The 20 Most Exciting Hotel Openings In Asia In 2026
Newly Opened Hotels & Resorts To Bookmark For You And The Kids This Year
Asia’s hotel landscape is evolving in 2026, with exciting new additions redefining luxury and hospitality. In cities like Kyoto, Shanghai, and Bangkok, and destinations such as Vietnam and Koh Phangan, 20 remarkable openings are setting the stage for a new era of travel. Among the most anticipated are the stunning new BVLGARI, Capella, and Four Seasons properties, each offering a unique blend of elegance, bold design, and immersive experiences.
These hotels cater to all travelers, particularly families, with thoughtfully designed features and activities. From small resorts that highlight nature and tradition, to city hotels that feel like art galleries or private homes, and classic properties rooted in history and sustainability, there’s something for everyone. Families can enjoy nature resorts with expansive outdoor spaces and kid-friendly activities, while city hotels may offer interactive museums or educational tours nearby. For those seeking eco-friendly luxury, world-class dining, or a balance of business and relaxation, these new openings showcase the future of Asian hospitality—one that embraces innovation, wellness, and meaningful guest experiences.
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Hotel The Mitsui Hakone, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa, Hakone Kowakudani, Japan
A Mountain HideoutHotel The Mitsui Hakone, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa, is set to bring Kyoto-level poise to the onsen hills of Hakone’s Kowakudani valley. Sitting amid 33 acres of cedar forests and mountain slopes, the retreat is imagined as a contemporary ryokan for design-minded travelers with low-rise pavilions, wide panes of glass, and interiors that pull in soft light, mist, and the shifting greens and greys of the surrounding peaks. Rooms and suites center on natural materials with untreated wood, stone, and linen and are oriented to frame either forest, garden, or valley views, with soaking tubs positioned so guests can watch clouds drift over the mountains. Pure magic.
Days here will settle into a ritual of hot springs and unhurried wandering. A serious spa and onsen complex will set the experience, with indoor and outdoor pools drawing on local mineral-rich waters, alongside treatment rooms that weave Japanese botanicals and techniques into slow, layered therapies. Between soaks, guests drift through landscaped gardens, curl up in quiet lounges, or take short excursions to nearby galleries and open-air museums.
The hotel is likely to lean into a refined, terroir-focused reading of Hakone. Expect kaiseki-style menus spotlighting seasonal produce from Kanagawa and beyond, alongside a more relaxed restaurant for charcoal-grilled dishes and comfort classics, plus a bar where sake, Japanese whisky, and mountain views share equal billing. Evenings fall quiet here: lantern-lit paths, the sound of wind in the trees, and the occasional hiss of steam rising from the baths.
Hotel The Mitsui Hakone, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa, Kanagawa, Ashigarashimo District, Hakone, Kowakudani, Japan, +81 75 468 3155, reservations.kyoto@hotelthemitsui.com, https://www.hotelthemitsui.com/en/kyoto/news/20241107_en/
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Chatrium Rawai Resort, Phuket, Thailand
Toes In The SandPhuket's south coast is quieter than other parts of the island, and Chatrium Rawai Resort will match this vibe when it opens in 2026. Located on Rawai Beach, the five-star resort has over 300 rooms and pool villas, most with sea views and balconies. It’s ideal for guests looking to relax away from the crowds. The resort is also family-friendly, with kids’ amenities, a children’s club, and family pool areas to make sure everyone has a great stay.
The resort is designed for slow, wellness-focused stays. The main pool deck sits near the shore, so guests can hear the waves. There’s a beach hut and a water sports center for easy days by the sea. In the middle, the Wellness & Spa Center offers relaxing treatments in a bright, modern space with sea breezes and views of the horizon.
Chatrium Rawai’s all-day restaurant celebrates its coastal setting and local community, drawing inspiration from Phuket’s fishing markets and serving fresh regional seafood. Guests can enjoy tropical drinks and light meals at the poolside restaurant and bar. With Rawai’s fishing village, nearby islands, and quiet coves just a boat ride away, the resort is a great base for exploring Phuket’s lively marine world.
Chatrium Rawai Resort, Phuket, 288, Soi Lamkayai, Rawai, Mueang Phuket District, Chang Wat Phuket, Thailand, https://www.chatrium.com/
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Imperial Hotel Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Lantern-Lit StreetsIn March 2026, Kyoto’s most atmospheric neighborhood will gain a new stay worthy of its lantern-lit streets when Imperial Hotel Kyoto opens inside the historic Yasaka Kaikan. The 90-year-old cultural landmark in the heart of Gion has been carefully reimagined as an intimate, 55-room sanctuary, preserving original pillars, window frames, and tiled facades while layering in soft lighting, crafted textiles, and contemporary comforts. It is the Imperial brand’s first new property in three decades.
Inside, the hotel reflects the varying moods of Kyoto. Main Building Heritage rooms keep original beams and period woodwork. Adjacent rooms offer floor-to-ceiling glass framing the city’s rooftops and hills. In the North Wing, new tatami suites combine washi paper, Japanese cedar, and ceramics for understated luxury that echoes the historic machiya houses outside.
Up on the rooftop, a guests-only terrace and bar will have views over Gion’s theatres and temple roofs, while below, a small collection of restaurants and bars, including an all-day venue shaped by the original hall and a counter-style French restaurant tuned to Japan’s seasons. Add in a spa, pool, and fitness space, and you have a base that invites guests to spend their days wandering shrines and back alleys, then return to a sanctuary that feels deeply Kyoto.
Imperial Hotel Kyoto, 570-289, Gionmachi-Minamigawa, Higashiyama-Ku, Kyoto, Japan, +81 75 531 0111, https://www.imperialhotel.co.jp/en/kyoto
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KAIA Koh Phangan, Koh Phangan, Thailand
Barefoot Eco-Luxury RetreatKAIA Koh Phangan will open in 2026 as a small eco-luxury retreat on a quiet part of the coast. It will have 31 tented suites and four pool villas, all facing the ocean, so guests can watch the sunrise and moonrise every day. The atmosphere is relaxed and natural, with sandy paths, simple textures, and enough comfort to make the tents feel unique.
Life at KAIA is easy and focused on the outdoors. Guests wake up to the sound of the ocean, enjoy coffee with wide views, and can join guided foraging trips along the hills or coast. The resort uses simple buildings and planned experiences to help guests connect with nature while keeping its impact low.
The kitchen will use ingredients from its own gardens and local producers, with menus that change with the seasons and feature island-grown herbs, vegetables, and fresh seafood. In the evenings, guests can meet in a shared dining area or at the beach bar, enjoying drinks with their feet in the sand and a relaxed atmosphere.
KAIA Koh Phangan, Koh Phangan, Thailand, +66 66 161 1944, https://www.kaiaresorts.com/
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Conrad Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Views Of Petronas Twin TowersAnother Hilton opening, Conrad Kuala Lumpur is set to bring a fresh, glassy kind of luxury to the city’s Golden Triangle when it opens in mid‑2026, rising 50 floors with 481 rooms and suites that look out over the Petronas Twin Towers and the shopping corridors of Bukit Bintang. Spaces are being designed with an emphasis on light, clean lines, and quietly luxurious materials, so that even entry-level rooms feel more like contemporary city apartments. It will be Conrad’s debut in Malaysia.
The hotel is also clearly geared toward travelers who balance leisure with meetings, launches, or conferences. Two full floors of event space, including a ballroom and a range of flexible meeting rooms, will give it a strong corporate and social calendar, while the wider layout folds in an executive lounge and well-planned arrival areas to keep comings and goings smooth. On the leisure side, guests can expect a spa, state-of-the-art fitness center, and pool area with skyline views and a sense of being suspended above the city.
Conrad Kuala Lumpur will feature five distinctive venues, including two specialty restaurants and two bars, each designed as places where Malaysian flavors are woven into global, modern gastronomy, with local staples alongside Asian and Western menus. A rooftop or high-floor restaurant with panoramic views is likely to become one of those book-ahead spots for guests and locals, while the lobby and bar spaces will offer coffee-to-cocktail service and a front-row view onto the capital’s constant motion.
Conrad Kuala Lumpur, 25, Jln Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, +60 3 2022 1555, https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/kulskci-conrad-kuala-lumpur/
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The Chedi Aquarius, Koh Chang, Thailand
Quiet Corners For ReadingThe Chedi Aquarius will give Koh Chang a new look when it opens, blending thoughtful design with eco-friendly ideas. This 200-room island resort is made for relaxation, with clean lines, lots of glass, and views of the sea and jungle everywhere you look. It’s a sustainable but stylish place where guests can enjoy nature without giving up comfort.
The spa will offer slow, ritual-based treatments that mix Asian traditions with modern methods, and a series of infinity pools will lead down to the coast. The mood is calm and peaceful, with quiet places to read, open decks for morning stretches, and a feeling that time slows down here.
The resort’s rooftop dining areas will be a main highlight, both socially and visually. Guests can enjoy long, open-air dinners while watching the sky change colors, with menus featuring local seafood and produce in a modern, international style. After dark, the island is mostly quiet, making Koh Chang feel like a peaceful, sustainable escape with a bit of glamour.
The Chedi Aquarius, Bang Bao Bay, Koh Chang, Trat Province, Thailand, https://www.ghmhotels.com/en/our-hotels/
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Pullman Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
Cinematic SweepOpening in February 2026, Pullman Ninh Binh will give Vietnam’s inland Ha Long Bay a contemporary, vertical viewpoint. Rising as the city’s tallest hotel with more than 30 storeys, the 283-room property will look out over a cinematic sweep of limestone karsts, emerald paddies and low-rise streets, with private balconies in most rooms designed to face the views head-on. Inside, the aesthetic leans toward biophilic modernity with clean lines softened by greenery, natural textures, and plenty of glass to keep the landscape in constant view.
From its central address on Lê Thái Tổ Street, the hotel will sit within easy reach of UNESCO-listed sights like Trang An, Tam Coc–Bich Dong, and Hoa Lu, making it an obvious base for boat trips among karst towers and bike rides through the rice fields. Back at the property, a serene spa, indoor and outdoor pools, and a well-equipped fitness center are planned as the decompression zone, giving guests a way to swap muddy hiking boots for a swim and a skyline-facing soak before dinner.
Food ConneXion, the all-day restaurant, will run generous buffets and live-cooking stations that mix Vietnamese flavors with broader Asian and Western dishes, while Mad Cow Wine & Grill on the upper floors will pair prime cuts and seafood with a strong wine list and wide-angle views of the karsts after dark.
Pullman Ninh Binh, 128 Le Thai To Street, Xuan, Thanh Urban Area, Ninh Binh, Vietnam, +84 229 3883 883.HA8E7@accor.com, https://all.accor.com/hotel/A8E7/index.en.shtml
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The Langham, Customs House, Bangkok, Thailand
19th Century LandmarkRising over one of Bangkok’s most storied riverfront addresses, The Langham, Customs House Bangkok is set to recast a 19th‑century landmark as the city’s most elegant new grande dame when it opens in 2026. Housed within the painstakingly restored former Customs House on the Chao Phraya in Bang Rak, the hotel will weave original neo-Palladian details with teak floors, soaring ceilings, and a grand central staircase into a quietly opulent contemporary scheme. The result promises the feel of a London-style city hotel dropped into old Bangkok, with long river views and a sense of history built into every corridor.
The urban retreat, with a small collection of guest rooms and suites, will be spread across the heritage building and a new riverside wing, all angled toward the water and the skyline beyond. Signature Langham touchpoints are set to position the experience around Chuan Spa, drawing on traditional Chinese medicine philosophies, a destination bar made for martinis at dusk, and riverside ballrooms poised to become the city’s most coveted wedding and gala venue.
An outpost of T’ang Court, the Langham’s three-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant from Hong Kong, is slated to headline, alongside a river-facing pâtisserie showcasing the group’s high-wire pastry work. Step outside and Bang Rak’s evolving creative district with warehouse galleries, cocktail bars, shophouse cafes is on the doorstep, but there is a sense that many guests will happily stay orbiting the hotel’s colonnades and river terraces.
The Langham, 36 Soi Charoen Krung 28, Road Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand, +66 80 191 9911, https://www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/bangkok/
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Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Name DroppingWaldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur is set to bring a new level of polish to the city’s skyline when it opens in late 2026, rising 23 floors above the Golden Triangle in a glass-and-stone tower of 272 all-suite rooms. Each suite is being designed as a private city residence, with starting footprints of around 80 square meters, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a calm, plush palette that frames the lights of Bukit Bintang, Pavilion, and the Petronas Towers beyond. The overall effect aims to translate classic Waldorf glamour into a sharper, more vertical Southeast Asian key.
Its address in the Golden Triangle, guests will be a short walk from KL’s marquee malls and dining districts, while inside, over 4,250 square meters of event space gives the hotel a quiet, built-for-big-moments confidence. There’ll be a 1,590-square-meter pillarless Grand Ballroom, one of the largest in the city, designed for gala dinners, weddings, and brand events, backed by a stack of flexible meeting rooms and pre-function spaces on dedicated levels.
As usual, Peacock Alley on the lobby level will offer afternoon tea and nightcaps, while a cluster of additional restaurants and bars is set to draw hotel guests and well-heeled locals with creative, cosmopolitan menus. For families, these dining venues offer child-friendly options, such as kids' menus and high chairs, making them suitable for guests traveling with children. Family suites are also available, providing ample space and comfort for parents and their kids. A spa and fitness center will trade the city’s humidity and traffic for cooled marble, soft lighting, and a skyline view from the treadmill before sinking back into suite-level quiet. For anyone plotting a blow-out KL weekend or a statement event, Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur will be the obvious new name to drop!
Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur, 73, Raja Chulan Road, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, https://stories.hilton.com/releases/new-hilton-openings-in-2026
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Nivata Koh Samui, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Koh Samui, Thailand
Island ViewsOn the far southwest tip of the island at Taling Ngam, Nivata Koh Samui, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, is tucked away and peaceful. Set along a curve of pale sand with long views over Tean and Ko Matsum islands, the intimate, design-led property reimagines a classic beach resort as a low-slung, villa-style hideaway under Hilton’s boutique Tapestry flag. Think whitewashed lines, plenty of timber, and a lazy, lagoon-like pool that drifts toward an infinity edge overlooking the Gulf of Thailand.
Guest rooms are spread through compact blocks and bungalows that keep things feeling small-scale and residential. Many open directly to the sea or garden, with terraces or balconies, while interiors stick to a soft, coastal palette of bleached woods, woven textures, and light linens. This is the antithesis of Chaweng’s nightlife strip: sunrises, low-key sunsets, and starry nights, with only the occasional longtail or fishing boat breaking the horizon.
Life here moves at an unhurried pace. Guests split their days between the beach, the palm-framed infinity pool, and simple, open-sided dining spaces serving unfussy Thai and international comfort food, with a bar offering sunset cocktails. A small spa and easy access to nearby temples, waterfalls, and island-hopping trips round out the offer, making Nivata an appealing choice for travellers who want Koh Samui’s more local-feeling side.
Nivata Koh Samui, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, 114/1 Moo 4 Tambon Taling-Ngam Beach, Koh Samui, Thailand, +1-844-3TAPESTRY, https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/usmupup-nivata-koh-samui/
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Capella Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
A Space Of Renewal, Rooted In RitualCapella Kyoto is one of the city’s most interesting new openings of 2026, a modern-day machiya hotel set in the historic Miyagawa-cho district on Yamatooji-dori, just steps from Kennin-ji Temple and the Kaburenjo theatre. Opening in March with 89 rooms and suites wrapped around a central courtyard, it has been conceived as a luxurious entry point into Gion’s living culture, with shoji-lined alleys, low, lantern-lit interiors, and a design language tuned to shadow, texture, and negative space. Guests can expect rooms that look either onto the old theatre, temple roofs, or intimate gardens, with warm woods, washi, and curated Japanese art and craft providing a constant reminder of where they are.
Through Capella Curates, guests can tap into experiences that would be almost impossible to access alone, such as private evenings in an ochaya teahouse with geiko and maiko performances, studio time with Kyoto artisans, or guided walks that unpack the rituals and stories behind nearby shrines and stages. A small but serious collection of dining spaces, including a Japanese restaurant with an omakase counter and a more relaxed brasserie opening onto a mossy tsuboniwa garden, translates that same sensitivity into food, with seasonal menus that rely on local producers.
The property is being designed to encourage a slower, more observant way of inhabiting the city. Suites with private onsen draw on the feel of a modern ryokan, while the narrow passages, framed views, and small shifts in light resonate as you move through Kyoto’s older townhouses. A compact spa and wellness area will offer much-needed pampering after days on temple routes and shopping streets, and with Gion Shijo and Kawaramachi an easy stroll away.
Capella Kyoto, 130 Komatsucho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Japan, +81 75 606 5810, info.kyoto@capellahotels.com, https://capellahotels.com/en/capella-kyoto
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Four Seasons Hotel Hanoi at Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam
Most Coveted Lakeside AddressDue to open towards the end of 2026, Four Seasons Hotel Hanoi at Hoan Kiem Lake is set to be the city’s most coveted lakeside address, bringing the brand’s calm to the heart of Vietnam’s capital. Overlooking Hoan Kiem’s mirror-still water, Turtle Tower and the treetops of the Old and French Quarters, the low-rise hotel will offer around 95 rooms and suites, each framed by tall windows that pull in the lake and street life below. The design language, French Colonial lines softened by Vietnamese artistry, think louvered shutters, tiled floors, lacquer touches, and contemporary furniture that keeps the overall mood quietly elegant.
Step outside, and you are seconds from Hanoi’s most atmospheric streets; step back in, and the hotel is conceived as an urban retreat. A serene spa, indoor-outdoor pool, and fitness center will give guests a way to reset after a day in the Old Quarter’s chaos, with treatment rituals and materials inspired by local traditions. Public spaces, lobby, lounges, and terraces are being designed to play up the contrast between the city’s buzz and the hotel’s measured pace, with views that track the lake from misty mornings to neon-lit nights.
Plans call for an all-day restaurant, an elegant lounge, and a rooftop bar, where menus will combine Vietnamese flavors and ingredients with global and contemporary dishes, and cocktails come with front-row views of Hoan Kiem’s lights after dark. With museums, galleries, cafés, and the water-puppet theatre all within easy walking distance, the hotel is a refined base for travellers who want to dip in and out of Hanoi’s intensity.
Four Seasons Hotel Hanoi at Hoan Kiem Lake, 22-32 Le Thai To, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam, https://press.fourseasons.com/news-releases/2017/new-four-seasons-in-hanoi/
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KROMO Bangkok, Curio Collection by Hilton, Bangkok, Thailand
French Traveler’s Love LetterKROMO Bangkok, Curio Collection by Hilton, is ideal for those who like their city stays with a strong sense of story. Set on Sukhumvit Soi 29, the newly built, 28‑storey hotel is the first Curio Collection property in Thailand, and its whole concept riffs on Bangkok’s ceremonial name as the City of Nine Gems. Faceted textures, jewel-toned accents, and a diamond-like shimmer to the façade set the tone before you even step inside.
The 306 keys start from around 30 square meters, decorated in ruby reds, emerald greens, and sunbird-inspired detailing, with works by Thai creatives woven into textiles, panels, and even hidden drawer art. Floor-to-ceiling windows pull in the Sukhumvit skyline, while the rooftop pool, small fitness center, and calm, cloud-sculpted lobby give guests a place to decompress between forays into nearby EmSphere, EmQuartier, Benchasiri Park, and the bars of Soi Cowboy and Asoke.
The hotel's social life is through its food-and-drink spaces. Colette, the main restaurant, is pitched as all‑day bistronomy, a French traveler’s love letter to Thailand, with easygoing plates, good coffee, and late‑night cocktails, while the bar and café corners downstairs double as living rooms for a plugged‑in Sukhumvit crowd. The overall effect is like a modern cabinet of curiosities: a lifestyle base where you can sleep in a design‑led bubble, then step straight out into one of Bangkok’s most energetic neighborhoods.
KROMO Bangkok, Curio Collection by Hilton, 525 Sukhumvit Road, Sukhumvit 29 Alley, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok, +66 2 078 8488, kromobangkok@hilton.com, https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/bkkqqqq-kromo/
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Meliá Serenity Cam Ranh Beach Resort, Cam Lam,Vietnam
Mediterranean-Inflected StyleMeliá Serenity Cam Ranh Beach Resort is being billed as a next‑generation coastal hideout on Vietnam’s Long Beach, due to open in the second quarter of 2026. Fronting a long run of pale sand and glassy, reef-sheltered water, the resort will spread more than 800 rooms and pool villas along the shoreline and gardens, with most accommodations angled toward the bay for unbroken sunrise and sea views. The overall look is contemporary and bright with low-slung, whitewashed buildings, plenty of glass, and warm timber.
The brief here is unashamedly about well-being, with a family-friendly edge. At one end of the property, an adults-only Level Pool and YHI Spa will cater to guests seeking quiet, with hydrotherapy, long, ritual-led treatments, and tucked-away daybeds facing the water. Elsewhere, a lattice of lagoon-style pools, kids’ splash zones, and family villas with private pools will keep multi-generational groups happily occupied. The dedicated Kidsdom offers activities like treasure hunts, arts and crafts, and guided nature walks, suitable for children ages 3 to 12. The Teens Club is designed for ages 13 to 17, featuring gaming stations, movie nights, and sports events, providing plenty of entertainment while giving parents a much-needed break. Additionally, babysitting services are available upon request for those looking for extra childcare support.
Food and drink follow Meliá’s usual Mediterranean-inflected style, adapted to the Vietnamese coast. Nine restaurants and bars are planned, ranging from relaxed beach and pool venues to more sophisticated dining rooms that pair local seafood and produce with Spanish accents and international favorites. With Cam Ranh’s wider resort strip still relatively low-key compared with Nha Trang, the property is positioning itself as a self-contained world, where guests can spend most of the week moving between villa, beach, pool, and restaurant.
Meliá Serenity Cam Ranh Beach Resort, 357W+PX, Cam Hai Dong Commune, Cam Lam District, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, +84 258 399 3000, serenity.camranh@melia.com, https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/vietnam/cam-ranh/hotel-serenity-cam-ranh-5743
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Varel Singapore, Tribute Portfolio, Singapore
Indie MindedVarel Singapore, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, slots neatly into the city’s indie‑minded set, trading on its address in the Selegie Road Arts District. Opening in early 2026 with 128 rooms and suites, it sits at the junction of Selegie Road and Mount Sophia, surrounded by art schools, galleries, and Little India’s streets, perfect for travelers who want culture and character within walking distance. The look is boutique with Southeast Asian references and plenty of natural light, giving the spaces a lived‑in, residential ease.
The guest rooms, most of which come with balconies that frame views over shophouse roofs and the skyline, feature interiors that mix clean-lined furniture with locally inspired details, beautifully woven patterns, crafted objects, and art that nods to the neighborhood’s creative energy. Thoughtful touches like in-room specialty coffee, TWG tea, and the option for private spa rituals in a more intimate, design‑forward package.
Four distinct dining and drinking spots will range from an all‑day café‑restaurant likely to become a haunt for students and creatives to a moodier bar that comes alive after dark. Step outside, and Orchard Road, Bugis, Bras Basah, and Marina Bay are all a short hop away.
Varel Singapore,189 Selegie Road, Singapore,+65 80 302 999, https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sintx-varel-singapore-a-tribute-portfolio-hotel/overview/
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Fairmont Dalian, Dalian, China
European Renaissance–Style HeritageFairmont Dalian is set to give one of Northeast China’s grand old dames a new lease of life, recasting a four-story, European Renaissance–style heritage building on Zhongshan Square as a tightly curated 70-room luxury hotel. Guestrooms will be layered with period details and contemporary comforts, high ceilings, generous windows, and quietly plush finishes, with views of the square, the nearby port, and the streets of Dalian’s maritime past.
The brand’s Fairmont Gold concept will operate as a hotel within a hotel with its own lounge, private check-in, and elevated services for guests who want a more cocooned stay. A dramatic foyer and ballroom are being positioned for weddings and key city events, backed by a collection of meeting rooms that should make the property as relevant to business travelers as to weekending couples and families. Signature restaurants will focus on regional seafood and international classics, while an indoor pool and fitness center round out the urban-resort feel.
Throughout the restoration, a strong sustainability storyline mirrors Dalian’s push toward a greener, tech-forward future. Fairmont and the Dalian Culture & Tourism Group are overseeing an eco-sensitive upgrade that preserves cultural relics, historic photographs, and architectural details while bringing operations up to modern efficiency standards. For guests, that will translate into a stay where heritage, coastal-city atmosphere, and responsible luxury sit side by side.
Fairmont Dalian, No. 4 Zhongshan Square, Zhongshan District, Dalian, Liaoning, China, https://group.accor.com/en/news-stories/accor-2026-openings
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Maison Delano Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
Drifting Between GladesMaison Delano Seoul is envisioned as a bustling cocoon in Gangnam, a compact lifestyle hotel where creative energy and quiet luxury coexist under the same roof. Opening in 2026 opposite the tree‑lined Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs, it will bring just 81 rooms and 52 branded residences to one of Seoul’s most fast-paced districts, with interiors built around natural, raw materials and a park‑like façade that wraps the building in trees and greenery. The design takes the idea of a traditional Korean pavilion and stretches it into a vertical, urban form, so movement through the hotel feels like drifting between glades.
Inside, the mood is cocooning, and guestrooms are being planned with soft, layered textures, warm light, and views over Gangnam Park and the royal tombs, aiming for that Delano sweet spot of residential comfort with a slightly theatrical edge. Downstairs, a members’ club and sunken garden courtyard will give guests and locals a shared living room where the boundaries between work and play.
Multiple culinary and mixology experiences are planned instead of a single flagship restaurant, from an all‑day venue to more nocturnal spaces that channel the brand’s Miami‑Paris lineage into something tuned to K‑culture. Up top, an indoor–outdoor infinity rooftop pool and terrace will look out over Gangnam’s towers and treetops, paired with a spa and gym that lean towards tech wellness. Think design‑led bolt‑hole.
Maison Delano Seoul, Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea, https://all.accor.com/a/ko/brands/delano.html, https://ennismore.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Press-Release-Maison-Delano-Seoul-to-debut-in-2026.pdf
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Four Seasons Hotel Xi’an, Xi’an, China
Resort-Style HideoutFour Seasons Hotel Xi’an is conceived as a resort-style hideout in the middle of one of China’s most history‑rich cities, a low, horizontal counterpoint to the towers around it. Set within a landscaped mixed-use development in the city center, the 250-room new-build will unfurl around generous gardens and water features, so many rooms and suites will look onto greenery first and skyline second. The overall feel is designed to be calm and residential, perfect after days spent between tech parks and Tang‑era relics.
Plans call for two restaurants, a lobby bar, and a rooftop bar, the latter facing directly over Muta Temple Relics Park and its lawns, trees, and fragments of a 7th‑century pagoda. From here, guests can watch the light change over the park and the neighboring Tang Dynasty Wall Relics Park, with cocktails and contemporary Chinese or international menus. Several private dining rooms and two ballrooms will give the property serious pull for weddings, product launches, and government or corporate events.
You’ll find a spa, salon, indoor and outdoor pools, and an open-air terrace dedicated to exercise and tai chi, which will allow guests to blend movement and ritual into their time in Xi’an. Younger travelers are accounted for with a Kids For All Seasons program, which includes a variety of engaging activities such as arts and crafts, fun games, and cultural experiences designed to educate and entertain. This helps families feel confident that their children will have enriching experiences tailored to their interests.
Four Seasons Hotel Xi’an, Intersection of Fengcheng 4th Road and, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, +86 29 8246 8888, https://press.fourseasons.com/news-releases/2022/new-four-seasons-in-xian/
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Meliá Aurea Nha Trang, Nha Trang, Vietnam
Beach-City Mini BreakMeliá Aurea Nha Trang will afford one of Vietnam’s liveliest beach cities a Mediterranean-accented side when it opens in late 2026. Sitting on a prime stretch of Nha Trang waterfront beside the existing Villa Le Corail Gran Meliá, the 365‑room resort will front the bay with clean-lined architecture, pale tones, and lush gardens that feel like Costa del Sol! The idea is refined beachfront luxury with everything: sand, sea, pools, and city energy, all within easy reach.
Guests will be able to wander straight from the grounds to a broader coastal precinct of theatres, casinos, water-sports hubs, and a boardwalk, turning a stay into a beach-city mini-break. Within the property, landscaped pools, quiet garden nooks, and a full-service spa bring the tempo back down, weaving European spa cues into Vietnamese warmth so days can slide easily between sunlounger and treatment room.
Expect a mix of relaxed beachfront and poolside venues and more elevated dining rooms, where local seafood and produce meet Spanish influences and international comfort favorites. Evenings are made for drifting between sunset drinks, dinner, and a late walk along the waterfront.
Meliá Aurea Nha Trang, Nha Trang, Vietnam, https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/vietnam/nha-trang
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Bvlgari Resort Ranfushi, Raa Atoll, Maldives
Roman GlamourBvlgari Resort Ranfushi is shaping up as one of the Maldives’ most statement-making openings, a 20-hectare private island in Raa Atoll that brings the brand’s Roman glamour to a sweep of white sand and reef-bright lagoon. Due to open in 2026 as Bvlgari’s first Maldivian intimate resorts, it will host just 54 villas: 33 beachfront sanctuaries with their own pools, 20 overwater retreats, and a showpiece Bvlgari Villa set on its own private islet. Architecture by ACPV Architects, Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel promises the familiar Bvlgari blend of clean-lined Italian sophistication and local craft, with low-slung forms, warm stone and teak, and interiors that draw the eye continuously back to sea and sky.
The experience begins even before arrival, with a 45‑minute seaplane hop from Malé. Bvlgari has commissioned a customized eight-seat cabin so the journey feels like a private jet! Once on the island, life orbits between lagoon and shaded gardens with private pools, soft-sand beaches, snorkeling over coral, and unhurried spa days at the ocean-facing Bvlgari Spa, complete with hydrotherapy areas, treatment pavilions, yoga pavilion, and gym. The mood is resolutely high-end but unflashy, a polished take on barefoot living where the luxuries are space, stillness, and the sense that everything, even down to the line of a lounger or the curve of a path, has been carefully, quietly engineered.
Four signature restaurants with Il Ristorante and Niko Romito, extending the chef’s contemporary Italian cuisine to the Indian Ocean; Bao Li Xuan for refined Chinese dining; Hōseki, an omakase-style Japanese counter echoing its Dubai sibling; and La Spiaggia, a relaxed beach spot for Mediterranean-leaning, salt-sprayed lunches. Evenings stretch from an aperitivo at the Bvlgari Bar to long dinners under a dark, star-thick sky, with the resort’s sustainability commitments, habitat protection, careful energy use, and respect for local ecosystems always at the core of the experience.
Bvlgari Resort Ranfushi, Raa Atoll, Maldives, https://www.bulgarihotels.com/en_US/ranfushi
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