Sometimes you see an image of a hotel, and travel lust just fills your veins. That’s the case with these incredible destinations hand-picked annually by Travel + Leisure for its “It List of Best New Hotels.” The magazine has created the list each year since 2005 to inspire visitors and to get the word out about new properties travelers might not otherwise know about.
This year’s offering includes 100 hotels in 37 countries and across six continents (sorry, Antarctica), but the list is a little different this year because it is broken into categories rather than being a monolith of travel droolitude. The seven categories are affordable luxury, wellness getaways, beaches, luxury city hotels, U.S. resorts, nature and adventure, and “over the top.” The print edition is on newsstands April 21, but in the meantime, you can look at the online list which isn't broken down into categories. In this combined listing, two U.S. hotels are in the top 10 (and 34 are included in the full list: not too shabby!) Included are other hotels in North America, 32 in Europe, 13 in the Caribbean and Central and South America, 10 in Africa and the Middle East, eight in Asia, and two in Australia.
One U.S. hotel won bronze, and featured in the top three: that’s the Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, which snagged the #3 spot for its 50-story Manhattan hotel with gorgeous views. The 250 rooms and suites at 28th and Broadway are kitted out with chandeliers and black terrazzo bathrooms. While the top 13 floors contain residences, guests can visit the lavish 1920s-inspired rooftop bar Nubelez on the 50th floor.
Next, visitors experience a wildly different—spectacular in another way—view from Under Canvas Bryce Canyon in Utah, a glamping experience that comes in at #8. This luxury platform tent hotel is the latest location for the Under Canvas chain that focuses on glamping in or near national parks. It sits 14 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park on 700 acres for intense stargazing while nibbling on your s’more.
The third highest ranking U.S. hotel is the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale in Florida, at #14. A 22-story tower on the white sand beach was designed to evoke a yacht with its glass-railed balconies. There are 189 rooms and suites to choose from, with lacquered wood paneling that continues the boating theme. The hotel even comes with a signature cocktail, paying fond homage to a local painter and arts patron.
After that, U.S. hotels dominate the 20s and the 90s on the list. Here are the remaining American hotels and their placement:
22. Four Seasons Hotel Nashville
23. Hotel Barrière Fouquet's New York
26. The Ned NoMad — New York
27. The Loren at Lady Bird Lake — Austin
28. Pendry Washington D.C. The Wharf
29. Mayfair House Hotel & Garden — Miami
30. Nine Orchard — New York
41. Tampa Edition — Florida
42. Conrad Los Angeles
57. Ulysses — Baltimore
58. Life House, South of Fifth — Miami
59. Palihouse West Hollywood — California
60. Hotel Marcel — New Haven, Connecticut
63. Hotel Chelsea — New York City
64. Beacon Grand, a Union Square Hotel — San Francisco
68. Short Stories Hotel — Los Angeles
71. The Line San Francisco
75. Aman New York
83. Sensei Porcupine Creek — Rancho Mirage, California
84. Mii Amo — Sedona, Arizona
88. Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection — Napa Valley
90. Nick’s Cove — Marshall, California (ranked as #1 on the separate listing of top 10 US hotels)
91. Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection — Gardiner, New York (#2 on the US list)
92. The Madrona — Healdsburg, CA (#3 on the US list)
93. Villa Mara — Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
94. The James Bradley — Bradley Beach, New Jersey
95. Daunt’s Albatross Motel — Montauk, NY
96. The Inn at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards — Bristol, Virginia
97. Southall Farm & Inn — Franklin, Tennessee
98. Salt Cottages — Bar Harbor, Maine
99. Canoe Place Inn & Cottages — Hampton Bays, New York