What’s exciting us in 2025?

You look like a busy person.  Let me save you a whole load of so-called reading with a short summary: not much.

2025 isn’t exactly shaping up to be a blockbuster year for new openings. Bulgari Maldives? Delayed (again) until 2026. Fregate Island? Highly doubtful for 2025. Sure, Cheval Blanc Seychelles opens in a few weeks, but unless you’re a masochist, you’re realistically looking at a 2025 visit. Still, I suppose I could toss it in here to pad the word count.

London seems determined to transform itself into one giant hotel. After rolling out Raffles London, Peninsula London, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, and The Emory over the past year, the city decided it wasn’t enough. It won’t stop until every Londoner cheerfully forks over £30 for a coffee and considers it a bargain.  Coming up in 2025: Waldorf Admiralty Arch, yet another Rosewood, and a Six Senses. Naturally, I’ll check them out—just because I love you.

Airelles, however, at least tries to be interesting.  The brand, arguably the best hotel chain in the world right now, is branching out beyond France with a new Venice property.

Meanwhile, andBeyond’s upcoming Suyian Lodge in Kenya has caught my attention.  Designed by the same architects behind Wild Hill, it’s at least guaranteed to look stunning. Pair that with their newly rebuilt Mnemba Island in Zanzibar, and you might just have a winning combination.  andBeyond desperately needs its “Wilderness Bisate” moment—that breakthrough where they truly reinvent themselves and step fully into the luxury market they claim to target. If Mnemba and Suyian pull it off, proving it’s not just a one-off, there might be life left in this ol’ dog.

Over in Mexico, Rosewood Mandarina is set to debut. If I hadn’t just visited One&Only Mandarina, I’d be a lot more curious. That said, Rosewood Miyakojima in Japan might actually be worth a visit. At the very least, it’s good to see a luxury offering beyond yet another ryokan in this almighty fine country.

And that really is it.  I was expecting to serenade you with endless lists of exciting new properties that are opening, only to find this article as uplifting as watching benevolent Storm Bert disperse free, fresh water into people’s living rooms.

Where we’re heading

I try to avoid choosing destinations purely for work, but Asia always presents a dilemma. We rarely get inquiries for it, so it’s easy to skip, yet places like Banwa Private Island and Bawah Reserve keep calling my name. That is, until I remember the logistical nightmare of actually getting there. I’ll just wait until the kids are like 20 and have moved out.

For now, I think I’ll be sticking with familiar territory: Africa. It’s where I see myself spending the bulk of 2025, exploring properties that are already open and ticking off a few intriguing newcomers. On my radar are Melote House in the malaria-free Limpopo area of South Africa and Daunara in Botswana’s malaria-included Okavango Delta.  Both are exclusive-use properties, which staying in simply makes you a better person.  That’s just a fact.

As for earlier in the year, I’ll be heading to Islas Secas in Panama this March. It seems like everyone and their dog has inquired about it recently.

There’s also a lot of already-open properties I’m curious about—but that’s a story for another day.