Some years add a hotel or two worth rearranging a schedule around. 2026 added five. Each earns its place differently: a designer's Como palazzo, a French island with a pastis fortune behind it, an Indonesian resort that doubles as a hospitality school, a Charleston waterfront first, and a Red Sea flagship whose opening is still an announcement rather than a fact. The details below are drawn from official releases and reporting, with claims attributed where the facts are still moving.

The Lake Como EDITION, Cadenabbia, Italy

This is the contemporary answer to Como's grand old hotels. The Lake Como EDITION opened 10 March 2026 with 148 rooms and suites in a reimagined 19th-century palazzo at Cadenabbia, directly opposite Bellagio. Architecture and interiors are by Neri & Hu with De.Tales; the food and drink program runs to four venues under three-Michelin-star chef Mauro Colagreco; the extras run to a floating outdoor pool and beach club plus a wellness offer from The Longevity Suite. Ownership changed in September 2026, when Bain Capital and Omnam Group sold the hotel to Thailand's Sansiri Capital, with Marriott International continuing to operate it. For readers who know our guide to the lake's grand hotels, consider this the design-led counterpoint: same water, different register.

Zannier Ile de Bendor, Bandol coast, France

The private-island comeback story of the year. Zannier Ile de Bendor opened 1 May 2026 after a five-year transformation of the 7-hectare (17-acre) island, seven minutes by boat from Bandol, with 93 keys. The island was bought in 1950 by pastis pioneer Paul Ricard, who turned it into an artists' destination visited by Salvador Dali and Josephine Baker, per AFAR. The new hotel keeps that bohemian thread: eight dining venues including a second location of Nonna Bazaar, a 1,200 sqm wellness center with Resonane bioresonance programs, a diving center, three artisan ateliers, and a beach cove.

Nihi Rote, Rote Island, Indonesia

The one with a mission statement built in. Nihi Rote opened in April 2026 with 21 thatched pool villas on Bo'a Beach, on Rote Island, Indonesia's southernmost island in Nusa Tenggara Timur, and a sister resort to Nihi Sumba. The resort is built around the non-profit Rote Hospitality Academy, founded in 2024, which trains local Rotenese youth; guests check in through the academy itself. It was named to Robb Report's 50 Greatest Luxury Hotels on Earth for 2026 in its opening year. That is a remarkable debut for a hotel that is also, by design, a school.

The Cooper, Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston finally has a waterfront hotel worthy of the description. The Cooper opened 30 March 2026 with 191 rooms at 176 Concord St in the French Quarter on the Cooper River, described as the city's first and only luxury waterfront hotel. Interiors are by Champalimaud Design with Atelier Kim, and the amenity list includes a private marina, an infinity-edge rooftop pool with harbor views, four dining venues, and an urban wellness center.

Rosewood The Red Sea, Shura Island, Saudi Arabia

The asterisk on this list, stated plainly: this one is announced for 2026 but not yet confirmed as actually open. Rosewood The Red Sea is scheduled as one of eight new resorts on Shura Island, with all eleven committed to opening by end of 2026. If the announcement holds, expect 149 rooms and suites, three restaurants, two lounges, the signature Manor Club, and Asaya wellness with seven treatment rooms, a gym, two movement studios, and a yoga pavilion. The hotel sits within the Foster + Partners "Coral Bloom" masterplan, and Shura Links, Saudi Arabia's first island golf course (a par-72 Brian Curley design), is open to guests of all island resorts. Red Sea International Airport serves the destination, so the logistics of getting there are already in place. Watch this one.

Five hotels, five different bets on what a destination stay can be. The bookings will tell you which ones paid off.

Photography: Eric HOUDAS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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