The winners of T&C's Hotel Awards for April 2024 are divided into six categories: Wilderness, Urban, Countryside, Beachside, Minimalist and High Design. For the complete list, see T&C Hotel Awards 2024: The Most Desirable New Hotels on Earth.
Sea Cabin in Manshausen, Norway
steve king
Would you be willing to sleep 90 miles north of the Arctic Circle? One of his in the Manshausen hut.
Even by Norwegian standards, the 14-acre island of Manshausen is a close encounter with the Far North. It is also home to his cabin on the Sea of Manshausen, one of Norway's architectural wonders. The brainchild of Arctic explorer Borge Usland, the glass-enclosed Sea Cabin offers a front row seat to nature's most impressive sights, from the midnight sun to the northern lights. Built for two famous Norwegian explorers, his two new “sea towers” named Nansen and Amundsen also have glass roofs so you can count the stars from your bed. Is there a more difficult pursuit? many. Nordscott Traverse, a trail that drops off cliffs on both sides. —John Newton
To book your trip to Norway, contact UpNorway's Torunn Tronsvang at torunn@upnorway.com.
boca de agua, mexico
Cesar Béjart
One of Boca de Agua's treehouse suites. You will feel like you are immersed in the jungle.
Frida Escobedo, the star Mexican architect who designed London's Serpentine Pavilion in 2018 and is working on the modern wing of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, has built a hotel in Yucatan's aqua-blue Bacalar lagoon. Boca de Agua's 26 tranquil rooms feature tropical forest (responsibly sourced), are flooded with sunlight that filters through windows rather than walls, and are perched on stilts, making them feel like treehouses. benefits and reduce environmental impact. Escobedo's hope is that over time, the hotel will blend more into its tropical feel. You'll want to do that after spending a few days here. —John Newton
To book your trip to Mexico, contact Zachary Rabinor at Journey Mexico at zach@journeymexico.com.
The Boulder, Norway
Bitmap/Henrik Moksnes
Sky Lodge at Bolder Hotel by Norwegian design firm Snohetta.
Lysefjord, not far from Stavanger in southern Norway, carves a dramatic path through mountains that rise thousands of feet along each coast. The latest addition to this visual feast is cutting-edge Scandinavian design by Snøhetta, the Norwegian company that operates Oslo's He Opera House and Egypt's Alexandrina Library. The Boulder and his minimalist concrete and glass Sky Lodge appear to be floating in the sky. fjord. The subdued interior is pared back yet warm, and the effect is somewhere between a cozy hanging garden of trees and a Bond-like modernist retreat. —John Newton
To book a trip to Norway: Torunn Tronsvang of UpNorway, torunn@upnorway.com
Otoro, Oaxaca
Otro Oaxaca
Oaxaca's minimalist Otro Hotel overlooks a Baroque church.
Mexico's culinary and cultural capital often goes overboard with handicrafts when it comes to interiors. The 16-room Otro Oaxaca by Mexico's Grupo Habita (which has been collaborating with talented architects and designers in Mexico and abroad for more than 20 years) has opted for a very different look. It's a welcoming oasis look that's both modernist and inspirational. by ancient Mesoamerican ruins like nearby Mitla. The hotel's raw concrete and brick building offers beautiful views in its courtyard, and its rooftop terrace offers views of the nearby Basilica of Santo His Domingo, a baroque gem. The rooms may seem plain to some, but their simplicity draws attention to local elements in the design, such as woven bedspreads and reclaimed wood walls. —John Newton
To book your trip to Mexico, contact Zachary Rabinor at Journey Mexico at zach@journeymexico.com.
Longfellow Hotel (Portland, Maine)
Leonard R. Melroth/Longfellow
Bar and lounge at the new Longfellow Hotel.
This new, family-run, independent hotel is mindful of the philosophy of its namesake, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He once wrote, “The highest excellence is simplicity in character, manners, and style.” Think timeless New England restraint here rather than modernist aesthetics. The Longfellow's rooms are comfortable without being flashy, with bathtubs and views of Portland from the TRNK sofas. (The design is by Post Company, a Brooklyn-based master of glamorous vintage aesthetics.) The hotel also has a strong wellness theme, including the Astraea spa and healthy menu options at his Twinflower Café. is included. You'll arrive beaming as cocktail hour begins at the Five of Club Lounge. —John Newton
To Book: Longfellow
Our method: To create a list of great-looking new hotels around the world, we followed rules, not whims: 1) Must be open by 2023; 2) Must be nominated by T&C's experienced travel editor. Or his roundtable of 37 travel advisors who travel the world (preferably both). There were 172 candidates and 53 passed the screening process. bon voyage!
This story appears in the April 2024 issue of Town & Country.Subscribe now
Klara Glowczewska is Executive Travel Editor at Town & Country, covering travel-related topics specifically (locations, itineraries, hotels, trends) and broadly (conservation, culture, adventure), and previously at Conde Nast Traveler I was the editor-in-chief of the magazine.