This was published 6 years ago
The world's 10 hottest hotels: Why these 10 hotels are the best in the world
The Source, Denver.
ANOTHER PLACE, CUMBRIA, ENGLAND
The Lake District has just been awarded World Heritage Status by UNESCO and as if to celebrate, this northern summer the team behind the Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall opened Another Place, The Lake on the shores of Britain's second largest lake, Ullswater.
It's the second property from Millennial Will Ashworth, who took over Cornwall's Watergate Bay Hotel from his parents, a "bucket and spade" holiday spot his family had held since 1968, creating a place, he told Coast Magazine UK brought together: "sport, great design and contemporary food in a laid-back atmosphere".
The sculpted gardens of Another Place, Cumbria.
Like the Watergate Bay, his new Another Place also encompasses Ashworth's nostalgia for more innocent holiday times as well as sensitivity to and celebration of location.
Indeed, Another Place's location is extraordinary. It sits in 7.3 hectares of national park where hammocks swing between trees, and there's a wooden jetty by the lake, where guests can go open-water swimming, stand-up paddle boarding and sailing. A kids' club takes the younger guests through their paces, letting parents enjoy a Pimm's in a hammock.
The 40-room hotel and spa comprises an original Georgian building and new extension, and is oriented to make the most of views to make JMW Turner weep. The Georgian was Rampsbeck, a traditional hotel, and offers 20 of the rooms, while the two new modern coastal chic wings include family suites and dog-friendly digs.
Noting that swimming in a Cumbrian lake, wetsuited or not, isn't an all-year pursuit, there's a sizeable pool, plus a spa and gym.
The kitchen is fuelled by the onsite vegie patch and herb garden, and with foodie tourism a hugely growing trend, there's a focus otherwise on local produce.
See Another.place
THE GRAND CENTRAL HOTEL, BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast may just mark itself as a must-see destination for 2018 with first, the Titanic Hotel opening close to the magnificent Titanic Museum any minute now, then Northern Ireland's largest hotel, Hastings Hotels' Grand Central Hotel, Belfast, opening in mid-2018.
The original Grand Central was built in 1893 and was the thriving hub of Victorian Belfast as well as the finest hotel in Northern Ireland. The new and expanded offering will now feature more than 300 luxury bedrooms, a restaurant, bistro, rooftop lounge, retail and offices.
SHERATON ON THE PARK, SYDNEY
The high-end hotel business isn't just about keeping up with the Joneses. It's also about surpassing them. With a $40 million renovation, Sydney's award-winning Sheraton on the Park is intent on staying ahead of the pack.
Scheduled for completion in early 2018, it's a Millennial shift from old-school luxury to new for the Hyde Park celebrity haunt, "fusing the hotel's classic grandeur and location to create a sophisticated hotel that responds to the expectations of the modern traveller for more authentic experiences and personalised service".
The redo will cover the Sheraton Club Lounge plus 558 guestrooms, including 50 suites.
THE PENINSULA, LONDON
How's the location? Smack dab in Belgravia, steps away from Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace – 1-5 Grosvenor Place, to be precise. Peninsula's foray into the capital, at last count, was costing a cool £500 million. Designed by British-based Hopkins Architects, the new building replaces 1960s offices and like the wonderful Peninsula flagship in Hong Kong, promises, in addition to guestrooms and spa, to have places for locals and non-guests to gather, with shops, bars, restaurants and a ballroom. No doubt, there'll be a cracking afternoon tea on offer.
The site will also have residences and more pedestrian-friendly changes to the streetscape.
See peninsula.com
ROSEWOOD HONG KONG
One of the world's most famous skylines is about to get a new star player. Acclaimed New York-based Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates have created this new 398-room, harbour-front beauty for the fast-growing luxury brand Rosewood.
Says Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group: "We aim for this hotel to capture Hong Kong's grace and dynamism, culture and modernity, while debuting Rosewood's engaging, intuitive and refined service here in our home city."
In a city crowded with exciting hotels, the ante is about to be firmly upped.
THE WILLIAM INGLIS HOTEL, MGALLERY BY SOFITEL, SYDNEY
Following the trend of exciting reuse with the pace set by London where grand government and institutional buildings aplenty are finding new life as hotels, The William Inglis Hotel, MGallery by Sofitel is part of a new $140-million Riverside Stables precinct developed by traditional bloodstock agents Inglis. Adjacent to the Warwick Farm racecourse in south-western Sydney, the hotel will comprise 144 rooms including 22 suites and a number of family rooms across eight floors, each with an individual theme, based on one of the many champion racehorses sold through the sales rings. And guests will have equine neighbours. The precinct is also home to 800 horse stables re-using the hardwood from the existing Inglis Newmarket stables in Randwick.
THE FONTENAY, HAMBURG, GERMANY
UNESCO-listed Hamburg is fast growing in popularity for its cultural scene and with the city's first new five-star hotel in 18 years finally coming online, interest is sure to continue.
An urban resort on the banks of Lake Alster, the hotel containing 131 huge rooms and suites will have two restaurants, one of which is driven by Michelin-starred chef, Cornelius Speinle.
The hotel has been designed by Hamburg-born architect Jan Stormer, of Stormer Murphy & Partners, who has created a sculptural edifice, covered with thousands of white porcelain tiles that mirror the lake and the fluid lines of the parkland that surrounds the hotel.
Outdoor spaces are plentiful, including a rooftop bar with an infinity pool, the perfect place to watch the sun set over the city. See thefontenay.de
THE SOURCE HOTEL, DENVER, US
Denver's acclaimed The Source – an 1880s foundry building turned artisan food market hall, is about to get a sister property. The new Source Hotel will feature 100 rooms and complement the existing space with two new market halls containing a small-batch brewery, a collection of "experiential vendors", three restaurants, and a rooftop terrace with views of the downtown Denver skyline and Rocky Mountains.
King rooms feature glass garage doors you can raise to let the outside in.
Linking The Source and The Source Hotel is a lush green courtyard with a bridge spanning from the original market to the new hotel, and a series of patios joining the restaurant spaces and market halls.
KIMPTON ROWAN, PALM SPRINGS
This much anticipated seven-storey, 153-room Kimpton brand hotel will be the tallest building in California's desert city and will feature the location's first rooftop pool. There, you'll be competing for one of six luxury cabanas.
The property will be home to two restaurants and two bars, taking American food and giving it a French flair.
It will be open in time for Christmas and is part of a downtown revitalisation program that has not been without controversy. But Kimpton is confident the hotel will be loved for its embracing of progress while respecting the past.
ZETTER MANCHESTER
Manchester's historic London Road Fire Station was bought by Britannia Hotels three decades ago, then allowed to languish. New owners are now revitalising it with plans for mixed use, including a 91-room boutique hotel run by Zetter.
The company runs a group of gloriously quirky London properties, each sensitive to both heritage buildings and historic surrounds, managing to be hip and homely in equal measure, a fine fit for such a storied and much-loved landmark.
It's the work of interior designers Russell Sage Studios, famed for designing The Goring Hotel's Royal Suite, a number of Jason Atherton's and Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, as well as on the much lauded interiors for two Zetter Townhouse projects and Grain Store, for The Zetter Group.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.