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The World's Best New Hotels & Resorts
Top-tier brands remain on our travel experts' radar, but boutique properties and South American and Vietnamese destinations are also garnering rave reviews
Larry Olmsted
From the Print Edition:
Tom Selleck, Nov/Dec 2007
(continued from page 4)
Larry Olmsted is a Cigar Aficionado contributing editor.
BEST BY REGION
From downtown New York to the heart of Buenos Aires, these are the best
resorts by region.
New York
Gansevoort
Since this property took Best Small Hotel honors in the entire
country, it is no surprise it won its own city as well, but the Gramercy Park Hotel made a very
strong second-place showing in a city awash in new hip hotels.
London
Baglioni
This small, 18-room, 50-suite boutique hotel, the latest addition to
the Italian Baglioni luxury hotel group, packs a wallop. Butler service is included in all rooms,
guests are squired around the city courtesy of the hotel's chauffer-driven Maserati Quattroporte
and its Italian eatery, Brunello, is one of the city's best.
Paris
Fouquet's Barriere
Another key city hotel that also won our Best Urban Hotel in
the international category. Our panelists were emphatic about this newcomer, as no other hotel in
the City of Light received a single vote.
Hawaii
Four Seasons Resorts Lana'i
Long known as the Lodge at Koele and Manele Bay, the
Four Seasons group bought the two properties and merged them into one luxurious resort. Both
hotels closed for six months and underwent a combined $100 million in upgrades, from new
restaurants and spas to a complete revamp of every guest room. The result is a unique pair of
sister hotels that share fantastic facilities, including two top-notch golf courses, shooting and
riding centers, and white sand beaches. The Four Seasons Resorts Lana'i offer the only high-end
lodging on the island, affording guests privacy and a return to pristine Hawaii.
Europe
Hotel Caruso, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Another classic hotel that achieved "new"
status, in large part because ancient ruins were uncovered during a face-lift, stretching the
renovation out to nearly six years. Set amid lush gardens with a stunning infinity pool perched on
the edge of a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, the Hotel Caruso immediately regained its
status as one of the world's great hotels when it reopened in 2005. The hotel is currently adding
new luxury suites, and once again has stumbled onto archaeological finds, but the "new old"
structure is fully open for business—and pleasure.
Asia
Four Seasons, Hong Kong
In a region dominated by top luxury chains, more new
hotels have opened than anywhere else: Peninsulas in Tokyo and Beijing, Mandarin Orientals in Hong
Kong and Tokyo, Park Hyatts in Seoul and Saigon, and Ritz-Carltons in Tokyo and Beijing. Amid this
clamor, the Four Seasons stood out for its waterfront location, connected luxury mall,
air-conditioned pedestrian links to the ferry terminal and airport express train, and array of
excellent restaurants.
South America
Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau, Buenos Aires, Argentina
In another region
with a plethora of high-end newcomers, the Park Hyatt won over voters with its combination of old
and new, combining a modern tower with a loving renovation of an existing classic mansion. "This
is the most artfully and yet thoughtfully designed hotel I've ever been in," says Amy Ziff,
adding, "Located in the charming Recoletta neighborhood, it's also as romantic as it is
divine."
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