TBIIVEL
52 PLACES TO GO IN 2018
New Hotels to Check Out in 2018 Notable properties in Indonesia, Greece and elsewhere will focus on the environment.
Northern lights above the Sheldon Chalet, opening in February in Denali National Park in Alaska Jeff Schultz
By Elaine Glusac Jan. 9, 2018
Innovative design and other features that channel the destination unify the following coming and just-opened hotels, which are among the most promising debuts of the new year. CHINA
AJ.nanyangyun,Shanghm When a new reservoir threatened their destruction, an entire camphor forest and 50 Ming and Qing dynasty-era houses were moved 400 miles from the Jiangxi province to the outskirts of Shanghai and refashioned into Amanyangyun. After 15 years of conservation work, the 25-acre resort will open Jan. 8, with 13 villas in the reconstructed houses featuring modern interiors and 24 additional suites. A cultural pavilion offers guests opportunities to practice calligraphy, watch an opera or partake in a tea ceremony. Rooms from CNY 6,900, or about $1,062; aman.com.
The Murray, Hong Kong Formerly home to Hong Kong government offices, the iconic 1969 white high-rise known as the Murray Building will reopen this month as The Murray hotel. The British architectural firm Foster + Partners has undertaken its transformation to a 336-room hotel spanning 25 floors. Among five restaurants and lounges, the rooftop bar will overlook the city's business district and Hong Kong Park. Rooms from 3,850 Hong Kong dollars, or about $493; niccolohotels.hotels.com. FINLAND
Hotel St. George, Helsinki Already a member of Design Hotels, the 153-room Hotel St. George will open in the spring in a historic building largely designed by the architect Onni Tarjanne and formerly home to the Finnish Literature Society. A ground-floor gallery will exhibit a large-scale sculpture of a dragon by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and an 18-foot-long brass bird by the sculptor Pekka Jyllha will hang from the glass ceiling of the winter garden. Expect two restaurants, a swimming pool and, of course, a sauna in the spa. Rooms from 220 euros, or about $265; stgeorgehelsinki.com.
Bungalows at Mukan Resort in Mexico. Mukan Resort
MEXICO
Mukan Resort, Sian Ka'an Biosphere, Quintana Roo On Mexico's southern Caribbean coast, the Sian Ka'an Biosphere, a Unesco World Heritage Site, protects tropical forests, mangrove channels, lagoons and part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. To get to Mukan Resort, which opened on an islet in the preserve in December, guests of its four beachfront bungalows and five suites take a 45-minute boat ride from Thlum. Come to snorkel, paddle and fish. Rooms from $420; mukan.com.
PANAMA
Isla Palenque Island Resort, Gulf of Chiriqui
The eco-focused Cayuga Collection, which runs Lapa Rios in Costa Rica among others, plans to open Isla Palenque Island Resort in the summer. The 400-acre island in the Pacific already has a six-room villa and will add eight beachfront rooms. Guests can hike on land and explore the marine park off shore via kayak and paddleboard. Rooms from $600, including breakfast; cayugaonline.com. ECUADOR
Ilia Experience Hotel, Quito
Illa Experience Hotel, opened in December by the Ecuador-based tour operator Latin Trails, aims to immerse guests in the culture of Quito with daily activities such as coffee tastings, watercolor classes and lessons in making local sweets. Its 10 rooms occupy a former 18th-century house in the historic San Marcos neighborhood with a bar on the roof and the city's acclaimed Nuema restaurant on the premises. Rooms from $459; illaexperiencehotel.com. UNITED STATES
Tiny Urban Escapes, Indianapolis
This summer, two shipping containers that have been remodeled with glass walls will open on four acres of private land adjacent to Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis as getaway cabins called Tiny Urban Escapes. Poised to draw nature-loving city-dwellers, the 160-square-foot rooms will each come with two bikes for exploring the nearby trails. Rooms from $179; tinyurbanescapes.com. The Source Hotel, Denver
Coming this spring to the Source food market in Denver's booming River North Art District, the Source Hotel will have its own microbrewery from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins and a rooftop space called the Woods after the 50 oak barrels stationed there to age its craft beer. Guests of the 100-room hotel will get a brew at check-in. Besides drinking, there will be a cantilevered pool and a barbecue restaurant. Rooms from $250; thesourcehotel.com.
Sheldon Chalet, Denali National Park, Alaska One might argue that any shelter in the Alaska wilderness is a luxury. But travelers to the Denali region will have a true luxury lodging option when the Sheldon Chalet opens in February. The five-bedroom lodge, 10 miles from Denali in a summit-ringed basin known as the Don Sheldon Amphitheater, promises running water and fine dining along with aurora viewing, skiing and guided glacier trekking. Rooms from $2,300; sheldonchalet.com.
Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito, Montecito, Calif. Long closed and its future in limbo, the landmark Miramar By the Sea Hotel has been redeveloped and will open in summer as the Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito in the affluent Montecito enclave near Santa Barbara The 16-acre property, which its owners say has the only private beach in Southern California, encompasses some 161 rooms (many in cottages and bungalows), two swimming pools, six restaurants and bars, and a spa. (Because of the Jan. 9 mudslide, Highway 101 near the resort is closed. The hotel itself was not in its path and it remains on track to begin operations in the summer.) Rooms from $825; rosewoodhotels.com.
Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas In the first half of 2018 on the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Resorts International aims to replace the mundane Monte Carlo Resort and Casino with two flashier hotels in one tower: the 2,700-room Park MGM with an Eataly food market and the relatively boutique 292-room NoMad Las Vegas from the Sydell Group. With the latter comes a NoMad restaurant from the chef Daniel Humm and the restaurateur Will Guidara Rates to be determined; parkmgm.com. VIETNAM
Azerai Can Tho, Can Tho The hotelier Adrian Zecha, who created Aman resorts, founded a new hotel group called Azerai that made its debut in Luang Prabang, Laos, in 2017. Its second property, Azerai Can Tho, is slated to open by year-end on the Hau River, a Mekong tributary, in Vietnam's fourth-largest city. The 60-room resort features a spa, tennis court and two restaurants. Excursions include visits to the city's famous floating markets, bike trips and sampan boat tours. Rooms from $250; azerai.com.