Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has announced 29 new member hotels joining its independently minded portfolio of boutique properties in the first three months of 2026. Building on the strong growth seen in 2025, and reflecting a continued global appetite for meaningful travel, the portfolio now surpasses 700 properties in 100 countries.
New openings
New signings include an exciting mix of recent and upcoming openings, all united by a common thread of individuality, independence and innovative design. Opening this spring, The Grace Hotel, in County Mayo, Ireland promises views across 430 acres of pristine landscape on the Westport Estate. Contemporary rooms, dining spaces and a spa echo the tones of the surrounding scenery and are all rooted in the rhythms of Ireland’s West Coast. Also scheduled to open in spring, Casa Caprile in Anacapri, Italy; a restored 19th-century residence where 12 rooms and suites are set to combine bold colours, bespoke furniture and the essence of whimsicality at every turn. In July 2026, Eight Venezia will debut in Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Venice, Italy, following an extensive refurbishment. The 27-room hotel blends original features such as ornate cornicing, frescoes and stained glass with a refreshed sense of style.
The third quarter of the year will welcome Casa Simona in Panama’s El Valle de Antón — a town in an extinct volcano crater — which promises a blend of local architecture with nature, valley-view rooms and an intimate amphitheatre. Located in downtown Morgan Hill, in Palo Alto California, and sister property to Appellation Healdsburg, Hotel MOHI by Appellation will offer a stylish blend of wine country charm and outdoor experiences when it opens in later this year. Elsewhere, the newly opened Rhino and River Wildlife Retreat & Spa, in the town of Morigaon, Assam, India, is a dreamy merger of 16 log-hut rooms, scenic river and farmland views, and wildlife encounters, while the Nirban Spa is equally immersed in the locale, drawing on indigenous Khasi healing traditions. In Reims, France — the capital of Champagne and a new destination for SLH — Le 3 by Champagne Thienot opened its doors at the end of 2025 and is the first boutique hotel for the famed Champagne house. Wholeheartedly embodying the spirit of French art de vivre, the 14-room hotel rolls design by architect Loic Thiénot, a stunning spa and cellar experience into one period town house.
New destinations
Key West in Florida is one of the portfolio’s newest destinations with the addition of four hotels from Key West Historic Inns. Ella’s Cottages is a bohemian retreat ideal for longer-term stays that dates to 1948 and is set in the Old Town; sister property Ridley House is equally iconic, set across three historic homes with white clapboard exteriors, private porches and easy access to the town’s famous waterfront. Further downtown, the Lighthouse Hotel is best known for its history as a groundbreaking LGBTQ-friendly guesthouse — an ethos that continues today. Completing the foursome is Winslow’s Bungalows, where Victorian architecture and modern styling converge at one of Key West’s oldest homes. Private annexes and self-contained bungalows impart a relaxed home-away-from-home vibe.
In California, two new destinations — Santa Monica and Palm Springs — set the scene. Originally established in 1927, Maison Twenty Seven sits on a historic estate in the heart of Santa Monica, USA. Characterised by Moorish-influenced Mediterranean Revival architecture, wrought iron gates and lush gardens, the hotel’s 38 guest rooms, suites and apartments are suffused with details that call back to a bygone era. Palm Springs is home to La Serena Villas, a series of 18 adult-only villas defined by Spanish-style architecture and backdropped by the San Jacinto Mountains. It’s a similar mood 2,000 feet above the Aegean Sea at Santorini Sky, Greece, where a collection of nine luxury villas awash with Greek marble are joined by the Sky Dome, a private pod situated at the highest point of the island.
Elsewhere, Telunas Private Island presents a distinct overwater experience across 15 villas amidst Indonesia’s Riau Islands, reached by ferry from Singapore or local flights. With a philosophy rooted in positive impacts to both the ecosystem and surrounding communities, the secluded getaway combines luxury with mindful sustainability. Grand Palace Brno in Brno, Czech Republic is a grand retreat where history and luxury converge. The UNESCO World Heritage City of Avila, Spain, marks the portfolio’s final new destination with La Casa del Presidente, a former presidential home and now a luxury retreat where freestanding bathtubs, views of the medieval city walls, and an in-house winery offer a distinct character.
Beyond the stay
The ever-growing appetite for immersive stays reflects a shift towards hotels — whether nestled in raw nature, vibrant cities, or along pristine coastlines — that fully engage mind, body, and place. At Dharana at Shillim, visitors are welcomed to a renewed vision of the eco-retreat. Located in Pune, India, across 2,500 acres of land, the luxe hotel merges intentional wellbeing programmes in areas such as nutrition, physical restoration and emotional balance with sustainable buildings, reforestation efforts and extensive training programmes for local women farmers. At Zabola Estate, in Zabola, Romania, hotel’s The Castle Spa pays homage to the Indian heritage of the owning Basu family. Rooms unfold over five guesthouses, built between the 18th and 20th centuries, and set in the hills of Transylvania amidst forest, lakes and meadows for deeply soulful stays.
From soulful wellness havens to sun-soaked escapes, the portfolio’s journey continues with the secluded retreat of La Valise Los Cabos, joining SLH as the sixth La Valise property. Distinct for its offering of the full Baja experience, the hotel is home to a collection of Mediterranean-style Casas backed by desert gardens, ocean views and unspoilt coastline. Heading south ME Cabo, also in Cabo San Lucas, has a vibrant vibe as an adults-only retreat that blends design, art and music with live DJs, a beach club and proximity to the town’s famous nightlife for a colourful lifestyle resort. In a contrasting setting, Hotel Bowmann is a sophisticated Parisian hideaway in the French capital’s 8th arrondissement that balances history and modern charm, with an ornate façade setting the tone for the intricate mouldings, parquet floors and panoramic city views that lie beyond.
Sanctuaries of stillness and heritage
Across continents and landscapes, a new breed of retreats fuse local heritage with stunning natural settings. A two-hour flight from Buenos Aires, Puerto Valle Hotel de Esteros, in Ituzaingo, Argentina is committed to an ethos of sustainability and features a nursery and organic garden enveloped by 14 hectares of protected park and biodiverse wetlands. Further north, Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel, lies at the foot of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary in Aguas Calientes, Peru, and combine sophisticated rooms with tours, culinary delicacies and experiences steeped in the mystical legacy of the Andes. In India, both the Lchang Nang Retreat in Nubra Valley and Terrah Hills Resort in Dalhousie are heritage retreats where the magic of the Himalayas is married with a distinct and intentional homage to local culture and history. Also in India, Dolkhar Ladakh, in Leh, Ladakh is a celebration of everything local, with each of the seven villas featuring handmade interior touches such as handwoven sheep and yak wool rugs.
In Vietnam, sister properties Azerai La Residence in Hue City and Azerai Ke Ga Bay in Tan Thanh offer full immersion in Vietnamese culture, with destination experiences such as cookery classes, sand dune adventures and bicycle tours on offer at both. The former is set in a former colonial mansion dating to the 1930s and the latter set across 4.5 hectares of gardens and on a sweeping five-kilometre beach. Similarly, Historia Boutique Hotel Nile Cruise — sister to Storia The Dahabeya — joins SLH’s growing portfolio of boutique cruise ships, featuring 44 luxury cabins from which to take in the sights of the Nile, from Luxor to Aswan.
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