars set against high-end accommodations and residences.
Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
Opening: Mid-2023
Considering how central the Mandarin Oriental brand is to London’s grip on super-polished luxury hotels, we’re guessing the city’s second entry from the Hong Kong-based brand will be just as impressive as the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.
Opening on the corner of one of Mayfair’s oldest squares, this luxury hotel will be a bit smaller than its Hyde Park sister, backed by a wellness centre, slick boutique accommodation and two restaurants, a bar and a rooftop space.
