Checking In: Hotel Openings, January 2017

Belmond La Résidence d’Angkor. Photo: Belmond/Facebook

United States
In California wine country, Las Alcobas, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Napa Valley, has an outdoor terrace sporting vineyard views of the adjoining Beringer Estate and Winery, which offers multiple event spaces including an outdoor kitchen and Redwood Grove.  The historic resort offers 68 rooms and a fine dining restaurant, Acacia House, led by Top Chef Masters alumnus Chris Cosentino.

The AC Portland will be one of the first AC-branded hotels in the United States. The property will contain pieces of local art and amenities such as the AC Bar and Lounge, library, meeting space, high-tech “media salons” and a fitness center.

Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America
Sitting on 590 acres of oceanfront property, the Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya opened in Mexico, near Playa del Carmen. The 214 rooms – each with either a terrace or balcony – overlook lagoons, mangrove and resort gardens, a golf course or the ocean.  The upscale property offers three outdoor pools, four restaurants, sunrise yoga on the beach and trajinera boat rides.

At the Pink Sands Club, 26 suites and 6 lagoon villas surround the secluded white sand beaches of Canouan Island, in the heart of the Grenadines. The luxury resort offers four restaurants and bars, an infinity-edge swimming pool, tennis facilities and a Jim Fazio-designed golf course. Two overwater palapas with glass bottoms double as treatment rooms at the resort’s spa.

Photo: Pink Sands Club/Facebook

Nestled on a private crescent cove beach, Paradisus Los Cabos overlooks the Sea of Cortez on Mexico’s west coast. The luxury all-inclusive has 350 guestrooms, 28 swim-up suites with ocean views, 98 Royal Service guestrooms with butler service, and 30 Family Concierge suites with dedicated concierges offering kid-friendly services and amenities. Seven restaurants and bars, four pools, tennis court, a gym and a spa can also be found on the property.

Europe:
The Distillery in London is a combination of boutique hotel rooms, a restaurant, bar and a tasting room within the distillery. The “world’s first gin hotel” will have a Spanish-inspired bar and kitchen, a private dining room with its own private bar and three luxury hotel rooms. At “The Ginstitute,” guests can make their own personally blended gin and learn the history of London’s favorite drink.

The Wyndham Grand Athens, the first Wyndham Hotel Group hotel in Greece, opens this month in the heart of the city. The five-star hotel has 273 rooms, conference halls, a gym, a spa and a rooftop garden with a pool and a 360-degree view of the Athens skyline.

Opening later this month, the Four Seasons London at Ten Trinity Square will debut with 90 guestrooms and 11 suites, an indoor pool, three restaurants and two ballrooms for events and weddings.

The Rotunda bar and lounge. Photo: Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts

Asia & the Indian Ocean:
Hilton Hotels & Resorts has debuted in Bali, atop a 130-foot cliff, with the Hilton Bali Resort. Each of the 389 guest rooms and suites features private balconies and terraces overlooking the Indian Ocean or hotel gardens; 19 exclusive villas have a private pool, gazebo, separate living area, round-the-clock butler service and access to a private lounge. The Hilton Bali boasts four interconnecting swimming pools, which include an adult-only pool, a sand lagoon, a kid’s play area, a waterslide and a 360-degree observation deck. There is also a sun deck, sauna, hot tub, gym, Mandara Spa, three indoor tennis courts and a retail outlet.

Marriott opened its largest property in Thailand, and largest hotel in Bangkok, the 1,360-room Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. Formerly the Imperial Queen’s Park, the hotel underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. It now features two outdoor swimming pools with large decks and pool bars, a spa with 11 treatment room, a fitness center and a ballroom that can hold 1,100 people.

Belmond La Résidence d’Angkor, in Siem Reap, Cambodia, reopened as an all-suite hotel after closing for six months. Furnished with handwoven silk and hardwood, the new 59 suites feature private terraces and marble bathrooms. The restaurant now serves traditional Cambodian and Khmer cuisine, and added an outdoor dining space, poolside grill and cocktail lounge. A Southeast Asian art specialist curated a collection of art and books on ancient and modern Cambodian culture that can be seen around the hotel and in its new library.

Poolside Junior Suite at Belmond La Résidence d’Angkor. Photo: Belmond/Facebook

The Four Seasons Resort the Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam, reopened following extensive renovations.  All 100 villas were refurbished, and eight new Family Villas were added, each with a separate en-suite children’s room with a sofa bed, television and gaming console. There’s also a new beach bar, kids club, newly conceptualized spa and Vietnamese cooking school, as well as enhanced motorized watersport offerings.

Marriott International’s Tribute Portfolio, a collection of independent hotels and resorts, made its debut in Bali with the 143-room Sthala, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Ubud Bali. Perched on a hilltop among the tropical landscape, Sthala offers views of the Wos River and forest. The upscale hotel’s dining options include the Naga Rooftop Bar and Lounge; the Sungai Restaurant, serving Asian cuisine as well as Western dishes; and the Panorama Pool and Sundeck Lounge, which has cocktails and light bites.