Announcing the 2022 Hot List Winners

05/05/2022, CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER

The most exciting new openings in travel, from the fresh-faced hotels we’d plan a trip around to boundary-pushing dining, museums and more

BY CNT EDITORS
3 May 2022

Each year, we index the best, brightest openings, but for the 26th edition of Condé Nast Traveller’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 are the best new hotel openings in the world.

Il Tornabuoni

With beautiful and comfortable rooms, multiple restaurants, and an enviable address close to Florence’s icons, Il Tornabuoni adds to the Renaissance city’s growing boutique portfolio.

Why book?
A luxury bolthole hidden on Florence’s most elegant thoroughfare provides a secluded hideaway that’s still close to all the city’s main attractions.

Set the scene
Florence’s Il Tornabuoni has long been home to the city’s most iconic fashion brands, and no matter how many selfie-stick wielding tourists descend on other parts of the city, the street—and now the hotel—has an air of refinement that befits a palazzo dating back to the 13th century. Fashion mavens and travel types looking for a quieter address are making it their home away from home (and since the hotel is also part of Hyatt’s new portfolio, you can use points towards your stay).

The backstory
Even for a city full of history, this property, officially known as the Palazzo Minerbetti, has major credentials: Dating back to the 12th century, residents have included the American-born British author Henry James and the Ukrainian poet Olizar Gustav.

The rooms
Crisp and stylish interiors by Milanese interior designer Andrea Auletta give the property’s original bones new life without making the place feel cookie-cutter. The lovely frescoes in the Il Magnifico suite, for example, are delightful in their whimsy; and we loved the pinks and blues of the Il Tornabuoni suite, as well as the standalone tub. Many of the rooms come with peek-a-boo views of Florence icons like the cupola of the Duomo, or the façade of Santa Maria Novella.

Food and Drink
Il Tornabuoni’s Lucie Gourmet restaurant feels like eating inside an Art Deco jewelry box with its gilded mirrors and gem-like pinks and teals, while the Butterfly Terrace gives great views over the city—don’t miss an Aperol following sightseeing or a shopping spree. And Le Cave gives a fun 101 of both Italian and more far-flung vintages.

The spa
There’s no spa, but you can set up yoga sessions on the rooftop or a personal trainer in the gym.

The neighborhood/area
Via de’ Tornabuoni has a sense of refinement that other parts of the city struggle to keep—think matrons in Fendi with perfect make-up and Gucci-clad fashion upstarts window shopping. While steps from the Arno and Ponte Vecchio, the atmosphere is more subdued and feels, thankfully, residential despite the central location.

The service
Still getting its legs (the property opened in early March), the staff is eager to show off the new property and features.

For families
With its unusual double king-size beds in multiple rooms (and connecting suites), it’s easy to configure rooms for families—and must-sees like the Uffizi and the Duomo are a quick walk away.

Accessibility
Elevator accessible.

Anything left to mention?
Don’t drive to the hotel. Between construction, the one-way roads that change seemingly every week, and a 60-euro parking garage fee, it’s best to wait on renting a car until when you leave the city.

Finally, in 100 words or less, what makes this hotel worthy of Hot List?

With beautiful and comfortable rooms, multiple restaurants, and an enviable address close to Florence’s icons, Il Tornabuoni adds to the Renaissance city’s growing boutique portfolio.

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