While it is always sad to say goodbye to Summer, the Fall is my favorite Season. The air gets a little more crisp, the colors of the leaves turn majestic golds, oranges and reds, pumpkin patches and apple orchards dot the countryside and everything gets a little more up-tempo. It’s also the season for some of the most exciting and best hotel openings. Here are some of our favorite hotels opening this Autumn 2019, in no particular order:
WHITE ELEPHANT PALM BEACH
DECEMBER, 2019
The famous White Elephant of Nantucket takes its namesake to another bucolic destination, Palm Beach. Taking over the former Bradley Park Hotel on Sunset Avenue, White Elephant Palm Beach will be completely redeveloped as a contemporary/Mediterranean 32-room boutique hotel with a signature restaurant, pool and generous indoor and outdoor spaces. While it may not be oceanside (still, it is two blocks from the ocean), it will be in the heart of the historic town with easy walking access to fantastic restaurants and shopping.
Contact jackie@inviatotravel.com for special rates, amenities and opening offers here.
CANYON RANCH, WOODSIDE CA
NOVEMBER 1, 2019
One of the original destination wellness spa resorts is opening its first West Coast outposts, here right outside San Francisco (and conveniently 20 minutes from tech hub Palo Alto) with 16 acres for hiking among the redwoods. Guests have the option at Canyon Ranch Woodside to stay in the 12 rooms in the main lodge or in any of the 24 treehouses elevated on stilts onto the trees. Similar to its retreats in Lenox and Tuscon, Woodside will offer three, four and seven-day programs with communal farm-to-table dining, indoor and outdoor programming and treatments.
Contact jackie@inviatotravel.com for special rates, amenities and opening offers here.
HALEPUNA WAIKIKI BY HALEKULANI, HONOLULU
OCTOBER 25, 2019
Finally! Honolulu needed more fresh contemporary options similar to Alohilani, the most recent luxury hotel arrival on Waikiki. Halepuna Waikiki is certainly an exciting one as I know anything that interior design firm Champalimaud is involved with is going to be gorgeous. The former Waikiki Parc Hotel has been transformed into a new chic boutique 288-room property with a restaurant, pool and sun deck on the 8th floor that will be managed by the nearby five-star Halekulani resort. So you can expect both excellent service and good looks.
Contact jackie@inviatotravel.com for special rates, amenities and opening offers here.
FOUR SEASONS, NEVIS
OCTOBER 1, 2019
For the past two years the legendary Caribbean resort has been undergoing a multi-phase project to significantly upgrade the resort. Anyone who has been there lately will have noted the new guest rooms and suites, beautiful new Great House lobby and restaurants, EsQuilina and Rum Bar. For the final touches, the Four Seasons Nevis is closed through the end of October after which it will unveil a new signature 3,300 square foot infinity pool, a new outdoor farm-to-table restaurant On the Dune and other new spaces. I think this will be Four Seasons’ nicest Caribbean resort in its collection.
Check availability, rates and book Four Seasons Nevis with Virtuoso amenities such as complimentary breakfast, credits, room upgrades and early check-in/late check-out here.
NAYARA TENTED CAMP, COSTA RICA
DECEMBER 20, 2019
Anyone who has stayed at the 5-star Nayara Resort nestled in the lush Costa Rican rainforest of Arenal National Park, has returned raving about it. Now, Nayara is building a tented camp of 29 1,800 square foot luxury tents (12 are linked together as two bedroom units for groups or families). Set high on the hill with views of the Arenal Volcano (the third most active volcano in the world), the luxury air-conditioned (yes!) tents will feature plunge pools fed with natural hot springs, four-posted canopy beds and a spacious bathrooms – all with unobstructed views of the volcano. A swim-up bar, family-friendly pool, tons of activities such as ziplining and white water rafting and a new Asian restaurant (in addition to the six at Nayara Resort) are all part of the attraction as is (especially for me!) a sloth sanctuary. A great combo with a beach resort such as the Four Seasons or Andaz in Papagayo.
Check availability, rates and book Nayara Resort with Virtuoso amenities such as complimentary breakfast, credits, room upgrades and early check-in/late check-out here.
EDEN ROCK, ST. BARTS
November 20, 2019
St. Barts is officially back and better than ever with most of the 28 hotels and resorts and hotels open and better than ever after the devastation of Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Just in time for the winter holidays is the latest (and last?) to open: Eden Rock. Following an extensive two-year renovation and rebuild, the renowned family-owned resort reopens with an entire new design, new suites and villas (37 in all), new beach bar and ‘Remy Bar’ at an enlarged Sand Bar restaurant along with a new spa in partnership with Ligne St. Barths. All the rooms, suties and villas underwent a complete redesign and remodeling. Ooh la la.
Contact jackie@inviatotravel.com for special rates, amenities and opening offers here.
JK PLACE RIVE GAUCHE, PARIS
NOVEMBER 2019
The highly anticipated opening of J.K.Place Paris, originally slated to open this past Spring, will now open to J.K. Place loyalists and guests in November. Housed in a a 29-room/suite boutique hotel in the former European Consulate off of the Boulevard St. Germain on the Left Bank, JK Place Rive Gauche (as it is now named) will offer a distinct French twist on their signature Italian style. Not too much though as there will be an Italian restaurant Casa Tua (also in Miami and Aspen) housed inside.
This is the first venture of the adored stylish Italian boutique J.K. brand (which owns those fabulous hotels in Capri, Rome, and Florence) outside Italy and the location next to Musee d’Orsay could not be more ideal. Just another reason to twist our arms to return to Paris!
Contact jackie@inviatotravel.com for special rates, amenities and opening offers here.
NOBU BARCELONA SPAIN
SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
Is it me or is Nobu Hotel brand expanding like its on speed? Nobu Hotels have landed in Marbella, Ibiza, Malibu, London, Vegas, Miami all in just the last two years). Nobu continues the expansion of its hotel brand (currently there are eleven and seven more are in the works) into Barcelona this Fall with a 259-room/suite hotel and, as expected, its famous Nobu restaurant which here will offer panoramic views of the city from the 23rd floor. Similar to its other hotels, you can expect a Japanese minimalist design combined with local Catalan-style elements. This one is sure to make a splash in a town with quite a few hotel developments in the last two years!
Check availability, rates and book Nobu Barcelona with Virtuoso amenities such as complimentary breakfast, credits, room upgrades and early check-in/late check-out here.
THE THEODOR, TEL AVIV
FALL 2019
Israel, and the cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv in particular, has been undergoing a luxury hotel boom with the recent opening of The Jaffa, The Setai and other new boutique hotels that have been overdue. Tel Aviv-based hotel group Brown Hotels is opening not one but several new new properties this Fall across Israel to add to its collection of hotels such as Brown Hotel (2010), its sister beach-front boutique property Brown Beach House (2015), Lighthouse (2018) and last week downtown, The Dave Levinsky. Our favorite among two openings this Fall is sophisticated and modern The Theodor, a 34-room Bauhaus-inspired hotel on Rothschild Boulevard with a panoramic rooftop terrace and urban garden.
Contact jackie@inviatotravel.com for special rates, amenities and opening offers here.
PARK HYATT, KYOTO JAPAN
October 30, 2019
A welcome luxury addition to the beautiful city of Kyoto (Banyon Tree coming in 2022!), the Park Hyatt Kyoto is designed as a four story luxury guesthouse near the Kiyomizu-dera temple complex (one of the best preserved historic areas in Kyoto) with all 70 guest rooms featuring local craftsmanship, warm tamo wood, original artworks and garden views along with a 360 year-old teahouse. Reserve well ahead if you want to visit during cherry blossom season!
Contact jackie@inviatotravel.com for special rates, amenities and opening offers here.
BAGLIONI MALDIVES
OCTOBER 1, 2019
After a few opening date delays and a soft opening this month, the Baglioni Maldives officially opens to the public this October. Baglioni’s first property outside Europe, the first 5-star Italian resort is located on Maagu Island in the Maldives. The family-friendly (kids club included) resort has 96 villas over water, beach and garden along with its own PADI five-star dive center and four restaurants (of course one is Italian!).
Contact jackie@inviatotravel.com for special rates, amenities and opening offers here.
ZADUN RITZ RESERVE AND FOUR SEASONS AT COSTA PALMAS, LOS CABOS
OCTOBER 15, 2019
Two major uber-luxury resorts are opening Mid-October in the already hot luxury destination scene in Los Cabos. Zadun Ritz Reserve, the fourth property in the exclusive Ritz-Carlton Reserve portfolio, is an oceanfront resort along the breathtaking coastline of Puerto Los Cabos with 115 ocean-view suites and villas (all with private butler and plunge pools). Four restaurants and bars and a wellness spa are also featured. Meanwhile nearby, Four Seasons Costa Palmas will be located on two miles of untouched private beachfront with 145 ocean-view rooms in the same Costa Palmas development as the upcoming Aman resort Amanvari, slated to open 2020. Four pools, three restaurants, spa and golf course are featured here as well. Hard to go wrong with either, really!
Check availability, rates and book the Zadun Ritz Reserve with Virtuoso amenities such as complimentary breakfast, credits, room upgrades and early check-in/late check-out here. Contact Jackie@inviatotravel.com for more information on Four Seasons and Amanvari in Costa Palmas.
