By Elaine Glusac / New York Times News Service
Sometimes a hotel is just a place to sleep. Other times, it’s a destination. The following hotel openings, scheduled from late-2016 to late-2017, belong to the latter category: worthy of trips in their own right.
BHUTAN: Six Senses Bhutan
FIVE new lodges, known collectively as Six Senses Bhutan, are expected to open in August, offering inn-to-inn circuits. With 82 rooms in total, the lodges will reside in five areas: the capital of Thimphu; the rice-farming region of Punakha; Gangtey, where black-necked cranes migrate; Bumthang, known for its monasteries; and Paro, near the dramatic cliffside Tiger’s Nest monastery. Rates to be announced; www. sixsenses.com.
BRAZIL: Palácio Tangará, São Paulo
THE European-based Oetker Collection of luxury hotels plans to open its first location in South America this April with the Palácio Tangará in São Paulo. The 141-room hotel next to Burle Marx Park aims to be an urban resort with a swimming pool and spa. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will oversee the restaurant and several bars. Rates from $450; www. palaciotangara.com.
CANADA: Parq Vancouver, Vancouver
Opening next fall beside BC Place stadium, the development known as Parq Vancouver straddles a convention destination and an entertainment center, including a casino, outdoor rooftop park, five restaurants and a spa. Its two hotels include the upscale 329-room JW Marriott Parq Vancouver and the more intimate Douglas hotel with 188 rooms and an organic theme. Rooms from CAD$429 (about $321); www. parqvancouver.com.
ENGLAND: The Ned, London
THIS 252-room combo private club and hotel, set to open in the spring, gets its name from the designer of the 1930s-era bank that houses it: Sir Edwin Lutyens, known as Ned. A joint venture between the Soho House & Co. and the Sydell Group, the Ned will have pools on the rooftop and in the basement, nine restaurants—seven in the original banking hall—and a Cowshed spa. Rates from £250 (about $311); www. thened.com.
FIJI: Kokomo Island
JUST 21 rooms share the private 140-acre Kokomo Island, a small luxury hotel opening in March. The Great Astrolabe Reef encircles the isle, and an on-site dive center will equip undersea explorers. Each villa has its own plunge pool, and amenities include two restaurants and a tennis court. Arrive by helicopter or float plane from Nadi International Airport. Rooms from $1,799; www. slh.com/kokomo.com.
INDIA: Alila Fort Bishangarh, Jaipur
IT’S hard to find a more dramatic setting for a hotel than the towering Fort Bishangarh near Jaipur, a hilltop-walled fortress with gun turrets and 6-foot-thick walls offering panoramic views of the Rajasthani region. Fifty-nine suites were added onto and around the 18th-century fort, which will house two restaurants and a spa when the Alila Fort Bishangarh opens in early 2017. Rooms from $280; www. alilahotels.com/fortbishangarh.
ITALY: Il Castelfalfi, Tuscany
A medieval village, now filled with shops and restaurants, anchors the 2,700-acre Toscana Resort Castelfalfi resort. In April it will add the 120-room Il Castelfalfi hotel, built to be energy efficient with biomass heating and water and food-waste recycling. The new hotel will have a spa and restaurant, and guests will have access to the existing golf course, cooking school and winery. Rooms from €300 (about $312); www. castelfalfi.com.
KITTS: Park Hyatt St. Kitts, St. George
IN summer the Park Hyatt St. Kitts will open overlooking the southern strait that separates it from its sibling island of Nevis. The Caribbean property will check in with 126 breezy rooms and suites, the latter with rooftop pools. Expect three restaurants, including an adults-only option in a stone barn, two swimming pools, a rum bar in the plantation-style great house, a spa and, nearby, golf. Rooms from $380; www. stkitts.park.hyatt.com.
SWEDEN: At Six, Stockholm
THE first Preferred Hotels & Resorts member in Sweden, the design-focused At Six will open in March in central Brunkebergstorg Square. The 343-room hotel puts art at the center of the experience with curated exhibitions. The two-story rooftop restaurant Tak will serve food from chef Frida Ronge, known for her Nordic-Japanese style. Rooms from $230; www.hotelatsix.com.
SWITZERLAND: Buergenstock Resort Lake Lucerne
ON a mountain ridge above Lake Lucerne, the Buergenstock Resort Lake Lucerne will replace three aging hotels with a 21st-century health resort set on 148 acres. Two of four new or rebuilt properties will open in spring, along with 13 restaurants and bars, a golf course, three tennis courts and 43 miles of trails. By year-end expect two more hotels, including a 160-room doctor-staffed wellness lodge. Guests can reach the car-free resort by funicular. Rooms from 150 Swiss francs (about $146); www. buergenstock.ch.
UNITED STATES: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, New York
IS this the hotel that lures the tourists from Manhattan? Scheduled to open in February, the 194-room 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge on Pier 1 will frame postcard views of the nearby bridge and skyline. The 11th-story rooftop will hold a pool lounge and fire pits, while a glassed-in cocktail lounge one floor below will enable year-round swilling. Chef Seamus Mullen will handle food service. Rooms from $350; www. 1hotels.com/Brooklyn-bridge.
Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel, St. Helena, California
SPY the vineyards just outside your balcony at Las Alcobas, a new resort in Napa Valley that opened in January. Six of the property’s 68 rooms reside in the 1905-vintage Acacia House, a former residence, along with a seasonally focused restaurant from chef Chris Cosentino. There is also a five-treatment-room spa, and wineries are within walking distance. Rooms from $695; www. lasalcobasnapavalley.com.
WALES: The Exchange Hotel, Cardiff
THE 19th-century Coal Exchange building in Cardiff was badly deteriorated, before hotel developer Signature Living stepped in, saving the former regal headquarters of the coal industry and turning it into a 200-room hotel. Scheduled to open in March, the Exchange Hotel will also include a memorial dedicated to World War I. Rates from £89 (about $110); www. exchangehotelcardiff.co.uk.