Every year our team of contributors and editors vet hundreds of hotels that swing open their doors promising all sorts of industry catnip from holistic spa treatments to rockstar bartenders to unprecedented access to some of the world's hardest-to-reach locations. Most of these openings are...perfectly fine. But only a fraction are what we’d call 'hot.' Our army of sleuths spent the last year checking into hundreds of new properties, assessing everything from Wi-fi strength to rooftop pool scene. Ultimately, the hotels and cruises that land on this list are the absolute best of the best; the game-changing, boundary pushing, vacation-making openings that are so good, we’re already dreaming about going back. Eighty-two made the cut this year; scroll down to see the complete list. And peruse all of our Hot List galleries to find out what we love most about each winner.
Keep reading to find out why we think they’re extraordinary, and see how beautiful these places are in our gallery of hotels and gallery of cruises.
AFRICA
BOTSWANA
Mombo & Little Mombo, Okavango
NAMIBIA
Omaanda, Namibian Plains
Shipwreck Lodge, Skeleton Coast National Park
SOUTH AFRICA
andBeyond Tengile River Lodge, Sabi Sand
TANZANIA
MIDDLE EAST
ISRAEL
The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Tel Aviv
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai
ASIA
BHUTAN
Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary, Neyphu Valley
CAMBODIA
Shinta Mani Wild, Southern Cardamom National Park
CHINA
Amanyangyun, Shanghai
The Middle House, Shanghai
INDIA
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Andamans
INDONESIA
Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali
LAOS
MALAYSIA
MYANMAR
Wa Ale Island Resort, Myeik Archipelago
SINGAPORE
Six Senses Maxwell, Singapore
AUSTRALIA/PACIFIC
AUSTRALIA
The Calile Hotel, Brisbane
United Places, Melbourne
Lon Retreat, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Paramount House Hotel, Sydney
INDIAN OCEAN
MALDIVES
Kudadoo Maldives Private Island
CARIBBEAN & CENTRAL AMERICA
ANGUILLA
BAHAMAS
Rosewood Baha Mar, Nassau
PANAMA
Isla Secas Resort, Gulf of Chiriqui
ST. BARTS
MEXICO
Punta Caliza, Holbox, Quintana Roo
Montage Los Cabos, Baja Sur California
Chablé Maroma, Quintana Roo
Hotel Amparo, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
Casa Pueblo Tulum, Quintana Roo
SOUTH AMERICA
ARGENTINA
Awasi Iguazú, Iguazu Falls
COLOMBIA
Casa Legado, Bogota
EUROPE
FINLAND
Hotel St. George, Helsinki
FRANCE
Le Barn, Moulin de Brétigny
Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, Champagne
Brach, Paris
Hôtel des Grands Boulevards, Paris
Hôtel Lutetia, Paris
Epi 1959, Saint-Tropez
GEORGIA
Stamba Hotel, Tbilisi
ITALY
Casa Iris, Orbetello
Hotel Vilòn, Rome
SPAIN
Can Bordoy Grand House & Garden, Mallorca
SWITZERLAND
Casa Caminada, Graubünden
UNITED KINGDOM
The Fife Arms, Braemar, Highlands, Scotland
University Arms, Cambridge
Heckfield Place, Hampshire
Bankside Hotel, Autograph Collection, London
Belmond Cadogan Hotel, London
UNITED STATES
CALIFORNIA
Sands Hotel & Spa, Indian Wells
Kimpton La Peer Hotel, Los Angeles
Hotel Joaquin, Laguna Beach
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Eaton DC, Washington, D.C.
GEORGIA
Perry Lane Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Savannah
LOUISIANA
Hotel Peter and Paul, New Orleans
MASSACHUSETTS
The Inn at Kenmore Hall, Richmond
MICHIGAN
Shinola Hotel, Detroit
NEW MEXICO
El Rey Court, Santa Fe
NEW YORK
Freehand New York, New York City
The Hoxton, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
TENNESSEE
Blackberry Mountain, Walland
TEXAS
WYOMING
Caldera House, Jackson Hole
CRUISES AND ITINERARIES
SHIPS
Seabourn Ovation
Silversea Silver Spirit
Celebrity Edge
Norwegian Bliss
ITINERARIES
Ponant Le Bougainville, The Essential Seychelles
Azamara Pursuit, Greece Intensive Voyage
Windstar Cruises Star Legend, Alaskan Splendors