The picks are in. Our editors choose their favorite designs from boutique hotels added to the Tablet selection in the past year. Here are the winners for Mexico, Africa, Oceania, and South America.
The following words, like all of our words, were written by a real human person.
We cannot tell a lie. Our annual design awards have gotten harder and harder to determine. These days, there are so many impeccably designed hotels opening so often that it’s tough to whittle the honor roll down to a deserving few.
There’s no rigid criteria for this award other than the particular preferences of our editorial team, which tend to favor more intimate properties where an individual voice has a greater chance of shining through. Boutique hotels, in other words. When we launched Tablet in 2000, we were the first boutique hotel curators. These awards honor that legacy.
Apologies to all those massive, modern skyscrapers with a million rooms and dubious financial backing. They can fend for themselves. For us, it’s all about personality and emotion at human scale, and seeing something we don’t often see. That could mean the novel repurposing of an aging structure, a style from one part of the world transported to another, a non-traditional layout that allows for deeper engagement with the property, a concept that’s content to let nature take the wheel, or the unmistakable hand of a single, eclectic visionary. You’ll find all of that and more in the hotels below.
Congrats to the winners. Here’s how to see the rest: Best New Hotel Designs 2026
Casona Sforza
Puerto Escondido, Mexico
There’s nothing on the Oaxacan coast — or anywhere else — quite like Casona Sforza, an 11-room luxury boutique hotel whose unmistakable arched volumes stand mere yards from the beach on the south end of Puerto Escondido. Architect Alberto Kalach designed these distinctive structures, which are placed to maximize their views, their privacy, and their exposure to the breeze.
Maison Celeste
Mexico City, Mexico
Colonial charm meets retro chic at Maison Celeste, an art-focused boutique hotel and gallery in Mexico City’s hip Roma Norte neighborhood. Many of the mansion’s historic details have been carefully preserved, and the minimalist ground-level rooms house permanent and rotating exhibitions. A sleek Japanese eatery is a fixture, and regular creative collabs mean plenty more to eat, drink, see, and buy on the premises.
Hotel Sevilla
Mérida, Mexico
In Mérida’s historic center, Hotel Sevilla — the latest from the venerable Grupo Habita — reimagines a 16th-century colonial villa with noticeable contrasts: weathered stone walls and arches preserved as ruins sit alongside clean concrete insertions and modern interiors. Its 21 rooms, some with soaring ceilings, are arranged around leafy courtyards where sub-tropical plants frame shaded terraces and a serene pool.
Casa Yuma
Puerto Escondido, Mexico
Sitting just outside Puerto Escondido, next to Playa La Ventanilla, Casa Yuma is so close to the beach that you can hear the ocean waves from each of the minimalist guest rooms, which take their design cues from nature to smoothly blend sandy shades, pared back wood furnishings, and design details inspired by local stone, plants, and Oaxacan culture such as ceramics crafted by Mexican artists.
Nayara Hangaroa
Easter Island, Chile
Nayara Hangaroa is a luxury hotel built to blend into the environment. The design was inspired by indigenous tradition, comprising a village-like cluster of low-lying buildings with grass roofs and native wood beams. Guest rooms feature locally sourced materials, from volcanic stone to cypress wood, as well as handmade clay soaking tubs and private terraces overlooking the ocean.
Soho House São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil
Housed in the redeveloped Cidade Matarazzo, a hospital complex from 1904, Soho House’s South American debut is right at home in São Paulo. Set in the leafy Jardins district, it may seem European at first glance, but inside, it’s unmistakably Brazilian — modernist-inspired interiors, handblown lamps by local ceramicists, and a magnificent collection of works from contemporary artists.
The Hotel Britomart
Auckland, New Zealand
Eco-hotels may be most at home in the countryside, but the future of urban hotels is green as well. The Hotel Britomart, on the Auckland waterfront, shows the way: its handmade bricks and salvaged wood aren’t just sustainable but radiate organic warmth, and the interior style may be understated, but it never feels austere. This is a properly luxurious boutique hotel, and one that’s rich with memorable detail.
Corona Island
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
The tiny Caribbean island of Corona is home only to the hotel, which is actually more of a collection of eco-friendly boat-shaped cabins, designed to maximize the sound of the waves and positioned to face the sunset views. The rest is dedicated to nature, with pristine beaches, lush forest, and a turtle zone which together are home to titi monkeys, parrots, macaws and several protected species.
Riad Botanica
Marrakech, Morocco
Originally an aristocratic residence in the heart of Marrakech’s 10th century medina, Riad Botanica now blends classic Moroccan design with a modern Australian aesthetic thanks to its cross-cultural owners Mohammed and Angela Mellak. The duo has set out to create more of a home than a hotel, with just six guest rooms that draw influences from their respective homelands.
Rosemary
Marrakech, Morocco
Locals and design enthusiasts alike sat up and paid attention when the Belgian artist Laurence Leenaert, founder of the Marrakech-based lifestyle brand LRNCE, announced the opening of a five-room, adults-only guesthouse in an old mansion near the Bahia Palace. Rosemary is a jewel of a riad hotel with every detail curated by Leenaert and her Moroccan partner, and many carried out by a team of local artisans.
Singita Kwitonda Lodge
Kinigi, Rwanda
Singita specializes in ultra-luxe, high-design safari experiences, and Singita Kwitonda Lodge, the brand’s first establishment in Rwanda, is true to form. The setting, adjacent to Volcanoes National Park, places guests as close as possible to more than a third of the world’s population of mountain gorillas. As fine as it is, it keeps a low profile, thanks in large part to its small size.
Lizard Island Resort
Cairns, Australia
Surrounded by coral reefs and 24 white-sand beaches, Lizard Island sits 240 kilometers from the Queensland coast. Villas and suites are tucked into the landscape with bleached timbers, soft linens, and open-plan layouts that pull the outside in. There are no locks, no schedules, and no need to keep track of time. You’re off-grid here, but never far from a mojito or a perfect sunset.
Jackalope Hotel
Mornington Peninsula, Australia
A sculptural silhouette in Mornington Peninsula wine country, Jackalope trades rustic charm for something far more compelling. Inspired by the mythical horned jackrabbit, the hotel leans into its origin story with layered design: glowing corridors, a floor-to-ceiling stretched glass-encased wine cellar, and a chandelier of 10,000 globes. Equal parts surreal and indulgent, in a setting that feels almost imagined.
Mazeej Balad Boutique Hotel
Cairo, Egypt
Mazeej Balad is set within La Viennoise, a late 1800s building brimming with history. The hotel’s five unique suites each tell the story of a character, from the sophisticated Madame Marika to the aspiring architect Nabil, creating a vivid connection between Cairo’s past and present. These personalized stories reflect the diversity of the city, and every room is designed to echo this rich cultural tapestry.
La Maison Bleue El Gouna
El Gouna, Egypt
La Maison Bleue stands out in El Gouna for its surreal, storybook charm. Conceived by designer Amr Khalil, it is a 13-suite escape where Minoan murals, Catalan-style mosaics, Syrian arches, and Venetian tiling live comfortably under one roof. The pastel-blue façade fades into the desert sky. And inside, it is all velvet drapes, frescoed walls, and collector-worthy antiques.
Giraffe Manor
Nairobi, Kenya
There are luxury stays, and then there’s feeding giraffes through your window. A stately 1930s manor set on the edge of Nairobi’s indigenous forest, Giraffe Manor feels more like a scene from a film than a hotel. Ivy climbs its stone façade, giraffes wander the lawns, and each of the twelve rooms is individually styled with vintage trunks and canopied beds. Don’t oversleep; mornings begin with giraffes at the breakfast table.
Mark Fedeli is the marketing and editorial director for Tablet Hotels. He’s been with the company since 2006, and thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.