The Best New Hotels in Europe and the U.K.: 2023 Hot List
Nothing makes us more excited to get up and go than putting together our annual Hot List of the best new hotels, cruises, restaurants, cultural destinations, and transportation projects. Now in its 27th year, this curated collection is a labor of love for our global team, which spends the year researching, visiting, and vetting the entries to bring you a definitive directory of places whose style, ethos, and service set new standards for hospitality. This year's best new hotels in Europe and the United Kingdom range from cutting-edge wellness retreats to classic cultural getaways. All that’s left is for you to decide where you’re going first.
Click here to see the entire Hot List for 2023.
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Michelle Chaplow/Cashel Palace HotelhotelCashel Palace — Ireland
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Hot List 2023 
Readers' Choice Awards 2023This palace was one of the grandest examples of Palladian architecture when it was designed by Edward Lovett Pearce, surveyor general of Ireland, as a home for the archbishop in 1728. During the recent painstaking revamp of the Grade I-listed structure, even the faintest whir of a builder’s drill was scrutinized by planning regulators. Nevertheless, some happy-making surprises turned up: The roof was replaced with the original blue Bangor slate from Wales; old pitch timbers that hadn’t seen the light of day for decades now shine in top-floor bedrooms in the main house; the chimneys, which had been knocked to two-thirds of their height in the 1950s when they were deemed unsafe, are back to the proportions first conceived by Pearce. Such extensive restoration was made possible by the deep pockets of Cashel Palace’s owners, the Magnier family, who built their fortune breeding thoroughbreds at the nearby Coolmore Stud. It’s an important revival of a significant building in Ireland’s architectural canon, but also a clever move to redirect the compass for luxury travel in this part of the world—drawing the golfing crowds of Adare Manor, the genteel country set of Ballyfin, and making Tipperary a destination in its own right rather than a county whizzed through en route from Dublin to the coast. Rooms from $293. —Gráinne McBride
Francisco Nogueira/SommerrohotelSommero — Norway
Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2023Sitting on an elegant tree-lined street in Frogner, one of Oslo’s oldest neighborhoods, this 231-room hotel occupies a prominent 1930s building—the former headquarters of the city’s first electricity company. The eclectic interiors are a decadent embellishment to the original mishmash of Art Deco and sober, functionalist details—from the handsome timber wall panels in one of the suites, the former director general’s office, to the grand staircase in the lobby. Designed as a social hub with a roster of cultural events for visitors and Oslo locals, the ground floor is a sweep of humming restaurants and bars, plus a cinema and a theater. Meanwhile, the top floor, with sublime Oslo views, is home to a restaurant by Nordic sushi pioneer Frida Ronge as well as the city’s first rooftop pool and sauna. A spacious subterranean wellness floor occupies the building’s former public baths, where you’ll find the original pool and a restored mosaic wall by Norwegian artist Per Krohg. From bathrobes by local bed-linen company Abate to tote bags and cushions from Sisters in Business, a sustainably focused social enterprise that employs immigrant women, Sommerro acts as a showcase for Oslo’s relatively undiscovered brilliance. Rooms from $273. —Lauren Ho
Capelongue, a Beaumier HotelhotelCapelongue — France
$$ | Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2023At first glance, this five-acre hilly property resembles a resurrected ancient farm with all the agricultural vestiges: a sheepfold, a dovecote, gurgling fountains, surrounded by rows of stately cypresses. Guess again. Capelongue, an impeccable Neo-Provencal 37-room hamlet, was actually built from scratch only a decade ago—and acquired by the Beaumier hotel group in September 2020, who embarked on a two-year renovation—using prettily polished weathered old stones. The airy 57 bedrooms and 19 suites sum up the re-energizing, unpretentious vibe perfectly, with rattan chairs, ceramic jugs, and sweeping views of the verdant Petit Lubéron countryside. Set above a grassy garden of flowering white oleander, Capelongue’s inviting rustic stone bistro La Bergerie excels in Mediterranean comfort food: think Provencal-style pissaladière, chocolate ganache crumble, and verbena-spiked strawberry salad with whipped cream. With the newly-awarded Michelin star, Capelongue’s second gastronomic restaurant, La Bastide, offers two prix-fixe menus meant to be shared amongst friends. And though central Bonnieux is just a quick bike ride away, Capelongue makes a compelling case for staying put—lounging on a sunbed by a stone pool edged with lavender, sipping icy freshly-squeezed lemonade to the tune of whirring cicadas. Rooms from $320. —Lanie Goodman
Felix Brüggemann/Chateau Royal BerlinhotelChateau Royal Berlin — Germany
$ | Hot List 2023If you listened to the naysayers, you’d believe that Berlin was rather boring these days. “Berghain is so vanilla,” they say. “All the artists are moving out.” Well, here’s a hotel that proves otherwise. Several of the city’s artists hang out within these walls—one or two, perhaps, sitting with an Oyster Eau Martini to hand at the bar—and many more have been involved in designing bedrooms or displaying pieces up the stairs and down the corridors. A bronze self-portrait by Alicja Kwade stands outside, Karl Holmqvist’s neon piece signposts the kitchen, and a bold pink painting by Simon Fujiwara in the lobby picks up the color of the Persian carpet below. While other so-called art hotels are little more than blank canvases, Château Royal walks the walk: Owner Stephan Landwehr’s connection to Berlin’s contemporary scene goes back to the 1980s, when he started out as a picture framer; later, as a restaurateur, he opened Grill Royal, which became a popular artists’ haunt. His partner, Kirsten, co-curated the spaces, which flow from the bar through a darkened fireplace room to the restaurant, Dóttir, where Icelandic chef Victoria Eliasdóttir plates up buttermilk-steeped artichokes and linseed meringue. Artists were given free rein in the bedrooms, with results that are occasionally challenging but often surprisingly restrained. With Berlin currently rebalancing itself—the west is regaining its confidence, while Kreuzkölln in the east picks up hipster points—this arty but not too-cool-for-school hotel in central Mitte is a fine place from which to reframe the city. Rooms from $212. —Rick Jordan
Portrait Collection/Portrait MilanohotelPortrait Milano — Italy
$$$ | Hot List 2023Over the last decade, Italy’s now-leafy design capital has transformed itself from a gray business blur into a dashing contemporary feather in the nation’s cap. It’s a must-do weekender with a raft of museum expansions, “centralissimo” restaurants, and a second wave of hotel openings just a five-minute whoosh away from Linate Airport on the city’s high-speed sustainable metro. Portrait Milano places visitors at the city’s physical, spiritual, and luxurious heart with the restoration of this baroque religious college hidden in the lauded Fashion Quadrilateral. Its vast private courtyard was inaugurated as a new public piazza by Milan’s mayor in December 2022. Meanwhile, its ground floor is set to be a new Milanese playground with a roll-call of Italian fashion, spa, and restaurant coups. Suites are roomy Milanese mid-century apartments in walnut and cardinal red velvet, with luxe details like antler-like leather handles by Florentine craftsmen and comprehensive vanity kits in the powder rooms. Rooms from $1,008. —Stephanie Rafanelli
Diego MartinezhotelVermelho Hotel Melides — Portugal
$$ | Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2023Twelve years ago, Christian Louboutin hurt himself down at his retreat in Comporta. On his way to the Santiago do Cacém hospital, he noticed Melides, a small village barely half an hour away. He fell in love with its dense pine forests and a marshy lagoon flanked by beaches of unequaled beauty, like Galé, with its fossil cliff of more than five million years old. He bought himself an old fisherman's house and turned it into a tranquil escape, where he entertains friends. Vermelho is his first-ever hotel, a rare fresh build in this town, brought to life with the help of Portuguese architect Madalena Caiado. It is eclectic, extravagant, and curious, much like the man himself. The taste is impeccable–a mix of Spanish and Alentejo traditional design, with pops of color amidst a palette of white and blue that speaks to this part of coastal Portugal. Rooms from $380. —David Moralejo
Gleneagles TownhousehotelGleneagles Townhouse — Edinburgh
$$$ | Hot List 2023Everyone knows all about the original Gleneagles in rural Perthshire, which has long been the stuff of legend. Acquired by Ennismore in 2015, it was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and an invigorating defibrillator blast—and it worked. The place has surely never looked better or felt more lively than it does today. You can perceive a family resemblance in the Townhouse, though in terms of temperament—as well as scale, tone, and emphasis—she is very much her own person. This is ostensibly—though not entirely—a members’ club, though it most respects it also functions as a normal hotel. Non-members can dine in the restaurant (spectacular), stay in the rooms (delightful), and get squiffy in the rooftop bar (terrific). Senior staff members are notable for their presence. You see them all the time, they remember your name, they are actively solicitous of your well-being, and they will actually take time to chat—all of which is more impressive and less common than it might sound. Rooms from $605. —Steve King
Yiorgos Kaplanidis/Pagostas Guest HousehotelPagostas — Greece
$ | Hot List 2023Unless you can persuade one of the European aristocrats or gilded Greek beau monde to lend or rent you their summer house, there’s only one place to stay in Chora: this three-bedroom guesthouse, built in 1597 and renovated with great sensitivity in 2022. Wafts of jasmine greet you as you step across the threshold—a sage green door framed by slabs of stone mantomata—into an arched courtyard. A constellation of 19th-century Cannakale plates are pinned to the whitewashed wall, and a pair of carved wooden chairs frame a low table with a delicate embroidered tablecloth. Inside, steep stone steps lead to cool, quiet rooms with huge windows that frame views of a patchwork of white, flat roofs—upwards to the monastery, or outwards to the Aegean. It’s a masterclass in the poetry of place, an ode to craftsmanship where each object has found its rightful place. Rooms from $269. —Rachel Howard
hotelAristide Hotel — Greece
$$ | Hot List 2023The grand, neoclassical exterior—all pediments and Doric columns and ceremonial marble entrances—belie the relaxed, seductive vibe and intimate service here. Hotel Aristide can feel more like a club and a home, allowing you to connect to the artistic heartbeat and true creative spirit of Syros. As a landmark building in the prosperous Vaporia district, it perches loftily overlooking the Aegean, close enough for a five-minute stroll down to a public swimming platform beside the sea. From the destination rooftop restaurant, it’s an exhilarating view over the coming and goings of the ferries. The tone of the place is set by owner-novelist Oana Aristide; a generous, calm, and intelligent presence at the helm, supported by empowered and engaged staff. Fontini and Chryssa at reception, chef Petros in the kitchen, and Konstantinos at the bar are as emotionally invested in the success of the hotel as the owner. It makes all the difference in the world. Rooms from $401. —Catherine Fairweather
PION Studio/The Comodo AustriahotelThe Cōmodo — Austria
$ | Hot List 2023Once upon a time, Bad Gastein was the most glamorous village in the Austrian Alps, famed for its curative waters and elegant Belle Époque architecture. But hard times befell the village, and from the early 2000s onwards, there was an end-of-the-road, almost forgotten feel to the place—but that’s all changing thanks to a passionate, creative community breathing much-needed new life into the village. The Cōmodo is part of the wave of hotels, restaurants, and co-working spaces driving this energy—not to mention one of the most stylish properties in the Alps right now. A mid-century vibe flows throughout the former clinic and health resort, with vintage and custom-made furniture bathed in mountain light. The 70 rooms and suites are filled with custom wallpaper and carpets, and most overlook the valley with spacious balconies. Bad Gastein’s history as a place of healing can be felt throughout the soothing spa, in two dry saunas, and out on the sun deck. If you’re a fan of mid-century modern design, mountain views, Alpine living, and dreamy duvets, The Cōmodo is absolutely worth your time. Rooms from $150. —Nicola Chilton
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Nikolas Koenig 2021/The Madrid EDITIONhotelThe Madrid EDITION — Spain
$$ | Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2023Despite its many virtues, the Spanish capital has never been replete with top-notch hotels; but in the last five years, the situation has improved beyond recognition. But even in the face of tough competition from big-name luxury brands, the new EDITION is plainly the cherry on the cake—or the prawn on the paella. The drama of the building—cunningly repurposed from a boxy modern former bank HQ on the old-town Plaza de Celenque—begins with the ornate 18th-century granite doorway by Pedro de Rivera (one of the few historic elements remaining from the original site) and continues into a vast spiral staircase in pearly-white stone, curving spectacularly upwards like a giant seashell. The public spaces have a low-lit calm but go all-out for contrast: An antique tapestry hangs behind an all-white pool table lined with electric-blue baize, and you might find a minimalist bench artfully draped with a traditional Spanish shawl. On the ground floor, chef Enrique Olvera disembarks from Mexico City with a restaurant (Jerónimo) that eschews fancy fine dining for a streamlined modern interpretation of traditional Mexican cuisine; if budgetary restrictions apply, an evening in the EDITION’s rooftop wonderland would be a great way of catching the hotel’s hedonistic vibe. Rooms from $485. —Paul Richardson
Stefan Giftthaler/Villa PassalacquahotelVilla Passalacqua — Italy
$$$ | Hot List 2023From a pale-amber estate, seven acres of olive groves, roses, mimosa, jasmine, and magnolia descend to the glittering waters of Lake Como, wafting their fragrance into the sleepy air. A perfectly confected 24-suite hotel born of a 1787 neoclassical villa, Passalacqua is the second Como hotel for the De Santis family, after their beloved Grand Hotel Tremezzo. The suites in the villa have baroque details like original frescoes and ceiling carvings. Como silks, etched Barbini mirrored cabinets, and Bordoni leather ottoman tables. The Palazz contains a small spa stocked with Dr. Barbara Sturm products, with hand-painted wallpaper that replicates that of Portaluppi Herbarium in Milan’s Atellani House. Guests congregate on the colorful swimming terrace for unfussy Lombardy lunches. There, the sage green 200-year-old greenhouse and jaunty La DoubleJ–designed floral parasols offer a cheeky riposte to the formal villa interiors. Passalacqua deliciously recaptures the lost art of villeggiatura, or taking to a country villa and reveling in la dolce far niente—sweet idleness. Rooms from $835. —Lydia Bell
Cosme, a Luxury Collection Resort, ParoshotelCosme Hotel Paros — Greece
$$ | Hot List 2023This hotel—part of Marriott Bonvoy’s Luxury Collection Hotels and Resorts portfolio—feels more like a narrative, a breathing thing. The property draws in the fresh, salty air that whips off the Aegean Sea and allows it to fill its white-washed lungs, to uplift the myriad pathways and passages (inspired by the bright fishing villages of Paros itself) that connect guest rooms with thoughtful spaces, dining areas, and outdoor living. From the achingly cool entrance that frames the stretch of private beach in front to the half-moon infinity pool that perfectly kisses the ocean beyond it, Greek island living doesn’t get much better—or much freer—than this. Rooms from $495. —Anya Meyerowitz
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Fabio Semeraro/Vocabolo MoscatellihotelVocabolo Muscatelli — Italy
$$ | Hot List 2023Relaxed luxury is the name of the game at this intimate member of Design Hotels in a restored monastery in Umbria, Italy’s green heart. The hotel is set on a 2.5-acre estate planted with a vegetable garden and replete with manicured lawns where dogs can play. A hub for the local community, this hotel draws Italians and expats from the neighboring towns, who come to sip creative cocktails at the bar, enjoy Sunday lunch at the restaurant, or attend events hosted by the owners. There are just 12 rooms, which juxtapose the ancient monastery’s stone walls with sleek contemporary art and design. The beds, for example, are each bespoke creations in minimalist silhouettes and bold colors made by fourth-generation ironsmith Emanuele Lispi. In the afternoon and evening, the on-site restaurant transforms into a showcase for the chef, who brings Middle Eastern and Asian flavors to this very traditional part of Italy. Start with a creative cocktail or glass of wine in the lounge, which feels more like a living room than a hotel bar, and then settle in for a culinary voyage in the restaurant, where you might start with ramen in Umbrian beef broth with smoked duck breast and end with bread pudding with ricotta, pistachios, and vanilla cream perfumed with rose water. Rooms from $411. —Laura Itzkowitz
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The Twenty TwohotelThe Twenty Two — London
$$ | Hot List 2023This previously residential Edwardian manor house has been turned into a 31-room hotel and member’s club by former Blakes owner Navid Mirtorabi, with the help of business partner Jamie Reuben, a scion of a family that owns swathes of Mayfair. In a marble-floored lobby that smells of churchy frankincense, guests are greeted by a cape-wearing doorman and a row of staff in Charlie Casely-Hayford suits. A pervasive friendliness cuts through the velveteen quality of a place that feels more like a louche Parisian hideaway than most smart new London hotels, which tend to fit into Hoxton or Heritage pigeonholes. Most rooms are understatedly plush, painted an elegant blue that’s on the sensual side of Edwardian; former Arbutus chef Alan Christie hits the key modern British notes in the dining room. Some of the prices are shiver-inducing, but then this is Mayfair, and The Twenty Two is offering something different—something sexier and more fun, which might just be a marker point for the area’s future. Rooms from $538. —Toby Skinner
W Costa NavarinohotelW Costa Navarino — Greece
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2023A chug through Messinia’s olive-dotted countryside, past bare-chested octogenarians driving ancient tractors, brings you to this 32-acre waterfront property, designed in the form of a Greek coastal village. The first W hotel in Greece offers everything you’d expect from the famously fun, tongue-in-cheek brand—poolside DJs, geometric cushions, a central infinity pool begging to be Instagrammed—plus some added doses of wellness, eco-consciousness, and inclusivity. In line with the rather chummy W vernacular (staff quarters are labeled “Talent”), there are 246 Fabulous, Spectacular, and Wow! room options spread throughout the property—try to book one of the infinity swim-up rooms, which grants access to a shared ground-level 90-meter pool. Like the other hotels in the Costa Navarino collection, there is a true sense of warmth at the heart of the hotel from the 350 staff members—even though it is a big brand hotel, ultimately this is a family-run business, and that hospitable embrace is felt throughout.
George Apostolidis/Mandarin Oriental Palace, LuzernhotelMandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern — Switzerland
$$$ | Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2023Lucerne. Serenity and drama as far as the eye can see. The lake and its forested foothills provide the serenity; the jagged peaks of the Alps, the drama. The old town contributes a bit of both with its tangle of spires, turrets, and fortifications, and its stupendous 600-year-old footbridge. In the thick of it all is what used to be the Palace Hotel, which has lately been reborn as the Mandarin Oriental Luzern. Easing such places into the 21st century without turning them into either a museum or a muddle requires uncommon sensitivity. London-based designers Jestico + Whiles (One Aldwych, W London) have done the trick with aplomb. The heritage elements have been lovingly preserved while the contemporary flourishes are bold but not dissonant—minimalist brass chandeliers in concentric circles that resemble ripples on the surface of the lake, for example, or the use of butterfly joints that recall both Mandarin Oriental’s Hong Kong origins and the actual butterflies that proliferate here in summer. If the bones and location hadn’t already existed, some Pixar or Disney prodigy would’ve had to make this property up—the storyboard essence of the Belle Epoque lakeside Swiss grand hotel ideal. Rooms from $843. —Steve King
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La Zambra HotelhotelLa Zambra Hotel - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt — Spain
$$ | Hot List 2023This is a clean contemporary take on Andalucia, named after a style of Flamenco that is danced in bare feet (the idea is that guests should feel free to do their thing). You’ll know when you’ve arrived: The gate is immaculately edged in lavender; it opens onto a white courtyard in which three soaring palms and high Moorish walls draw the eye up to the porcelain-blue sky. This leads to an airy lobby and a series of patios and fountains, with glimpses of leafy gardens through latticework and arches. An iron-frame door slides open onto a patio planted with succulents; basket chairs and loungers look over a silvery pool and golf course to the Andalucian hills. The late-afternoon sun casts shadows on whitewashed walls, natural stone floors, and handcrafted ceramics, and the staff are coolly dressed in neutral cotton and linen. Even if you aren’t a big golfer (the hotel offers direct access to two courses designed by Robert Trent Jones and 12 more within a 15-minute drive), La Zambra is well worth your time. Rooms from $323. —Lisa Johnson
W RomehotelW Rome — Italy
$$ | Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2023Prepare for a W like you’ve never seen before, located in the heart of Ludovisi—a posh, quiet neighborhood abutting the Villa Borghese and just an arancino’s throw to the Spanish Steps. The brand’s first outpost in Italy captures the exuberant, energetic vibe that W is known for but ditches the dark models-and-bottles aesthetic, opting instead for spaces that look as good by day as they did the night before, while striking the right mix of elevated and playful. Award-winning firm Meyer Davis Studio oversaw the transformation of the property’s two 19th-century palazzi, which now feel thoroughly modern thanks to natural light, pastel palettes, and an alfresco courtyard filled with greenery and fountains. The rooms—some with views onto the neighboring Swiss Institute’s lavish gardens—have gorgeous herringbone wood floors, powder-blue walls with pink and navy furniture, and opulent marble bathrooms. But don’t let the hotel’s refined aesthetic fool you—this is still a place to see and be seen. Up on the rooftop you’ll find a plunge pool (that’s more suited for snapping selfies than swimming laps), as well as Seu Pizza Con Vista, one of Rome’s only rooftop bars. At sunset, it becomes one of the most magical places in the entire Eternal City. Rooms from $750. —Todd Plummer
Anthony Lanneretonne/La Ferme HIbridehotelLa Ferme HIbride — France
$ | Hot List 2023This innovative eco-friendly hybrid guest house/hotel, tucked away in the sleepy Provencal countryside, is unlike anywhere else in the tourist-clogged Lubéron. A restored ancient farm surrounded by olive groves, vineyards, and a nine-acre forest, the real draw is experiencing the whimsical world of French interior and industrial designer Matali Crasset, who masterminded every detail of the spare but deeply comfortable rooms and small houses, aglow with eye-popping colors, hand-drawn wall murals, and signature furniture. Add to that a dressed-down convivial vibe, superb homegrown wine, a pretty pool (a reservoir, actually), plus masterclass cooking classes and musical events, and you have yourself the ideal (read: bling-free and unspoiled) avant-garde boutique creation. Rooms from $224. —Lanie Goodman
Benjamin Rosemberg/Maison ProusthotelMaison Proust — Paris
$$$ | Hot List 2023Themed hotels devoted to literary giants may be nothing new. Happily, the uber-stylish 23-suite Maison Proust belongs to another rarefied category, designed for an international luxe clientele who appreciate beauty, art, history, and—why not?—love. In other words, not just for book snobs or self-proclaimed esthetes. And it’s perfectly okay if you’ve never read a single page of Proust. The subtle conjuring of the French novelist is more about the Belle Époque atmosphere, as glowing with exquisite detail as the writer’s haunting seven-volume masterwork In Search of Lost Time. When you step inside this gorgeously restored six-story townhouse, set back on a quiet street in Le Marais, guests are immediately caught up in the enchantment—an enveloping whoosh of exoticism—where, in the blink of an eye, you gaze in wonder at the sumptuously furnished Belle Époque salon/bar and slide a century back in time. Rooms from $550. —Lanie Goodman
Courtesy Rosewood ViennahotelRosewood Vienna — Austria
$$$ | Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2023Right on Petersplatz and almost nudging the copper-green dome of St Peter’s Church, with horse and carriages clip-clopping past, this is a neoclassical ooomph of a building, reimagined and embellished, more than holding its own amid the rococo and Art Nouveau treasures of Vienna. Those statues peering down from surrounding buildings seem to nod their approval. A checkerboard passageway leads to a light-filled atrium with a molecular light installation and all the calm of one of Vienna’s historic courtyards. Off the first-floor check-in—more of a salon, really, with comfortable sofas to lie back on and confess all to your psychoanalyst—is a lounge painted floor to ceiling with ferns and palm leaves and butterfly-bright tropical flowers so vivid that the occasional jeweled dragonfly may well skim the top of your kaffee und kuchen. Crowning the top of the building’s architectural trifle—and coming as quite a surprise after the hush of the rest of the rooms—is a bustling brasserie with angled windows onto the cityscape and an outdoor grotto planted with a how-on-earth-they-get-it-up-here pine tree. Steps lead up to the lookout bar, an elevated speakeasy with panoramic views that half of Vienna is queuing up for right now. Rooms from $810. —Rick Jordan
Ludovic Balay/Hôtel Dame Des Arts ParishotelHôtel Dame Des Arts — Paris
$$$ | Hot List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2023The Quartier Latin is, of course, a famously artsy part of Paris—one with strong cinematic associations. But you needn’t have stumbled out of a screening room at the nearby Le Champo rubbing your eyes with one hand and clutching an issue of Cahiers du Cinéma in the other to appreciate what designer Raphael Navot has done with Hôtel Dame Des Arts. It’s all about the interplay between curved and straight lines, hard and soft textures, glossy and matte surfaces—you’ll inhale its essence the moment you step inside. Style-wise, the 109 rooms are similarly got-up in a way that is at once spartan and spoiling, chic and subdued. The in-house restaurant serves up elevated contemporary Mexican cuisine with fusion of French, Mexican, and Japanese flavors, while the 360-degree views from the rooftop bar alone are a reason to book. If your faith in Paris is flagging—which does happen but seldom lasts—a visit to the rooftop of Hôtel Dame des Arts will restore it. Rooms from $355. —Steve King
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