Five New Hotels Worth Checking Into, From Bali to Lugu Lake

Our pick of the latest design-forward lodgings from around the world

Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui 
Hong Kong

Opened on the site of the former Mariners’ Club, this hotel layers maritime history into a modern design concept. The architecture is distinct: a V-shaped tower ensuring every one of the 495 rooms faces Victoria Harbour. At street level, a glowing red brick facade pays homage to the neighbouring century-old Signal Tower. Inside, the design collective — including Hirsch Bedner Associates with Hong Kong’s Steve Leung Design Group and Via. — references the location’s past with subtlety. Hammered steel ceilings in the lift lobbies mimic harbor ripples; art installations draw on typhoon signals. F&B options range from fine dining and an eight-seater speakeasy to the rooftop pool bar.

The Standard
Pattaya Na Jomtien

The Standard’s latest outpost shifts focus from Pattaya’s kinetic centre to the quieter shores of Na Jomtien. The 161-key resort’s architecture, a collaboration involving Din Studio, Studio Lupine and Onion with the in-house team, softens Brutalist edges with rhythmic curves, while PLA’s landscaping creates a lush, shadowed journey to the sea. Esmé, the brand’s first beach club, anchors the F&B offering through Mexican flavours with a Thai spin. Details are specific and tactile: Chloé Kelly Miller’s dual stone sculptures ground the courtyard; uniforms by Thai label Vickteerut blend sharp tailoring with coastal ease. It’s a welcome revision of the local aesthetic — less neon, more natural materials and greenery.

The ArcadiaPlace
Lugu Lake

Perched high in the Hengduan Mountains, a region that blends influences from Sichuan and Yunnan, this property is a study of the local Mosuo people and their matrilineal culture, in both its design and cultural programming. Architect Yang Lu of Imago Architecture Design Consultancy utilised both traditional and modern building methods: rammed earth was reinforced with local stone while modern mortise-and-tenon joinery supports the structure. The interiors mirror the landscape — red earth meets glass; colours shift from lake-blue to the pink of gesang flowers. A central hearth mimics the traditional grandmother’s house, while the on-site Museum of Women’s Art extends the hotel’s role as something of a cultural guardian.

Chunli Guesthouse
Shanghai

Situated in the quiet suburbs of Shanghai near Xinchang Ancient Town, The Chunli Guesthouse emerges from a sea of rice fields. Designed by Team_Bldg, the project reimagines two rural dwellings, preserving their original forms while unifying the site with a perimeter wall and three inserted architectural connectors that house public amenities. The design is anchored in the landscape: a gable-roofed bungalow marks the entrance, while a sunken seating area in the lobby creates an intimate space with an outlook to the courtyard. Efficiency meets aesthetics within the 11 guestrooms. Notably, window-side soaking tubs serve a dual purpose, framing the verdant agricultural views while cleverly concealing utility pipes, ensuring the interior remains uncluttered and clean.

Magia de Uma
Bali

In the quiet Umalas neighbourhood, Magia de Uma rejects the increasing over-development of many parts of Bali’s south-western coastline, instead creating something more raw and authentic. Owners Jacopo and Rosa Sertoli, working with Gabriele Salini, centred the property around Javanese joglo structures dating back 150 years. These are not scrubbed clean; the patina of time remains. In the main building, modern steel beams cut across natural timber and stone, a sharp nod to the island’s colonial past; the guiding principle is conservation, not total restoration. The operational philosophy is equally grounded: a garden feeds the kitchen, and ancient agricultural tools serve as decor. Balinese art is featured throughout the bungalows, while both the cuisine and spa treatments draw inspiration from Balinese culture.