For the moment, it's just a trunk. A very large trunk whose silver fronts monopolise the attention of passers-by on the Champs-Elysées. The criss-crossing Ls and Vs leave little mystery as to who owns the place. The first Louis Vuitton hotel could have been the flagship opening of 2026, like the Raffles at the OWO in London in 2023, the Lana in Dubai in 2024 or the rebirth of the Waldorf Astoria this year. But it seems, as is often the case in the hotel industry, that this project is running a little late.
So, if the prize for the most beautiful opening planned for next year had to be awarded now, it would once again have to be London, as the British capital loves luxury hotels. Its flagship opening in 2026 is the Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch, due to open in the middle of the year in the former official residence of British admiralty figures from Mountbatten to Churchill, just opposite Buckingham Palace.
And London has no shortage of candidates for luxury status, with the Auberge Collection group's Cambridge House, the result of the metamorphosis of a military barracks dating back to the 18th century, and the Auberge Collection's new hotel, which has been in operation since the end of the 19th century.e There's also Six Senses London, housed within the walls of Whiteleys department stores', which has been redesigned under the guidance of Foster+Partners, and the future St Regis, which will replace the former Westbury Mayfair.
For business travellers in search of exclusivity, the year 2026 will bring a host of new developments, continuing the expansion of luxury hotels around the world. Along with London, Rome is undoubtedly one of the most attractive destinations in this respect. After welcoming the first Orient Express hotel last year, revisiting the Hôtel de la Minerve, the Italian capital will see the arrival in February of the Corinthia Rome in the former headquarters of the Italian Central Bank, in a neo-classical palace overlooking the Piazza del Parlamento.
Later this year, Rosewood will move into the offices of the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro on Via Veneto. By the end of the year, the Baccarat brand should have completed the metamorphosis of the Majestic hotel, the first to appear on this prestigious thoroughfare in 1889, as Fellini magnified it in his film Dolce Vita. Finally, in a more iconoclastic move, Hyatt Thompson Hotels' luxury and lifestyle brand is preparing a cultural revolution in the former Communist Party headquarters, which dates back to the 1930s and will soon be transformed into a 70-room hotel.
Dolce Vita for luxury hotels
Italy's prestige as a tourist destination is also reflected in other exclusive new establishments: on Lake Como, a luxury lifestyle hotel, Edition, from the Marriott group, as well as a Radisson Collection, reinventing the old San Gottardo hotel, neglected for 30 years. A La Réserve luxury residence has also been announced for Florence, while Venice awaits the second Orient Express hotel, the result of eight years' renovation of a 15th-century palace.e It will also see the arrival of an Airelles hotel on the island of Giudecca and the return to favour of the legendary Danieli, which will be rebranded under the Four Seasons banner after a renovation by Pierre-Yves Rochon.
More often on the road for business travellers, Milan is also expecting several new luxury boutique hotels, with the Residenza del Cardinale, a member of the Meliá Collection, and the Casa Laveni, in the Brera district. The Six Senses brand, part of the IHG Group, will also have an address in the same arty area, at 19 Via Brera, with a hotel of 68 rooms, including 15 suites, two of which have mini-pools.
But while the Six Senses brand is expected to open in Milan and London, it will also continue to add to its urban offering with an opening in Lisbon later this year, in a historic palace converted into an 80-room and suite hotel. Similarly, for Marriott, the St. Regis brand will be extending the aura of its original New York establishment not only to London, but also to Budapest, within the Klotild Palace.
Among the other openings expected this year, the former Hilton Athens, one of the first to appear in Europe, will be transformed into an immense urban resort, under the name Conrad Athens The Ilisian, offering the Greek capital's largest outdoor swimming pool, nine bars and restaurants, a private club with coworking space, meeting areas and 307 rooms, suites and residences. Madrid will see the conversion of the headquarters of Sociedad General Azucarera de España into a Mercer hotel, while Frankfurt will enhance its skyline with the Roomers ParkView hotel, a future member of Marriott's Luxury Collection. While - not to be confused - the L.V.X. Collection of Preferred Hotels will welcome a new boutique hotel in Malta, Valletta, housed in a 500-year-old palace originally built for the famous knight of Malta Mathurin Romègas. Hence its namesake, the Romègas.
Next year, the Preferred Hotel chain will also see the completion of a renovation project started a long time ago, in 2014, at the Palais Jamaï Fès, in Morocco. A rebirth for this former palace of a grand vizier dating from the 19th century.e century, transformed into a luxury hotel in 1930 and closed a decade ago. Among its future guests, the Alain Ducasse Group will oversee its three restaurants and four bars.
Morocco and Saudi Arabia in the spotlight
While the African continent is, as ever, set to see the arrival of luxury resorts and other exclusive accommodation in idyllic locations, Morocco will be the focus of new urban luxury hotel openings this year, with the Waldorf Astoria Rabat Salé in Rabat, set in the top floors of the Mohammed VI Tower, the country's tallest skyscraper. In a less futuristic style, the Radisson Collection is due to set up shop at the end of the year within the walls of a historic establishment in the Moroccan economic capital, Casablanca, the Hotel Lincoln, a fully restored masterpiece of the Art Deco period.
In the Middle East, Riyadh and Jeddah will steal the show from Dubai this year when it comes to flagship openings. While the Gran Meliá Dubai Jumeirah is due to open in the emirate at the end of the year, Saudi Arabia's two major cities are the focus of projects due to open in 2026.
As well as seeing a historic landmark, The Red Palace, its first concrete building constructed in 1943 for Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz, become a 70-room hotel designed by Tristan Auer, the capital Riyadh is counting on the lifestyle brand W setting up shop in the King Abdullah Financial District, alongside Marriott, and the appearance of a Conrad in Hilton's fast-developing Laysen Valley district. When Sofitel soon opens a 388-room hotel in the heart of the capital, with a convention centre that can accommodate up to 3,000 people. In addition to the latter, the Accor group is also expecting two major openings in Jeddah, a Raffles within two towers dedicated to luxury hospitality, and an SO/ lifestyle hotel.
Dun new to East Asia
To continue this tour of the world, the major Asian cities are giving hotel groups the opportunity to strengthen the networks of their prestige brands. Hilton has set its sights on Singapore, with a new hotel for its NoMad luxury and lifestyle brand, and on Kuala Lumpur, with Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels expected. In Japan, while Kyoto continues to attract new exclusive venues, with the Imperial Hotel and Capella Kyoto on the year's programme, the capital Tokyo will be offering travellers a luxury hotel with an eco-responsible approach, the 1 Hotel Tokyo, in the Akasaka district. Meanwhile, Park Hyatt is set to open in Taipei at the end of the year, while Four Seasons will open a hotel in Hanoi, on the shores of Lake Hoan Kiem. Marriott, meanwhile, will be opening a Ritz-Carlton in Wuhan, China, overlooking the Yuexiu Global Financial Centre.
Also in China, the Rosewood group is preparing its arrival in Shenzhen, in a tower designed by Fosters + Partners in the heart of the business metropolis. Combining contemporary hospitality with the heritage of the city of Dalian, the Accor Fairmont Group brand is taking over a historic building and transforming it into a 70-room hotel, complete with numerous meeting rooms and a prestigious function room.
MICE and lifestyle on the other side of the Atlantic
For event organisers, the Signia by Hilton luxury and MICE brand, which focuses on large-capacity hotels, will be opening its first hotel in Asia this year, in Tainan on the island of Taiwan. It will also be strengthening its offering on its original soil, in the United States, with the takeover of a renovated resort, the Diplomat Beach in Florida, and the opening in autumn of the highest establishment in Indianapolis, directly connected to the convention centre.
While new incarnations of contemporary luxury are expected in the United States, such as Ian Schrager's Public West Hollywood in Los Angeles or, in Miami Beach, an exclusive Aman and the rebirth of a city legend, the Delano Miami Beach, travellers passing through New Orleans will find a Fairmont hotel in the central business district, housed in the former Bank of New Orleans building.
Elsewhere in the Americas, Mexico City will welcome a Park Hyatt in the autumn, with a Pendry hotel, a member of Preferred's L.V.X. collection, also announced for the Roma Norte district. Further south, the Four Seasons group will set up in Cartagena, Colombia, at the beginning of the year, giving a new lease of life to a building that was once a cloister in the 16th century.e century, a theatre and then a nightclub.
