Every year, Condé Nast Traveler reveals its annual Hot List spotlighting the best new hotels, restaurants, and more around the world. In our first edition of 2024, we’re visiting NoMad in the city that never sleeps to check into The Fifth Avenue Hotel, heading west to the Big Island for a stop at Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort in Hawaii and finishing up with an exclusive look at 1 Place Vendome in Paris. Presented by Capital One.
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00:00 Every year, Condé Nast Traveler releases its annual hot list, which celebrates the
00:05 best hotel openings and more from around the world.
00:08 Here, a chic new addition to New York's Nomad District, a reimagined and lovingly
00:14 restored Hawaiian retreat, and Paris' most exclusive new address are just three of the
00:19 standout properties on this year's hot list.
00:23 New York's Nomad neighborhood has been an epicenter of cool new hotels for over a decade
00:28 now.
00:29 So, the kind of places that actually make the hotels the destination.
00:33 But we'd say none of the others here nails the mix of high design, phenomenal food, and
00:38 just plain fun like the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
00:41 Immediately, you'll notice the design.
00:44 It's a whimsical riot of color and curiosities, from the mind of design master Martin Brunitzky.
00:50 Here he takes his cues from the building's Gilded Age roots, but also the travels of
00:55 the hotel's owner.
00:56 All of the design layers fit together, and honestly, staying here kind of feels like
01:01 entering the wildly designed pied-à-terre of some wealthy, distant, globetrotting relative.
01:07 Though we're happy to say for all the hotel's originality, they kept the most important,
01:12 most classic detail.
01:14 Bathrooms come with the deepest sinking tub for an unmissable post-shopping stoke.
01:19 Oh, and two words, martini cart.
01:22 If you allow yourself just one indulgence here, it has to be the happy hour martini
01:27 cart they wheel up to your room, with the most perfectly poured cocktails, with all
01:31 the accoutrements.
01:32 It's bliss.
01:33 But word of advice, that should not be in place of the downstairs portrait bar, a moody,
01:41 sexy cocktail lounge that fills up fast by the trendiest of New Yorkers.
01:46 For a complete change of scene, the legacy lives on on Hawaii's Big Island, where the
01:50 Rosewood Group of Hotels and Resorts has revived the beloved Kona Village.
01:56 With a fresh twist, from the 150 hale, or bungalows to the resort's own outrigger
02:01 canoe, which guests can take out for sunrise paddles, the village pulls in its destination
02:07 at every opportunity.
02:09 Though the historic grounds, black sand beaches, and acres of pools makes it easy to spend
02:15 all day outdoors, you definitely will not want to skip at least an afternoon at the
02:20 Spa Acaia.
02:21 It's built right into the lava flow, and you can actually see Hualalai Volcano off
02:26 in the distance.
02:28 That breezy indoor/outdoor design carries over to the rooms too, where San Francisco-based
02:33 Nicole Hollis nimbly avoids the easy design tropes of Hawaiian kitsch by going big on
02:39 texture.
02:41 The bathrooms are ginormous, with alfresco showers and loads of stone and black to mirror
02:46 the lava fields and black sand beaches visible from the lanai, where you'll want to park
02:51 yourself for long stints in the morning over coffee and after dusk, staring up at the stars.
02:57 The resort has some solid restaurants, but honestly there may not be a more perfect vacation
03:03 bar anywhere in the world than Shipwreck, built of an actual old boat that was owned
03:08 by the resort's original founder.
03:11 The drinks are a lot of fun, and honestly fantastic.
03:15 Important to note too is the resort's dedication to sustainability, working with cultural advisors
03:21 on how to preserve and protect cultural sites at the hotel, like its petroglyph field.
03:27 It all combines to a resort that can feel like a perfect homage to the land's culture
03:32 and environment, along the most memorable and tranquil black sand beaches.
03:38 And then there's the supremely elegant One Place Vendôme, which is hard to miss right
03:43 above the Chopard boutique in Paris' first arrondissement.
03:48 They do things a little differently here.
03:50 There is no check-in in the lobby, but what you will find is signature Parisian glamour,
03:56 with an exquisite stone staircase.
03:59 Staying here feels like you've forgone a standard hotel in favor of your own private
04:04 members club, which in a way it is - no non-guests are allowed through these hallowed doors.
04:10 There are just 5 rooms and 10 suites in the entire property, all of which have been masterfully
04:16 created by famed interior designer Pierre Yves Rochon.
04:20 Each has its own personality and aesthetic point of view.
04:23 Some are done in stark whites and cobalt blues, others have pop art style curvaceous chairs,
04:30 mosaic showers, and embroidered wallpaper.
04:33 The singular approach to design helps remind guests that this is a more personalized approach
04:39 to what a hotel can be.
04:41 And then there's the cuisine, masterfully prepared by luxury hospitality vet Boris Algarra.
04:48 From the high-tech kitchen, he and his team craft dishes as beautiful as the setting itself,
04:54 including a 24/7 breakfast menu that are plated so beautifully, you kind of don't want to
04:59 ruin it by taking that first bite.
05:02 Also, there may be nothing more luxurious than settling into the property's gigantic
05:07 hug-like sofas with the most perfect coffee or tea, or upgrading that to a glass of red
05:13 from the owner's own vineyard.
05:15 A top hotel draws in the best of food, design, and comfort to become a destination all their
05:21 own.
05:22 Any hotel that you choose will guarantee a great vacation.
05:26 And for more information on all these hotels, including what to pack, head to CNTraveler.com.
05:33 These Hot List tours are brought to you by Capital One.
05:36 What's in your wallet?
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