Sleeper presents – top hotel openings of 2020
As the first months of a new decade settle in, we’ve been keeping an eye on the boards to bring you Sleeper’s list of the year’s most anticipated hotel openings.
Over 3,000 properties are getting ready to launch worldwide throughout 2020, so it can be difficult to keep track of the latest ideas and styles finding their way into hotel design. 2019 alone saw retail and hospitality forge ever closer bonds, whilst schemes centred on biophilia and wellness migrated beyond their traditional resort homes into bustling urban spaces. Elsewhere, established brands like Ritz-Carlton and Aman took to the water and skies respectively with experiential excursions into hospitality transport, whilst standalone design achievements like Olso’s Amerikalinjen and New York’s TWA Hotel showcased the continuing appetite for historic statement conversions.
With the list stretching from Utah to Bangkok (via Botswana and Udaipur), we like to think it covers as much of an increasingly diverse spectrum of experiences as possible, whilst showcasing some of the most ambitiously imagined offers, aesthetics and innovations for guests to get excited about.
SIX SENSES NEW YORK
Housed in a pair of twisting towers designed by Bjarke Ingels, Six Senses’ North American debut will form a key element of The XI, a new mixed-use development set between Manhattan’s Hudson River and High Line. Also marking the group’s first city hotel, the project comprises 60,000ft2 of Six Senses-managed amenities with interiors overseen by Gabellini Sheppard Associates. Accentuated by a travertine façade and oversized windows, the structure will boast the tallest buildings in West Chelsea.
www.sixsenses.com
ONE&ONLY PORTONOVI RESORT – MONTENEGRO
Overlooking a 1.2km stretch of Adriatic Sea from Montenegro’s Boka Bay, One&Only’s first European hotel will feature Venetian-inspired architecture by Turkey’s GMWM2 and interiors by Denniston International. Framed by mountains and seeking to create a serene ambience year-round, the project’s F&B programme incorporates a new outpost by Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli.
www.oneandonlyresorts.com
CAMP SARIKA BY AMANGIRI – UTAH, USA
Set in the rocky landscape of the Colorado Plateau in Southern Utah’s Canyon Point, Amangiri will launch its new tented camp experience in April. Juxtaposed against the stark red earth of its surroundings, the existing hotel comprises 34 modernist suites unfolding at the bottom of a lofty rock escarpment, whilst the new high-end camping concept is set to feature ten rooms and pavilions amidst the formations. A typically restrained interior scheme will flow throughout a restaurant and spa suites serving the camp, situated a short drive away from the amenities of the main property.
www.aman.com
DESA POTATO HEAD – BALI
Conceived as a creative village fusing art, design, food, wellness and sustainability, Desa Potato Head has been designed by architects OMA to incorporate the brand’s existing Katamama hotel and Beach Club properties and form a multidimensional hospitality complex. The new Potato Head Studios – a 168-guestroom hotel and hub at the heart – will include a farm-to-table restaurant and multiple bars, whilst a gallery, amphitheatre and recording studio are set to be rolled out across 2020.
potatohead.co/seminyak
ROSEWOOD SÃO PAULO – BRAZIL
Occupying a former maternity hospital at the heart of a historic complex of buildings dating back to the early 1900s, Rosewood’s debut South American hotel will feature design contributions from Philippe Starck, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel and Brazilian artists Beatriz Milhazes and Saint-Clare Cemin. Comprising 151 guestrooms, two restaurants and 100,000ft2 of event space, the project will also see the creation of a distinctive vertical park to house its residential element.
www.rosewoodhotels.com
VILLA COPENHAGEN – DENMARK
A conversion of the Danish capital’s Central Post & Telegraph Head Office from 1912, Villa Copenhagen will seek to emphasise a mixture of neo-baroque historic accents and contemporary Nordic design. With 390 guestrooms, a rooftop urban garden, and sights of Tivoli Gardens and the Meatpacking District for guests to enjoy, the latest addition to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts portfolio features design work by Goddard Littlefair, Universal Design Studio and Gothenburg’s Krook & Tjäder.
www.villacopenhagen.com
AIRELLES CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES, LE GRAND CONTRÔLE – FRANCE
Three buildings within King Louis XIV’s iconic Château de Versailles estate will complete a transformation this year, with French brand Airelles set to open a luxury 14-key property within the Unesco World Heritage Site, as well as a gourmet restaurant in collaboration with chef Alain Ducasse. Designed by Christophe Tollemer to reflect the expansive residence’s opulent 18th-century aesthetic, the boutique hotel will offer views over the estate’s Orangerie and its 200-year-old trees.
www.airelles.com
THE LONDONER
Boasting an interior scheme by Yabu Pushelberg and architecture by Woods Bagot, Edwardian Hotels’ 350-key The Londoner will land in Leicester Square with a signature restaurant and terrace in tow, as well as rooftop venues, a whisky bar and The Retreat – a dedicated wellness facility in the heart of the city. Combining impressive scale with boutique sensibility, the property sits eight storeys above ground and six below, making it the UK’s deepest hotel.
www.thelondoner.com
THE ROYAL ATLANTIS RESORT & RESIDENCES – DUBAI
Characterised by its bold Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed form, The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences will open as a sequel of sorts to The Atlantis Palm whilst upping the stakes with its expansive offer. Situated on Palm Jumeirah, the 795-key resort will house 90 swimming pools, a series of landscaped sky courts, a beach club overlooking the gulf and no less than 17 restaurants including venues by Heston Blumenthal and José Andrés.
www.atlantis.com
THE HOXTON ROME
Created within a 1970s-era building in the leafy Salario neighbourhood, The Hoxton’s tenth hotel takes design cues from the structure’s original detailing and the striking entranceways of those surrounding it. Created in-house by the Ennismore Design Studio in collaboration with Fettle Design, the interiors will see 192 guestrooms incorporate rustic parquet and terrazzo floors, geometric wall panels and brass light fittings, whilst a signature Hoxton open lobby anchors the project.
www.thehoxton.com
ACE HOTEL KYOTO
Ace Hotel’s Japanese debut sits within a Kengo Kuma-designed building featuring elements of the former Kyoto Central Telephone office and a distinctive wooden grid exterior. Interiors created in collaboration with Commune Design and a group of local artists will seek to visually preserve the area’s creative spirit and imperial legacy by way of a series of louvres and meshes doubling as environmental devices, filtering light and wind throughout the central courtyard.
www.acehotel.com/kyoto
RAFFLES UDAIPUR – INDIA
Set on a 21-acre private island in the middle of Udai Sagar Lake, Raffles’ first Indian property will bring the brand’s ultra-luxury offer to Rajasthan, taking the form of a 101-key project incorporating signature Raffles elements including a 1,100m2 spa, Long Bar, Writers Bar and rooftop restaurant.
www.raffles.com
XIGERA – BOTSWANA
Opening on the western side of the Okavango Delta’s Moremi Game Reserve, the 12-lodge Xigera will seek to combine the safari lodge experience with an undercurrent of art and culture which will see guests staying in a living gallery of work commissioned from some of Africa’s brightest visual talent. Combining environmental sensitivity with bespoke design, a bronze lily centrepiece structure at the heart connects the lodges whilst allowing wildlife to pass uninterrupted beneath.
www.xigera.com
CAPELLA BANGKOK – THAILAND
Situated along the Thai capital’s River of Kings, Capella Bangkok will mark the first hotel project to open on the popular riverbank area for two decades. Public spaces, guestrooms and bars are being designed by HBA Bangkok to emphasise natural light and water views, whilst a Michelin-starred restaurant by Mauro Colagreco will see the celebrated Mirazur chef translate his signature Argentine-Italian fusion for a new audience.
www.capellahotels.com
AJWA CAPPADOCIA – TURKEY
Designed to channel an authentic Keravansaray experience, the 98-key AJWA Cappadocia is set across three structures in Turkey’s Nevşehir province. Emphasising Cappadocian culture and natural elements by way of Turkish rugs, mother-of-pearl furnishings and landscaped gardens holding over 130 plant varieties, the jewel in the offer’s crown will be nine mansion-inspired suites set within the region’s caves.
www.ajwa.com.tr
