The Best New Hotels in Australia and Asia: 2022 Hot List
Each year, we index the best, brightest openings, but for the 26th edition of Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot List, we’ve upped the ante: This time, editors at all seven worldwide editions had a hand in scouting and selecting the entries. At its heart, this is still a hotel list—a whopping 96 made the cut this year, which is a true testament to the industry’s resilience. But because (almost) no hotel is an island, we’ve widened the lens to include the restaurants, culture, transportation, and cruises you need to know, and the destinations that are reinventing themselves. We mean it when we say this may be the hottest Hot List yet. Here, the 17 best new hotels in Asia and Australia.
Click here to see the entire Hot List for 2022.
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Aramness GirhotelAramness Gir National Park — Gujarat, India
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Hot List 2022Welcome to Sasan Gir’s newest and arguably best safari lodge, where Asiatic lions and leopards periodically stroll by. The 18-villa property, each with a non-chlorinated pool, lies outside the perimeter of the world’s only Asiatic-lion sanctuary. The impeccable design combines with immersive activities, such as the guided forest walks and scenic breakfasts. Daily menus (mixing Indian and international fare) are based entirely on what’s been harvested at the on-site farm. Ultimately, Aramness works because it’s the whole deal. You get off the grid, spot wild animals, eat well, swim a few laps, spa if you feel like it, and go home ready to take on the grind again. Rooms from $1,000. —Prasad Ramamurthy
Silky Oakes LodgehotelSilky Oaks Lodge — Queensland, Australia
$$$ | Hot List 2022Australia has always done beaches and rugged outback well. But when it comes to experiencing its ancient forests and wet tropical jungles in style, there have been surprisingly few options—until now. The rain forest–set Silky Oaks Lodge (fresh off a $20 million facelift) gives guests access to the country’s most treasured ecosystems, like Daintree National Park and the Great Barrier Reef, while still prioritizing deep, luxurious comfort. Each of the 40 treehouses has been designed to blend into the landscape, with smooth timber and floor-to-ceiling windows that open to private decks looking over the river or rain forest. You’ll feel like you’re actually part of the delicate ecosystem. Rooms from $495. —Chloe Sachdev
Six SenseshotelSix Senses Fort Barwara — Rajasthan, India
$$$ | Hot List 2022It took almost a decade for this 700-year-old fort to be converted into a 48-suite hotel, but it’s been worth the slog. The spa, in the original women’s palace, blends Ayurveda with Six Senses’ inimitable touch. A commitment to working with local communities is evident everywhere: Local women brew hot masala chai and cook bajra and jowar roti during the day; block-printers and bangle makers set up shop in little corners; fresh nimbu pani detox-drink counters are dotted around the hotel. It is encouraging to see global brands arrive in India so conscious of local heritage and riches, and to strive to imbue their openings with as much of these as possible. Rooms from $560. —Divia Thani
Gorge RoskehotelPatina Maldives, Fari Islands
$$$ | Hot List 2022Entering the market as a sophisticated lifestyle brand, Patina Maldives is already drawing repeat visits—despite having only opened its doors in May 2021. Patina is set on a man-made island that is lush and verdant, fringed by a sugary golden beach and lapped by the gentle waters of a crystalline lagoon. Overwater villas are neutral in palette and contemporary in design, with open-air decks for swimming in private pools, soaking in freestanding tubs, and curling up in hammocks. The roster of activities available to guests reads like it was copied and pasted from the ultimate Maldives bucket list. Rooms from $2,490. —Alice Holtham
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Jeon TaegsuhotelJosun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam — South Korea
$$ | Hot List 2022Upscale and opulent, with spectacular artwork around every corner, the Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is one of the most elegant luxury hotels to stay in when visiting Seoul. The moment you step inside, you’re faced with a towering statue of Daniel Arsham’s Blue Calcite Eroded Moses while getting a whiff of the hotel’s signature perfumed scent. The impeccable design continues into the guest rooms, where patterned fabrics and Korean artwork compete with unobstructed views of Gangnam. The 1914 Lounge & Bar is already a neighborhood hot spot, while Eatanic Garden serves up modern Korean cuisine with an extensive French wine and Champagne list. Rooms from $270. —Diane Kang
Ben RichardshotelThe Shinmonzen — Kyoto, Japan
$$$ | Hot List 2022A smooth modern riff on a traditional ryokan inn (and the chic little sister of Villa la Coste in the South of France), The Shinmonzen sits on a quiet lane in Kyoto’s Gion district, with a traditional-style wood façade leading to a contemporary interior cocktail of modern design and world-class artwork. Each of the individually designed suites is flooded with natural light and showcases a smooth mix of modern Kyoto craftsmanship (picture minimalist screens and hinoki cypress-wood bathtubs) and hints of its Provençal DNA (as reflected in the lingering scent of jasmine from each of the balconies overlooking the river). Rooms from $990. —Danielle Demetriou
The Standard Hua HinhotelThe Standard, Hua Hin — Thailand
$ | Hot List 2022In a beach town dominated by could-be-anywhere mega-resorts, The Standard, Hua Hin brings a much-needed dose of youthful energy to a place usually associated with snowbirding retirees and hi-so (high society) Thais driving down from Bangkok. In lieu of teakwood floors and jasmine garlands, guests are greeted by fresh contemporary art and midcentury-modern furnishings; then pathways palisaded with bamboo and bougainvillea snake to the boho-beachy villas (where disco balls hang in the bathrooms). The main action happens at the pool, where Bangkok’s beau monde lounges under candy-striped umbrellas and two restaurants serve drinks and Thai-with-a-twist bites until 10 p.m. Rooms from $125. —Chris Schalkx
Justin ChanhotelLUX* Chongzuo, Guangxi — China
$$$ | Hot List 2022Surrounded by picture-perfect gardens and set on the banks of the Mingshi River, LUX* is the definition of a tropical modernist refuge. Each suite in the hotel has its own terrace, overlooking the calm water and striking karst mountains, and hotel staff will happily arrange for tours of local sugar-making cottages or high tea served on a bamboo raft on the river. The hotel’s location on the border of China and Vietnam also creates a unique narrative here, as various cultures collide and blend with one another. Rooms from $600. —Tong Yu
Joali BeinghotelJoali Being — Bodufushi Island, Maldives
$$$ | Hot List 2022The bone-white beaches and crystal-clear lagoons are the ultimate soothing backdrop for self-improvement, and, thankfully, wellness resort Joali Being delivers its sophisticated philosophy with a pampering attitude and no-news, no-shoes barefoot aesthetic. Shaggy thatched roofs ripple like the ocean waves beyond, oversized hand-carved doors resemble tree bark, walls are textured like wind-riffled sand, and the Tiffany-color palette of the 68 villas, each with its own pool, brings the lagoon right into your light-filled sanctuary. The world-class spa is sprinkled with glass-fronted saunas, steam rooms, ice fountains, and hydrotherapy pools. Rooms from $2,035 with a minimum of five nights. —Susan d’Arcy
Kai KannohotelRoku Kyoto, LXR Hotels & Resorts — Japan
$$$ | Hot List 2022More luxury resort than city hotel, Roku Kyoto is a place to stop, slow down, and recharge after the exhausting task of sightseeing in Japan’s ancient capital. The atmosphere treads a finely honed line between contemporary design and traditional Kyoto, with modern echoes of temple aesthetics in the hotel’s minimalist architecture: clean-lined expanses of light woods and external walkways beneath pitched roofs, all connected by cloud-reflecting water pools and gardens of seasonal blooms. The heartbeat of the hotel is restaurant Tenjin (especially the dinner-only Chef’s Table), though the hotel features another veritable head-turner for Kyoto: an outdoor hot-spring thermal swimming pool. Rooms from $847. —Danielle Demetriou
Adam GibsonhotelThe Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel — Hobart, Australia
$$ | Hot List 2022Repurposed from three bordering-on-derelict buildings, The Tasman has cemented Hobart as an up-and-coming travel destination. While it’s about the rooms, restaurant, and sandstone façade, the real appeal is stumbling upon some of the structures’ original features. Artifacts from excavation such as pipes, perfume bottles, combs, and marbles are displayed at the bar, and exclusive wines and rare spirits will soon be stored in the old coal chute. Though there are modern, luxurious touches throughout (and the Italian cuisine at Peppina is already a local hit), Marriott has left plenty of room for history to keep peeping out from the past. Rooms from $280. —Kate Hennessy
Raffles Udaipur ResorthotelRaffles Udaipur — India
$$$ | Hot List 2022Set on a 21-acre island on Udai Sagar Lake and surrounded by the Aravalli Range, the first Raffles outpost in India is all about taking it easy: Think long breakfasts over multiple cups of French press coffee, massages at the sprawling spa, and custom cocktails at the Long Bar. Plus, it has the kind of service that warrants repeat visits. (This is Raffles, after all.) The 101 guest rooms and suites come with private gardens or pools (or both)—book a south-facing, upper-level room for the best views of the lake and its flamingo population. Rooms from $600. —Prasad Ramamurthy
Hajra AhmadhotelSUJÁN Sher Bagh — Ranthambore, India
$$$ | Hot List 2022Olive and beige earth tones, canvas and campaign furniture, and myriad photographs of the denizens of the jungles set the tone for this über-chic camp, set at the edge of one of India’s most game-rich and picturesque national parks. The capacious and stylish tents have been thoughtfully designed for comfort and relaxation. Jeep safaris waft you away into a truly magical forest with undulating hills and giant banyan trees. The forest is teeming with tigers, leopards, sloth bears, crocodiles, and over 350 species of migratory and resident birds. Come mealtime, expert mixologists and chefs serve up traditional and international fare. Rooms from $1,000. —Geetika Jain
Karan MahalhotelKaran Mahal — Srinagar, India
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Gold List 2022 Hot List 2022Karan Mahal is possibly the most charming non-palace royal residence you’ll visit in India. Built in the 1920s, it once housed Jammu and Kashmir’s governor Karan Singh, the son of the last maharaja of Kashmir; today it’s the summer residence of Singh’s son. It features the kind of decor you’d imagine in a home of considerable age: think antique mirrors, hand-knotted carpets, and original Lalique lights. The food prepared by the family’s cooks is a mix of that which showcases the princely state’s lineage—Dogra, Phadi, and Nepalese—and more modern fare. Many of the staff members are third-generation retainers of the family, so the service you get is full of warmth and a genuine urge to please. Rooms from $367. —Prasad Ramamurthy
hotelArashiyama Mansion MAMA — Kyoto, Japan
$$$ | Hot List 2022Modern, minimalist, and beautifully crafted, Arashiyama Mansion MAMA is a new 10-room hotel and restaurant wrapped in gardens, just a short walk from the famed bamboo forests of Arashiyama. It offers a textbook-perfect snapshot of contemporary Kyoto style—fusing materials crafted by modern artisans with Scandinavian furniture, stone baths overlooking private gardens, and a low-key but stylish pizza restaurant (yes, really). Simple and minimal with a natural edge, it’s a world away from the luxury sheen of five-star hotels, but it’s still the kind of place that makes you instantly want to redesign your own home. All in all, Arashiyama feels like the ultimate Kyoto insider secret. Rooms from $525. —Danielle Demetriou
The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari IslandshotelThe Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
$$$ | Hot List 2022The Ritz-Carlton’s first Maldives property is one of the most striking private island–resort designs in recent memory, complete with 100 contemporary, round-shaped villas with sparkling infinity pools—and without a thatched roof in sight. The best features in the one-bedroom villas are the panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows which can disappear entirely for an indoor-outdoor living experience. The Ritz-Carlton Spa is an architectural masterpiece: a floating, timber-clad ring above the swirling lagoon, with nine superb treatment rooms. Treatments—especially multi-hour experiences—are top-notch and highly recommended. Overall, the vibe is pretension-free, though a designer cocktail dress or two might appear for beachfront dinners and social gatherings. Rooms from $1,700. —Travis Levius
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Shinsho-an — Kyoto, Japan
$$$ | Hot List 2022The atmosphere leans more toward luxurious private home than hotel at Shinsho-an, in both scale and ambience. Sleek interiors use top-quality materials sourced from across Japan with contemporary design touches, adding to the scene-stealing modern Kyoto restaurant and next-level hospitality—right down to the cashmere-covered hot-water bottles you can request beneath the sheets at night. Each of the four suites is uniquely designed and extremely spacious, with minimalist flower arrangements by one of Japan’s oldest florists. All meals are created by Michelin-starred chef Toshiro Ogata, from mouth-melting squid sashimi at breakfast to the nine-course omakase dinner. Rooms from $1,420. —Danielle Demetriou
