The latest from the world of boutique hotels. We cover new openings and emerging travel trends, with a focus on independent hotels, design-led properties and the people behind them.
Hampton Bays is not East Hampton or Southampton. It is wider, calmer and considerably less performative. Lark Hotels’ first Hamptons property makes a strong case for staying in the less obvious part of Long Island’s East End.
Vermelho Lagoa opens in 2026 with 10 suites, lagoon views, a full spa and interiors by Olivia Putman. Its sister property Vermelho Melides, which earned Two Michelin Keys in 2025, is already one of Portugal’s most extraordinary hotels. Together they make Melides unmissable.
Dexter Hotel opened on 19 May in Elk Rapids, Northern Michigan, with almost every piece of furniture, ceramic, light fitting and textile made by Michigan craftspeople. It is the most considered hotel opening in the Great Lakes region in years.
Set on a quiet hillside in Santa Eulalia del Río near the historic Puig de Missa, this 32-room hotel revives a building that has been part of Ibiza since 1933. It is about as far from the club circuit as the island gets.
Cryotherapy pods at -110°C, London’s first magnesium pool, an alchemy bar run by a resident herbalist, a biohacking lounge with AI-powered fitness technology…
Porta Rossa Hotel Firenze opened on 12 May in a building first documented in 1386 — once a stopover for Florentine silk merchants, now a 69-room hotel with a medieval tower suite and a Paulo Airaudo restaurant arriving in June.
Set among working vineyards on the island’s quieter northeast coast, this 59-room volcanic-stone retreat is open again from May 1 and makes a convincing case for a different kind of Santorini stay.
Mountain air, serious spa culture, longevity programming and landscapes that do most of the therapeutic work before you even check in. The Austrian Alps are earning a second look from travellers who would never have considered them outside of ski season.
Thirty tented lodges along the Son River, on the edge of the Phong Nha–Ke Bang UNESCO World Heritage Site and its legendary cave system. Vietnam’s first EDGE Advanced-certified eco-wellness retreat opens Q3 2026, all-inclusive from $300 per night.
Moanalei Villas has opened in Samoa with private infinity pools and a restaurant developed by Monica Galetti
