Most exciting new hotels in North America

From pioneering architecture to authentic regional experiences, these new hotels are reshaping their destinations. Read on for this year’s most exciting North American openings.

Amangiri
Canyon Point, Utah

Encircled by dramatic, dun-colored rock formations, Amanresorts’ second North American property is hidden away on 600 acres of Utah wilderness alongside eroded hoodoos and 5,000-year-old petroglyphs. Its squat cement buildings, each dyed as many as 10 times to match the subtleties of the landscape, house 34 suites that frame breathtaking views of the sculpted sandstone. At night, after a dinner of roasted elk with cherry sauce, the intense stillness seems almost musical, a soundless evocation of the American West. Doubles from $950.

Banyan Tree Cabo Marqués
Acapulco, Mexico

Acapulco’s scene is located along its coastal stretch, and the new Banyan Tree will turn savvy travelers’ attention farther south along San Marqués cape. Asian-inspired rooms are accented with Mexican artisan details (framed handwoven textiles from Oaxaca; honey-colored onyx lamps). Attentive staff whisk guests from cliff-top villas to the holistic spa, but at this secluded sanctuary, why rush? Perhaps to dine at Saffron, the resort’s signature Thai restaurant, whose chefs just arrived from Banyan Tree Phuket. Doubles from $520.

Andaz Wall Street
New York City

Perhaps a sign that things are looking up on Wall Street: Hyatt’s bullish move to open the tech-savvy, David Rockwell–designed Andaz. Hosts carry handheld PC’s used to make key cards on the spot, and at Bar Seven Five, located at the top of an undulating staircase, a bartender will prepare Manhattans tableside from a Pullman-style caddy. The 253 guest rooms feature seven-foot-high windows, which means that the bleached wood interiors (complete with soaking tubs) are flooded with natural light. Doubles from $275.

Las Alcobas
Mexico City

Though we packed our noise-canceling headphones when we heard that Yabu Pushelberg’s glossy Las Alcobas was located on the Polanco neighborhood’s busy Avenida Masaryk, walls with soundproofing technology allowed us to cocoon in an earthy guest room (one of 35) detailed with embroidered linens and rosewood furnishings. More reasons to stay put? Chef and cookbook author Marta Ortiz’s contemporary Mexican menus for Barroco and Dulce Patria restaurants, and Mayan- and Aztec-inspired treatments at the intimate Aurora Spa. Doubles from $405.

Crosby Street Hotel
New York City

No need for a trip across the pond for a dose of London chic. At Crosby Street Hotel, on a cobblestoned block in SoHo, Anglophiles find British design doyenne Kit Kemp’s signature tongue-in-cheek flourishes, from an oversize white steel Jaume Plensa sculpture in the lobby to portraits of local dogs in the elevators. But it’s the service that will win you over: an umbrella at the ready for impending rain, coffee and a newspaper delivered within minutes of your request, and a proper hot toddy at the bar. Doubles from $495.

Waldorf Astoria Park City
Park City, Utah

It’s almost a pity that Waldorf Astoria’s first ski-in, ski-out property at the Canyons resort in Park City is so inviting. The 175 guest rooms and suites, many with fireplaces, balconies, and mountain views, tempt you to stay put. But for those who do venture out, the end-of-day rewards are plenty: après-ski hot chocolate, a warm-stone massage at the 16,000-square-foot Golden Door Spa, and a hearty dinner of elk and roasted potatoes at Spruce restaurant, one of Utah’s best. Doubles from $350.

Bardessono
Yountville, Calif.

This 62-room Napa Valley newcomer is upping the ante on green design: built almost exclusively from salvaged stone and reclaimed wood, it’s the world’s second LEED-certified Platinum hotel. But the modern, California-clean aesthetic (concrete floors; custom-designed couches) delivers a breath of fresh air amid Yountville’s faux French and Tuscan styles. Almost everything at the hotel, from the Coyuchi cotton bed linens to the seasonal menu at the restaurant, is organic, sourced from within a 100-mile radius. Doubles from $550, including breakfast.

Hotel Boca Chica
Acapulco, Mexico

GREAT VALUE Hotel Boca Chica, the latest from Grupo Habita, captures that cool 1950’s vibe (the original property was featured in Elvis’s Fun in Acapulco) and makes it stylish and new. There are 36 rooms, most with bay or ocean views, all with white, beachy décor: jalousie doors, ceiling fans, and a bed you hate to leave. Start your day with chilaquiles under the restaurant’s large-scale open-air palapa, then take the hotel’s boat to nearby La Roqueta island, an ecological reserve perfect for snorkeling, or stay poolside with an Acabrown, the hotel’s addictive tamarind- and-mescal cocktail. Doubles from $95.

Ranch at Rock Creek
Philipsburg, Mont.

What’s the greatest asset of Montana’s new lodge? It’s not the four-lane bowling alley, the cowhide rugs of the cosseting nine-room country retreat, or the eight canvas-walled cabins, cozy with birch beds. It’s not the 6,600 sprawling acres encompassing hiking and horseback riding trails and a trout-filled river, all just 90 minutes from Missoula. No, it’s the crackerjack staff of expert wranglers, fishermen, and ranchers. Their personally tailored itineraries—complete with horseback riding, fly-fishing, hunting, archery, and photography safaris—even have us city slickers feeling home on the range. From $800, all-inclusive.