Award-Winning Travel Brand AFAR Reveals the Best New Hotels of 2023
AFAR’s new Stay List includes exciting new and renovated properties across the globe
in New York, India, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, and beyond.
AFAR, the award-winning travel media brand, has today revealed its list of the world’s best new hotels of 2023, with the release of its annual Stay List.
The selection of 15 essential stays features the best in design, comfort, and sustainability around the world. They include an idyllic farm retreat in upstate New York, a locally run hotel on Italy’s Lake Como, an eco-safari lodge in Tanzania, an Indigenous-owned wilderness retreat in Canada, a palatial stay in India, and much more.
The 15 properties featured were selected and vetted by AFAR’s expert network of editors, writers, and travel advisors. The featured hotels won over editors for their location, design, and service—and more importantly, their efforts to reduce their carbon footprints, benefit
communities, and connect guests to the local landscape.
“I’m so proud to publish our 2023 Stay List, AFAR’s yearly compendium of the world’s best new hotels,” says Jennifer Flowers, Senior Deputy Editor at AFAR and lead editor of the Stay List. “In it, we showcase properties that strive to tread lightly on the land by reducing energy use, waste, and water consumption. Others on the list foster cultural exchange between visitors and residents. And still others use biophilic design to connect us more deeply with nature.”
“It wasn’t until joining AFAR that I consciously thought about the impact a hotel can have on a trip,” adds Sarika Bansal, AFAR’s Editorial Director. “It’s often the concierge who first greets you after a long journey to a destination, setting the tone for your stay. The hotel’s location influences how you experience the destination—whether you’re in the middle of the city, on a private island in a picturesque lake, or in a thrumming jungle. The properties featured on AFAR’s Stay List set a higher standard for hospitality globally.”
“AFAR’s audience is the most traveled and most conscientious in travel media,” says Greg Sullivan, co-founder and CEO of AFAR. “They are also the trendsetters, foreshadowing what average travelers will be doing in five years. This year’s Stay List is exceptional and indicates to me a bright future in travel. These new hotels are going to extraordinary lengths to provide great traveler experiences, support the local communities and protect the environment.”
AFAR’s Stay List will be online on April 4th. The print issue hits newsstands on April 25, 2023.
The full Stay List includes:
1. andBeyond Grumeti — Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
2. Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape – Bali, Indonesia
3. Coulibri Ridge — Petit Coulibri, Dominica
4. Flockhill – Canterbury, New Zealand
5. Habitas Alula — Ashar Valley, Saudi Arabia
6. Hotel Chelsea – New York City, New York, USA
7. Intercontinental Khao Yai Resort — Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
8. Klahoose Wilderness Resort — British Columbia, Canada
9. Muir Hotel — Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
10.Nayara Bocas Del Toro — Frangipani Island, Bocas del Toro, Panama
11. Pa.te.os — Melides, Alentejo, Portugal
12. Raffles Udaipur – Rajasthan, India
13. Sommerro – Oslo, Norway
14. Villa Passalacqua — Lake Como, Italy
15. Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection – Hudson Valley, New York, USA
About AFAR’s Stay List: AFAR has been running its Stay List since 2019, to honor new hotels that we believe truly embrace AFAR’s mission: to offer people deeper, richer, and more fulfilling travel experiences. With the help of our trusted network of writers and contributors, we personally vetted each of these properties.
About AFAR: AFAR is the critically acclaimed travel media brand that makes a positive impact on the world through high-quality storytelling that inspires, enriches, and empowers travelers who care.
Media release provided by Kaya Arai, Nine Point Agency. Image: Klahoose Wilderness Resort.
