Skip to main content

3 Of The Best New Hotels To Visit In 2022

Every year the Condé Nast Traveler Hot List celebrates the best hotel openings from around the world, highlighting new properties you’d gladly build an entire trip around. In this third and final collection of 2022 we visit Piaule Catskill in Upstate New York, Thompson Austin in Texas, and the Four Seasons Resort in Napa Valley, California.

Released on 07/07/2022

Transcript

[Narrator] Every year,

Conde Nast Traveler releases its annual hot list,

which celebrates the best hotel openings and more

from around the world.

Here, a new type of wellness retreat in Upstate New York,

a bold food focused offering in the Texas Capitol

and the standard of luxury in Napa Valley

are three of the standout properties

on this year's hot list.

Located just outside the town of Catskill

in New York's Hudson Valley,

Piaule is a landscape hotel come wellness retreat

that seamlessly blends nature and high design.

From the designers behind the minimal

sustainable home ware brand of the same name,

Piaule's clutch of wood cabins

perched on stilts high into the tree line,

have floor to ceiling glass walls

which roll open to let the bird song in.

It's extremely nourishing

for all those overworked New Yorker's

escaping here from the city.

And the trails that cut through the retreat's 50 acres

start right out the back of the guest rooms,

adding an extra layer of easy-to-access restoration.

The trails lead to the retreat's calling card,

a wellness center assembled of raw cedar woods

with treatment and meditative rooms,

as well as saunas and steam rooms.

The gathering place however is the pool

where the chic sliding glass walls from the cabins appear,

opening up to the wild landscape beyond.

Directly above,

the resort's lobby and social spaces

keep pace with the signature high, minimalist design,

which goes heavy on woods and glass

to let in plenty of natural light.

It's a cozy spot for settling in with coffee or wine

before or after a day exploring the Catskills.

While the cocktails and high end plates like Sea Urchin,

will please even the most discerning New York City palette.

Oh and a bonus,

most of the wares from the ceramic coffee mugs

to your bedsheets,

are available to buy and bring home with you.

It's an entirely different vibe down in the heart of Texas

where blockbuster brand Thompson

recently opened in Downtown Austin,

close to the area's excellent boutiques and bars.

Think of the sophisticated newbie

as a way to mix Austin's growing tech and business scene

with the excellent food the city is already known for.

For the former

Thompson created 212 grown-up guest rooms

with dark leather and emerald headboards.

They are super spacious

with plenty of places to breeze through some work

or curl up with a cocktail from the mini bar.

Floor-to-ceiling windows look out to Austin landmarks

like the frost tower and Sixth St.

In the common spaces,

guests will find a state-of-the-art gym,

a pool deck,

which is vital for the Austin summer,

and loads of outdoor areas

to relax with something to eat and drink.

But the center piece of the property

comes from celebrated Savannah-based chef,

Mashama Bailey,

with her gray market, casual dining,

as well as her diner bar

serving what Bailey calls Port City southern cuisine,

like grits with foie gras.

Upstairs, Wax Myrtles does serious cocktails

and hardy plates.

All of this means you may never have to stray

beyond the hotel's front doors

to eat extremely well during your visit.

The pace slows right down over in Napa

where the Four Seasons have opened up

in the gold standard of new world wine regions.

Rooms here run the gamut from a snug 480 square feet

to free-standing villas

with generous sized kitchens and living spaces

and huge bathrooms.

The decor can only be described as barn chic

with wood headboards and hints of the area's viticulture.

And all rooms have outdoor patios or terraces

looking out over the vines.

The spa is one of the most special spaces on property

with several soothing indoor and outdoor

relaxation and treatment rooms,

offering incredible massages and mud wraps.

Stopping in here before a day of vineyard hopping,

or shopping the indie boutiques

on nearby Calastoga's Lincoln Ave,

is kind of a Napa must-do.

Though the showstopper is naturally the winery,

Elusa, run by legendary local wine maker,

Thomas Rivers Brown,

do a tasting of the latest Cabernets

before sitting down to local heavy plates that trust,

which celebrates the ingredients

of Napa and neighbor Sonoma counties.

And for something more casual,

tacos and burgers are available at the cafe.

Don't let anyone tell you

they don't make an excellent pairing

with the latest vintage.

A top hotel draws in the best of food, design, and comfort,

to become a destination all their own.

Learn more about these and other hot list hotels now

on Conde Nast Travelers Hot List Hub.

Any hotel you choose

will make for the perfect vacation.

Brought to you by Capital One.

What's in your wallet?