Originally Posted on: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/fall-2024-most-exciting-hotel-openings

Autumn is a big season for hotels, especially those that represent the winds of change. In New York City, Standard International debuts its latest hotel concept, The Manner—which feels less like the hedonistic Standards of yore, and more like any of the city’s growing number of fabulous private-members clubs. Across the country in California, a beloved Laguna Beach icon enters an exciting new chapter. Salt Lake City is finally getting a new lifestyle hotel—just in time for another ski season. And the country’s first ultra-sustainable, “carbon positive” hotel opens its doors in Denver to set an example for hotels everywhere. There’s a lot happening, and a lot to explore—where will you go first? These are the most exciting new hotel openings of fall 2024.

Casa Loma Beach Hotel — Laguna Beach, California

Where it’s located: Most of Laguna Beach’s other hotels are located away from downtown, but Casa Loma stands just a five minute walk from the heart of the action. It’s right on Main Beach’s dramatic coastline, in the former premises of the Inn at Laguna Beach.

Why we’re excited: This beautifully reimagined property is both an homage to the area’s bohemian history, and a beautiful representation of its modern moment. If it weren’t for the rooms’ fantastic views of the nearby cliffs and Pacific Ocean, you might just miss the finer details, like custom bathrobes from Guatemala-based Luna Zorro, D.S. & Durga toiletries, and Tivoli Model One Radios with the hotel’s own custom curated radio station. There isn’t a bad room in the house—but if you can, opt for the ones that offer private balconies, that way you can luxuriate in the salt air and watch a quintessential SoCal sunset from the comfort of your room.

The Manner — New York City

Where it’s located: Standard International has been a lodestar of the lifestyle hotel movement since opening its first property in West Hollywood in 1999. Now, with the debut of this new boutique concept in the former Sixty Soho building on Thompson Street, it’s set to make waves once again.

Why we’re excited: The overall ethos is one of sophistication and privacy, and feels more like a members club, or maybe your most fabulous friend’s Soho home. There are four F&B concepts throughout the premises, all overseen by chef Alex Stupak of Empellón. The first two—The Otter, a seafood-driven restaurant, as well as Sloane’s, an intimate cocktail bar—will be open to the public, and the other two are reserved just for guests: The Apartment, where breakfast and aperitivi will be served, and The Rooftop, coming in 2025. Rooms come draped in a warm, energetic palette of golds and reds, and there are many luxe details to love, like Costa Brazil bath amenities and custom furniture integrated with DAMPF audio systems. The one thing these rooms don’t have? Televisions. But how could you miss them when you have the best of New York City on your doorstep?

Delamar Mystic — Connecticut

Where it’s located: Right on the Mystic River waterfront, a short walk or drive to numerous attractions in this charming, seaside New England town.

Why we’re excited: Just in time for all your New England leaf peeping, this Connecticut charmer arrives in a part of the state more known for its colonial-era inns than luxury hotels. With its other locations in Connecticut (notably, Greenwich Harbor and Southport), Delamar has cemented itself as a foolproof local favorite for city slickers in search of a seamless, effortless weekend away, offering convenient locations between New York City and Boston; and this new location is no exception. Guests here enjoy a waterfront location, complimentary admission to the Mystic Seaport Museum, as well as an on-site restaurant, La Place Restaurant & Oyster Bar. And this being New England, there is naturally some history to be found, too. Delamar Hotels founder Charles Mallory is not the first Mallory to leave his mark on Mystic: His ancestor, also named Charles Mallory, came here in 1816 to establish himself in the shipping industry. Talk about a full-circle moment.

Populus — Denver, Colorado

Where it’s located: Right in the crossroads of downtown Denver, just minutes from Civic Center Park, the Denver Art Museum and the Performing Arts District. Views span from the surrounding cityscape all the way to the Front Range.

Why we’re excited: Hotels far and wide allege sustainability, but few go so far as to claim carbon positivity, meaning that they remove more CO2 from the environment than they emit. Populus is doing just this, complete with a dramatic exterior inspired by Aspen tree trunks that gets major points for what is surely one of the most visually striking architectural debuts of the year. The hotel not only talks the talk, but walks the walk with sustainability: locally-sourced, recycled and sustainable-certified building materials were used throughout; the on-site restaurant Pasque and rooftop bar Stellar Jay source much of their ingredients from regenerative and organic farmers; and through a partnership with the National Forest Foundation, the hotel plants a tree for every night a guest stays. All eco cred aside, Populus’ neutral-hued, sun-drenched rooms are, by every measure, serene and beautiful.

Hotel Saint Augustine — Houston, Texas

Where it’s located: It’s tough to find a better location in Houston. Not only is it right in the heart of the vibrant Montrose neighborhood, but it’s adjacent to the Menil Collection art museum, and a short drive to the Houston Museum District.

Why we’re excited: Hotel Saint Augustine is the latest from Bunkhouse Hotels—so what’s not to be excited about? Spread across five small buildings, the hotel encompasses seventy-one rooms, an all-day restaurant Perseid (helmed by chef Aaron Bludorn, a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist), a lobby bar, a small event space, and a guests-only pool. Austin-based landscape architects Ten Eyck created some dreamy outdoor spaces to explore, from the cloistered courtyard to the winding pathways that weave their way around the property’s existing heritage oak trees. The rooms by buzzy Post Company—which did MOLLIE Aspen and The Lake House at Canandaigua—feel like a colorful, slightly retro escape in the midst of the city. The hotel admittedly laid off putting up too much art on the walls—all the more reason to take advantage of its proximity to so many great museums.

Asher Adams, Autograph Collection — Salt Lake City

Where it’s located: Salt Lake City’s first true lifestyle hotel is coming to the historic Union Pacific Depot building, across the street from the Delta Center and one block from the Salt Palace Convention Center.

Why we’re excited: This French Second Empire landmark was once a busy rail station where all the Wild West’s characters would pass through—and now, thanks to a loving restoration, it’s undoubtedly going to be a new center of gravity for the city. In the soaring lobby space, you’ll be as likely to bump into a Utah Jazz player or a Real Housewife as you are a professional skier or a Hollywood filmmaker, and the new restaurant Rouser promises seasonal and local fare with an emphasis on charcoal grilling, an homage to the coal-fueled engines of yesteryear. Upstairs in the rooms you’ll find cozy seating areas and local artworks on the walls. Salt Lake City has long been a gateway for adventurers on their way to the ski resorts or the national parks—but now, the Asher Adams makes a serious case for extending your trip with some time spent in SLC.


Visit Salt Lake is a private, non-profit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination. In partnership with Salt Lake County, Visit Salt Lake improves the area economy by attracting and providing support to conventions, sports events, leisure travelers and visitors with a strong commitment to sustainability and stewardship of the area’s natural environment. Through its sales and marketing programs, Visit Salt Lake’s impact on Salt Lake’s annual $5.4 billion visitor economy equates to nearly $1,800 in tax relief for each household within Salt Lake County. For more information on all that Salt Lake has to offer, go to www.VisitSaltLake.com.