Take one sprawling Scottish property. Add infamous international art dealer Hauser & Wirth. The result? A wonderfully maximalist country house hotel surrounded by the Cairngorms, close to Balmoral. The Fife Arms has been synonymous with the Highland village of Braemar since Queen Victoria began to spend time at Balmoral. Of the 46 rooms and suites, the extraordinarily opulent royal suites are packed with art and antiques, and even objects once owned by royalty. The Victoriana suites reflect that era with rich textures and colours, while the Scottish Culture rooms celebrate notable natives. Owner Iwan Wirth says that everything in the hotel must have a purpose and a story, which includes commissions from contemporary artists, too, making the Fife Arms truly relevant for the 21st century.

Forget minimalism or muted tones, Villa Palladio is a beautifully bright boutique hotel in India’s Jaipur. The three-acre plot of lush manicured gardens is surrounded by a white wall, but the colour begins to pop at the grand, ruby-colored gates. Palladio’s signature red transforms the nine-room hotel into a box of precious jewels, with pattern and texture, and both contemporary and ancient shapes and motifs everywhere, as saturated and stylised as a Wes Anderson movie. The informal dining areas offer international cuisine from Italian to Rajasthani made from local ingredients, and the soon-to-open spa will focus on Tibetan healing treatments. Villa Palladio is without a doubt the Insta sensation hotel opening of the decade!

Without the Carlton, there is no Cannes. The Grande Dame de la Croisette has been at the forefront of the town’s evolution for over a century, playing host to the first League of Nations meeting, countless stars of the Cannes International Film Festival, and Barack Obama. Fresh from a two-year revamp for 2023, the Carlton’s magnificent white and gold façade has been restored for future generations. Inside, this historic Riviera landmark has undergone a careful transformation, bringing its timeless allure in line with the demands of today’s luxury globetrotters.

A tranquil desert sanctuary that blends seamlessly into its sacred surroundings, known as the ‘world’s largest living museum’. Banyan Tree’s 47 tented villas, many with private pools, are designed to complement the magic of the ancient ruins and natural wonders all around it, from dramatic rock formations and sand-swept dunes to historic dwellings and monuments holding the secrets of 200,000 years of human civilization. The interiors are similarly calming and in tune with nature. Saudi Arabia only opened up to international travel in 2019 and this is a key opening in the region and a place very few are able to visit.

It might look like the villain’s fortress from a James Bond movie, but the cone-shaped sci-fi structure at the top of Czech Republic’s Mount Ještěd is actually the country’s best-known hotel, designed by architect Karel Hubáček in the 1960s to include the hotel and restaurant, as well as a TV transmitter, hence the reinforced concrete probe extending 94m into the sky! Guests arrive by cable car - the hotel is at an altitude of over 1,000m - to explore this striking example of Eastern European design, which was named Best Czech Building of the 20th Century in 2000. Pod chairs swing in the corridors, the bar and staircases are curved, and each room has the feel of a retro futuristic cabin, with large windows, mid century lounge chairs, and chrome lighting.