With 2020 coming to a close, this is the perfect time to look ahead and start making our travel plans for next year, and here at LLM, we have rounded up some of the world’s most exciting new hotel openings and experiences for 2021. There is something for everyone to enjoy, from a private stay at a dreamy Tuscan villa to a creative village in Bali, outdoor activities in New York and luxury city living in London.
1. Kingsland Locke, Dalston, London
Forward-thinking home-meets-hotel brand Locke will launch its fourth London property, Kingsland Locke, in the heart of Dalston in January 2021. Located in one of London’s most eclectic neighbourhoods, Kingsland Locke will house 124 contemporary studio apartments, as well as complimentary co-working space, an on-site micro-brewery and gin distillery, all-day restaurant, workout studio and coffee shop. The lower ground floor of the hotel boasts a large, naturally-lit atrium space providing a relaxing atmosphere by day, which will transition into a lively bar area come nightfall.
Continuing Locke’s refreshing design approach, the interiors of Kingsland Locke have been conceived by East London-based studio Red Deer, who has taken inspiration from the vibrant colours and scenes of the surrounding Dalston neighbourhood. Rooms have been designed with a more muted palette, using raw textures and subtle tones to encourage rest and relaxation. Synonymous with the wider Locke brand, all studios will feature fully-equipped kitchens complete with high spec appliances, as well as custom-made green velvet sofas and living space.
2. LOGE Leavenworth Downtown, Washington, USA
LOGE, the lifestyle hotel group which brings forgotten motels near towns and trails back to life, is set to open its second Leavenworth, WA location in January 2021. The new LOGE Leavenworth Downtown property is less than one mile away from the brand’s Leavenworth Riverside location, on the banks of the Wenatchee River. This is the sixth LOGE property to open since the brand’s first in 2017.
The newly renovated LOGE Leavenworth Downtown will feature 26 rooms and suites, a bar/café called The Iconoclast and a beer garden serving local draughts, as well as outdoor patios and ample work space. For The Iconoclast, LOGE will collaborate with local Leavenworth eatery Yodelin Broth to create a unique menu that offers warming bone broth soups, salads, burgers and craft beer to guests and locals alike. The 1,660 square foot café and lounge space is also perfect for working remotely, which is at an all-time high this year.
Unique to LOGE Leavenworth Downtown, rooms and suites will feature in-room electric hot water pots and teas, plus Alpine Start instant coffee. The property will also feature the brand’s best offerings and amenities such as gear rentals, Raleigh city cruiser bikes, and sustainable bath products. All LOGE locations are dog-friendly, include property-wide Wi-Fi and feature the signature orange kammock in rooms.
3. Wunderlocke, Munich, Germany
Continuing its European expansion, home-meets-hotel brand Locke will open WunderLocke in South-West Munich in spring 2021. WunderLocke aims to disrupt the Bavarian capital with a hospitality concept unlike any other in the city, and the first Locke of its kind. The new opening will feature 360 stylish studio apartments, co-working area, meeting and event spaces, a workout studio and outdoor heated swimming pool; as well as four food and drink outlets including an urban farm that will supply a farm-to-table concept, and rooftop cocktail bar with panoramic views of the Bavarian Alps.
WunderLocke will be a destination for locals, holidaymakers, and business travellers alike, providing a new creative hub in South-West Munich for the city’s burgeoning undercurrent of artists, creatives and tech entrepreneurs. WunderLocke has been designed by acclaimed studio Holloway Li, which completed Locke’s latest London property, Bermonds Locke, earlier this year. The property’s design-led apartments are peaceful and spacious, and all feature kitchens and seating areas – a hallmark of Locke design. WunderLocke is also home to several suites, which include large dining tables to accommodate dinner parties and business meetings.
4. Desa Potato Head, Bali, Indonesia
Spring 2021 will see the opening of Bali’s first creative village, Desa Potato Head, in its entirety. Following the successful 2020 opening of Potato Head Studios – Desa Potato Head’s 168 guest room hotel – the remainder of the complex will launch next year. This final element of Potato Head’s decade-spanning project has been uniquely designed in partnership with architect David Gianotten at OMA, the Dutch practice founded by Rem Koolhaas.
Once open, Desa Potato Head will be home to a farm-to-table restaurant, numerous bars, a multifunctional gallery, an environmentally driven kids’ club, several rooftop activation areas, an amphitheatre, a beachfront pool with daybeds, a music recording studio, a permanent home for dance music’s Wild Life Archive, and next door, a high-fidelity, subterranean discotheque designed in partnership with DJ Harvey. Conceived as a multidimensional experience which transcends hospitality, it’s a place where music, art, design, food, wellness and sustainability will collide, offering a new type of holistic experience for both the local community and guests alike.
The Desa Potato Head complex features furniture and amenities made from recycled plastics and planet-friendly materials conceptualised by celebrated British designers Max Lamb and Faye Toogood, whose work is brought to life by Balinese artisans using indigenous materials and techniques as well as Potato Head’s own Sustainism Lab, an R and D team dedicated to finding circular solutions.
Potato Head is a creative village by the ocean consisting of Potato Head Beach Club, Potato Head Suites, and the new Desa Potato Head building, where music, art, design, food and wellness collide.
5. Pan Pacific London, London, UK
Pan Pacific Hotels Group, will plant its first flag in Europe with Pan Pacific London in Spring 2021. Offering the signature Pan Pacific gracious hospitality, with a touch of Asian resourcefulness, Pan Pacific London opens just across from Liverpool Street Station, the historic and ever-evolving business district with little in the way of luxury hotels. The 237-room and suite hotel is located in One Bishopsgate Plaza, London’s new landmark tower, that combines this new hospitality offering with 160 private residences.
Under the vision of world famous Yabu Pushelberg, the property represents a number of firsts for London; including a floor dedicated to guest well-being incorporating a dramatic 18-metre infinity pool with spectacular view over the plaza; more landscaped outdoor space than any other luxury hotel in the area, with gardens integrated into the design of the restaurants and recreational facilities; and meeting and function spaces which will total almost 341 sqm. A design marvel in itself is the entrance to the ballroom, occupying a glass pavilion in the public plaza, housing an elevator and lift to take guests down to the events space – the first ballroom in the square mile of 476 sqm, featuring two combinable areas suiting any type of event.
6. Hutton Brickyards, Kingston, New York, USA
Perched on an expanse of uninterrupted waterfront in Kingston, NY, Hutton Brickyards, the region’s last architecturally intact brick manufactory is a partnership between Salt Hotels and Karl Slovin, who purchased the Brickyards seven years ago following Slovin’s multi-million-dollar restoration. In view of the Rhinecliff Amtrak station, Hutton makes an easy trip for New Yorkers seeking a respite from the city. In 2021, guests will come by seaplane, helicopter, boat, train or car, experiencing a romantic sense of arrival.
The property sits upon 73 acres of rolling hills and lush meadows and features panoramic views of the Hudson River. From this vantage point, guests see nearby beach access points for recreation and enjoy sightlines to a former Astor estate. The sprawling campus will feature whimsical invitations to fun: an archery range, croquet lawn, firepits and bicycles. Opportunities for hikes, guided kayak experiences, paddle-boarding, running, outdoor yoga, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, beekeeping and more abound in the neighbouring wilderness and water. While a delivery cart meanders down a cabin path, guests may raise a woven flag to signal a room service request. The effect is a retreat detached from everyday stresses, which invites guests to experience a genuine sense of place.
7. Villa Lena, Tuscany, Italy
Villa Lena, the agriturismo hotel, artists’ residency and farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of rural Tuscany, will now be open for exclusive hire from January 2021. This marks the first year that Villa Lena will be available for hire year-round, with capacities for groups ranging in size from 36 up to 150 guests, offering tailor made options to enjoy the seclusion and space in nature that Villa Lena offers, perfect for exclusive parties, events, weddings and retreats.
Event features unique to Villa Lena include the ‘Wild Dining’ experience, where guests can sample a farm-to-table menu on one long table in front of the main villa under the stars; multiple spaces to host yoga retreats with access to an indoor yoga hall and outdoor yoga deck overlooking the Tuscan hills; as well as the added advantage of there being no curfew in place, in case guests feel like dancing into the early hours. Villa Lena will be available for full and partial buyouts, starting from €5,000 in low-season, available from January to December 2021.
8. Zentis Osaka, Osaka, Japan
I’m sure you know that all eyes are on Japan for next year as we hope the Olympics will be able to take place and there are a wave of new openings across the country. Zentis Osaka is a new hotel which is the creation of renowned interior specialist Tara Bernerd and marks the first property of a new hotel group under the Palace Hotel Group umbrella.
Throughout the hotel, Tara Bernerd and Partners aims to establish the aesthetics of the Zentis brand whilst simultaneously creating meaning and connection through a distinct sense of place. Imagining the guest rooms like traditional Japanese bento boxes, interlocking layouts were devised to optimise on the limited floorplate and create a functional, yet inviting, sanctuary for guests. Continuing the fresh palettes from the lobby, muted tones with warm pops of colour were added and traditional art pieces by a local Japanese artist were commissioned as a nod to the vibrant location in which the hotel is set.
