The Best New Affordable Hotels in the World: 2022 Hot List
Each year, we index the best, brightest openings, but for the 26th edition of Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot List, we’ve upped the ante: This time, editors at all seven worldwide editions had a hand in scouting and selecting the entries. At its heart, this is still a hotel list—a whopping 96 made the cut this year, which is a true testament to the industry’s resilience. But because (almost) no hotel is an island, we’ve widened the lens to include the restaurants, culture, transportation, and cruises you need to know, and the destinations that are reinventing themselves. We mean it when we say this may be the hottest Hot List yet. Here, the 30 best new affordable hotels in the world, defined as stays under $400 per night.
Click here to see the entire Hot List for 2022.
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Giulia VenanzihotelSoho House Rome
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Hot List 2022The Rome outpost of Soho House is energizing and modern, set inside a 10-story restored building with an industrial feel. The property is next to La Sapienza university. There’s a strong visual-art theme across the hotel, with a dedicated gallery space and a 42-seat screening room; all guest rooms (49 bedrooms and 20 apartments) offer unparalleled views stretching across the mountains and the Eternal City. Eateries include a ground-floor deli bar and lounge area, plus an exclusive upstairs restaurant. The rooftop cocktail bar, with its lemon trees, striped linen blinds, and plush velvet stools, looks like it’s been lifted straight from Rome’s Dolce Vita era. Rooms from $195. —Maresa Manara
Bronwyn KnighthotelVilla Bokéh — Antigua, Guatemala
$$ | Hot List 2022Set on the outskirts of Antigua’s cobbled downtown, this elegant 15-room boutique hotel offers a picture-perfect view of Volcán de Agua, one of three volcanoes that frame the colonial Guatemalan town. The property is part of the Relais & Chateaux group; as such, the service is more concierge-style and upscale. The in-house team can book bespoke experiences for guests, from an on-site tasting journey of local varietals of maíz through bite-size dishes to a natural dye workshop with a local textile studio. Most suites come with private balconies or enclosed gardens with firepits, while the greenhouse-style restaurant centers on elevated presentations of regional and Indigenous Guatemalan ingredients. Rooms from $264. —Michaela Trimble
Gaëlle Rapp TronquithotelLe Moulin de Lourmarin — France
$ | Hot List 2022This well-located, old-world-meets-new village property offers an ideal blend of quintessential countryside charm with trendsetting, tasteful design. The hotel’s ivy-covered stone walls and typical sky-blue shutters invite guests inside, where the feeling of warmth continues to permeate the decor and service. Everyone here works to lend a hand, be it with the luggage up those steps, giving directions to the Sunday market in L’Isle sur la Sorgue, or unlocking one of the free bikes for a ride around the village. Don’t skip the homemade Fougasse grilled with olive oil at dinner! Rooms from $190. —Sara Lieberman
Georg RoskehotelOKU Ibiza — Spain
$ | Hot List 2022If there is a place where you can find inner peace and connect with yourself, that place is OKU Ibiza. This laid-back luxury retreat is a small paradise within a paradise, and the best place to discover (or rediscover) the so-called White Island: Think wabi sabi–inspired design, two serene swimming pools, regular yoga sessions, and fusion cuisine. The hotel also has a privileged location that gives you access to the most beautiful beach spots of the island, from large and sandy shores to hidden small coves, as well as popular beach clubs and restaurants with sea views. Rooms from $245. —María Casbas
Matt KisidayhotelFaraway Nantucket — Massachusetts
$ | Hot List 2022Nantucket is a funny kind of beach destination, one where you go as much for the wide sandy beaches as you do for the charms of the towns and the history. Faraway leans into the latter, conveniently smack in the middle of town with bikes to get you to the sand, but a contemporary design and pumping patio scene to make you want to come back again. In a town filled with outdoor drinking terraces, the terrace you want to be on is at Faraway. It is a total delight, with its rattan furniture, vintage umbrellas, potted plants, and outdoor sofas making it the place to be for cocktail hour. Rooms from $245. —Erin Florio
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IL Tornabuoni HotelhotelIl Tornabuoni Hotel — Florence
$$ | Hot List 2022Located on Florence’s most elegant thoroughfare, Il Tornabuoni is a magnet for fashion mavens and travel types looking for a quieter address. Crisp and stylish interiors by Milanese Andrea Auletta give the property’s original bones new life without making the place feel cookie-cutter. The lovely frescoes in the Il Magnifico suite, for example, are delightful in their whimsy. The Lucie Gourmet restaurant feels like eating inside an Art Deco jewelry box, with its gilded mirrors and gemlike pinks and teals, while the Butterfly Terrace gives great views over the city—don’t miss an Aperol following sightseeing or a shopping spree. Rooms from $400. —Ondine Cohane
Adrian GauthotelInness — Accord, New York
$$ | Hot List 2022Within minutes of arriving at this rustic but refined compound, you realize what a welcome shift it heralds for hospitality in the Catskills. With its 28 cabins and 12-room farmhouse and social hub, it marries Scandinavian-style minimalism and throwback Americana, with echoes of the Borscht Belt summer resorts that used to be ubiquitous in this part of the state. There is an excellent restaurant, naturally, with a menu of comfort food with shades of Italian and Middle Eastern cooking. The surrounding area is paradise for hikers and cyclists from spring through fall; in winter, the cabins, with their simple Shaker-style furniture and wood-burning stoves, are cozy refuges for relaxing under a throw and gazing out at the frost-kissed landscape. Rooms from $285. —Jesse Ashlock
Glebe HousehotelGlebe House — Colyton, England
$ | Hot List 2022This late-Georgian manor is made up of six bedrooms—complete with hand-painted lamps, geometric tiles, and floral wallpapers—in a setting of such pastoral perfection you will pinch yourself. And here, life in the slow lane comes with added culinary clout. Produce is grown locally, butter and yogurt are made in a large prep kitchen in the cottage behind the main house, and a temperature-controlled aging room yields pickles and charcuterie. This is all incorporated in the Italian-influenced set menu: antipasti of house-cured salami, peas and broad beans, and fresh curds; then zucchini-and-crab linguine and barbecued lamb rump with heritage tomatoes, rounded off with strawberry-and-elderflower custard tart. Rooms from $180. —Sally Shalam
Baja Club HotelhotelBaja Club Hotel — La Paz, Mexico
$$ | Hot List 2022With the opening of Baja Club Hotel along the esplanade of La Paz, the coastal town now has its first proper boutique hotel. Attracting the creative, artistic elite of Mexico City and beyond, the 32-room, Spanish colonial–style property serves as a base for further explorations in the Sea of Cortez, from swimming with the area’s seasonal visitors—whale sharks and blue whales—to boating trips to the biodiverse Espíritu Santo island. The rooms all have either a balcony, terrace, or private outdoor patio, with cream-and-coral striped banquettes as well as Grupo Habita’s classic minibar staple: a house bottle of Mezcal for guests to enjoy. Rooms from $290. —Michaela Trimble
The Harper NorfolkhotelThe Harper — Langham, England
$ | Hot List 2022The Harper fills a contemporary void in the historic countryside villages of north Norfolk. This multifarious hotel retains a laid-back village feel with its snug corners and bright, airy living areas but also taps into a more modern aesthetic, with fairy lights, giant emoji artwork, and an eco-centric ethos. The spa is definitely worth booking, with an indoor swimming pool flooded with natural light. Partake in the seasonal menu at Stanley’s, then end your night at Ivy’s lounge: Hole up with a good book by the free-standing log burner, or pour yourself a glass of wine from the dispenser in the corner to watch the sunlight slowly fade. Rooms from $247. —Olivia Morelli
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Jake EasthamhotelThe Pig in the South Downs — Arundel, England
$$ | Hot List 2022The much-loved Pig expands to Sussex with this clever rural estate, which finally opened in 2021 after years of whispers. Rooms are oak-and-brass rustic, with plump beds, Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers next to the coffee machine, and the usual monsoon showers. At breakfast, the eggs and tea are scalding, as they should be. A two-acre kitchen garden was dug out in 2019 and supplies head chef Kamil Oseka (previously at The Pig at Bridge Place) with peppers and tomatoes, stone fruit, and edible flowers. If you can tear yourself away from your roll top bath or well-stocked table, get out and explore the South Downs and all it has to offer. Rooms from $280. —Jo Rodgers
Joe ThomashotelThe Ryder Hotel — Charleston, South Carolina
$$ | Hot List 2022Inspired by Jack Kerouac’s semifictional character Japhy Ryder, this Charleston hotel is all about shaking things up a bit and relishing the journey. (If you miss that undercurrent upon arrival, there’s hallway a photo of a topless woman strumming a guitar to remind you to loosen up a little.) A welcome craft cocktail, muddled to order, greets you at check-in. At the indoor/outdoor poolside venue, Little Palm, the sounds of cocktail shakers and Motown grooves keep toes tapping—whether you’re wearing flip-flops, acrylic heels, or no shoes at all. And when it’s time to wind down, the La Bottega robes, walk-in showers, and airy aesthetics in the rooms have you covered. Rooms from $319. —Allston McCrady
Hotel MottohotelHotel Motto Vienna
$ | Hot List 2022Lovingly designed, fully homegrown, and very reasonably priced, Hotel Motto Vienna gives guests a vivid insight into contemporary Viennese life with a touch of 1920s Paris. Head past the fanciful, picture-book mural by Chez Dédé of pink-suited bellhops and leopards in the lobby to the quiet guest rooms, filled with lush fabrics and Deco curves. The top-floor Chez Bernard, draped in cascading foliage, has become something of a hub for locals, from crepes and activated-charcoal lattes in the morning to gin cocktails and bistro classics at night. Up on the seventh floor, the small wellness space has a spa and a mixed sauna big enough for four. Rooms from $225. —Rick Jordan
The IngallshotelDowntown L.A. Proper Hotel
$$ | Hot List 2022A true feast for the senses, this playful, design-driven property calls on the creative energy of DLTA with enough visual and cultural interest to make it a self-contained vacation. The entrance is a grand one, with vibrant jewel-toned, hand-painted frescoes on the domed ceilings that nod to California’s affinity for Spanish and Moroccan design during the 1920s (when the property was initially constructed). Each of the 148 rooms features cozy appointments like Fili D’oro linens, Aesop bath amenities, Parachute Home robes, and thoughtfully curated artwork. But the real showstopper of the property is the 2,777-square-foot Proper Pool Suite, featuring a full-size indoor swimming pool accented by a ceramic mural. Rooms from $395. —Krista Simmons
Kim GrahamhotelThe Loutrel — Charleston, South Carolina
$$ | Hot List 2022The Loutrel splashes into Charleston’s hotel scene with palpably new construction and a prime location, just south of City Market. The boutique 50-room property looks and feels stylishly contemporary, and it consistently aims to bring the outside in: Calamondin-orange topiaries flank the lobby, delicate cherry-blossom branches spike the floral arrangements seasonally, and living orchids accent every room. Rooms are crisp, minimal, and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows and double-paneled privacy sheers. The Loutrel’s “wow” factor is its rooftop terrace, cresting the mature tree line of Charleston’s historic French Quarter. Early risers take morning coffee up here to watch the sun illuminate a sliver of harbor, returning hours later to enjoy an evening cocktail. Rooms from $299. —Allston McCrady
Pernilla DanielssonhotelCan Ferrereta — Santanyí, Spain
$$ | Hot List 2022In the past, tourists visited the small town of Santanyí only on day trips, but Can Ferrereta has changed the game, becoming a destination in itself. The original structure was refurbished by architect Sergi Bastidas, who added two new buildings and completed what is an outstanding exercise of minimalism and exquisite taste in 32 rooms (more than half are suites), a more than 3,000-square-foot spa with interior pool, and two restaurants. Your jaw will certainly drop once you make it to the main pool area, a relaxing landscape interrupted only by the sound of the breeze kissing the surrounding bushes. Rooms from $345. —Paula Movil
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Jeon TaegsuhotelJosun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Gangnam — South Korea
$$ | Hot List 2022Upscale and opulent, with spectacular artwork around every corner, the Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is one of the most elegant luxury hotels to stay in when visiting Seoul. The moment you step inside, you’re faced with a towering statue of Daniel Arsham’s Blue Calcite Eroded Moses while getting a whiff of the hotel’s signature perfumed scent. The impeccable design continues into the guest rooms, where patterned fabrics and Korean artwork compete with unobstructed views of Gangnam. The 1914 Lounge & Bar is already a neighborhood hot spot, while Eatanic Garden serves up modern Korean cuisine with an extensive French wine and Champagne list. Rooms from $270. —Diane Kang
SofitelhotelSofitel Barú Calablanca Beach Resort — Colombia
$$ | Hot List 2022Though Colombia once had a dearth of luxury beachfront resorts, it now has a superb one: the modern, scene-stealing Sofitel Barú Calablanca Beach Resort. The resort’s main building—it houses the lobby, two restaurants, multiple bars including a rooftop lounge, and the wellness center—is a striking piece of architecture, with stacked volumes and massive walls of glass that recall a contemporary-art museum. All 187 rooms are big and breezy, reflecting a neutral palette and pared-back mood board that wouldn’t look out of place in Montauk. There are also three restaurants and seven (!) bars, offering everything from lobster bao buns to spicy margaritas. Rooms from $390. —Paul Jebara
Ingrid Rasmussenhotel25hours Hotel One Central — Dubai
$ | Hot List 2022This may be the most un-Dubai hotel of all Dubai hotels. Landing in the up-and-coming business district One Central, the imposing hotel marks a new chapter for the UAE—not only with the renaissance of a once-dreary area, but also with plucky concepts like a mixed-gender sauna and slogans like “Let’s spend the night together.” The predominant crowd is 30-something hipsters and creatives, who move between the co-working spaces, pottery and podcast studios, and craft coffee shop. Rooms and suites are all different, but you can expect hammocks, “sheik-sized” beds, and private bar areas with room for a DJ. But the real star of the show, Monkey Bar, is up on the rooftop, surrounded by jungle vines. Rooms from $175. —Isabella Sullivan
Heinz Troll/MarBella ElixhotelMarBella Elix — Igoumenitsa, Greece
$ | Hot List 2022From its hilltop location, MarBella Elix affords otherworldly views of Paxos, Antipaxos, Corfu, and the glistening Ionian. Elix’s reception is like a sort of celestial spa, with barn-high ceilings and windows that frame the infinity view. Colorful tapestries hang throughout, infusing the place with local artisanal history, complementing the overall sunshiny modern-luxe feel. From the very popular Greek and Mediterranean buffet to the even more creative Greek fine dining, the food and drink are uniformly local and delicious. Available activities range from kayaking into hidden bays and mountain and coastal biking to alfresco yoga sessions, sailing courses, and snorkeling around underwater meadows. Rooms from $185. —Becky Lucas
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Chase Daniel/Thompson AustinhotelThompson Austin
$$ | Hot List 2022This new skyscraper is set to reenergize a sleepy corner of downtown Austin, thanks to two street-level restaurants by James Beard Award–winning chef Mashama Bailey; a design- and music-forward bar and pool on the fourth floor; and a two-hotels-in-one concept that attracts professionals and urban adventurers alike. It’s one of Hyatt’s early attempts to combine the Thompson and tommie (the little brother to the luxe brand). Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the city skyline, and rooms also have Nespresso coffee makers and bars that are far from mini with Texas-sourced snacks and spirits. Turndown includes Earlybird CBD gummies and a Skin Authority eye kit—a welcome upgrade from the standard dark chocolate and weather report. Rooms from $329. —Stirling Kelso
Colony PalmshotelThe Colony Palms Hotel and Bungalows — Palm Springs, California
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Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021This luxuriously private adults-only hotel from celebrated celebrity designer Steve Hermann is in the heart of Palm Springs but has a more laid-back, exclusive vibe than its neighbors. (Think The Beverly Hills Hotel meets the desert.) Firepits and private nooks are sprinkled throughout the property, centered on a verdant, palm-tree-lined pool shimmering below the San Jacinto Mountains. Bold statement wallpapering, sky-high ceilings, and plenty of greenery are the through lines across the room categories, with suites offering private verandas with garden seating. Chef Michael Hung has upped the ante for poolside dining at The Colony Club, where you’ll find excellent spins on California Mediterranean cooking. Rooms from $399. —Krista Simmons
Hotel âmehotelHotel âme — Rotterdam, Netherlands
$ | Hot List 2022It wasn’t too long ago that an overnight stay in Rotterdam meant booking a bland business hotel or a past-its-prime historical number. In the past few years, though, fresh boutique hotels have cropped up all over town—and âme, with its Scandi-Japanese design and third-wave coffee-shop vibe, is the smartest of the bunch. Regardless of type, the room designs are universally austere, with subtly plastered walls and palettes of taupe and beige. Black steel fixtures furnish the bathrooms, while linen bedspreads and curtains add a tactile touch. You’ll have to venture out for meals, but given the hotel’s plum position on the Eendrachtsplein, finding excellent restaurants within walking distance is a breeze. Rooms from $119. —Chris Schalkx
Stephen Kent JohnsonhotelAce Hotel Brooklyn
$$ | Hot List 2022The lobby in any Ace hotel is the place to be, and its Brooklyn outpost is no different. There are public workspaces galore—including a library-style table, a plant-filled garden, and a moody bar area with cozy seating—and plenty of guests, locals, and staff making use of them all. Many of the hallmarks of Ace decor are present in the 287 rooms: plywood furniture that offers both form and function, local art, and pops of color (in this case, a deep green). But the room design also leans into the industrial building’s architecture, with exposed concrete and warehouse windows. Rooms from $249. —Meredith Carey
Tanveer BadalhotelHabitas Bacalar — Mexico
$$ | Hot List 2022A four-hour drive south of heavily touristed Cancún, the discreet Habitas Bacalar entrance on the side of a remote road makes you feel like you’ve been let in on a grand secret. The place is small—just 34 rooms, each with a maximum occupancy of two—and has a very communal vibe. The hotel makes an effort to bring the community to you, by hosting local vendors for guest experiences like a cacao-and-wine tasting, and partnering with local businesses for complimentary paddle board tours, yoga lessons, and more. Meanwhile, the wellness program sources local ingredients for its spa products, and restaurant Siete uses traditional Mayan cooking techniques. Rooms from $380. —Mercedes Bleth
Karan MahalhotelKaran Mahal — Srinagar, India
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Gold List 2022 Hot List 2022Karan Mahal is possibly the most charming non-palace royal residence you’ll visit in India. Built in the 1920s, it once housed Jammu and Kashmir’s governor Karan Singh, the son of the last maharaja of Kashmir; today it’s the summer residence of Singh’s son. It features the kind of decor you’d imagine in a home of considerable age: think antique mirrors, hand-knotted carpets, and original Lalique lights. The food prepared by the family’s cooks is a mix of that which showcases the princely state’s lineage—Dogra, Phadi, and Nepalese—and more modern fare. Many of the staff members are third-generation retainers of the family, so the service you get is full of warmth and a genuine urge to please. Rooms from $367. —Prasad Ramamurthy
Fairmont TaghazouthotelFairmont Taghazout Bay — Morocco
$$ | Hot List 2022One of the first luxury resorts to debut in the windswept fishing village of Taghazout, this beachfront property—studded with gnarled olive trees and backed by the Atlas Mountains’ moss-green foothills—deftly melds the Fairmont's stalwart service and amenities galore with a distinctly laid-back vibe. The interiors are filled with locally sourced fabrics and bold accents of inky Moroccan blue, while floor-to ceiling windows afford views of the surfers (and occasionally a sauntering camel) on the beach. The 146 rooms are modern and sun-drenched, and the 15,000-square-foot spa—billed as Morocco’s largest—offers gob-smacking ocean vistas and transportive treatments. Rooms from $360. —Alexandra Kirkman
The Standard Hua HinhotelThe Standard, Hua Hin — Thailand
$ | Hot List 2022In a beach town dominated by could-be-anywhere mega-resorts, The Standard, Hua Hin brings a much-needed dose of youthful energy to a place usually associated with snowbirding retirees and hi-so (high society) Thais driving down from Bangkok. In lieu of teakwood floors and jasmine garlands, guests are greeted by fresh contemporary art and midcentury-modern furnishings; then pathways palisaded with bamboo and bougainvillea snake to the boho-beachy villas (where disco balls hang in the bathrooms). The main action happens at the pool, where Bangkok’s beau monde lounges under candy-striped umbrellas and two restaurants serve drinks and Thai-with-a-twist bites until 10 p.m. Rooms from $125. —Chris Schalkx
Adam GibsonhotelThe Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel — Hobart, Australia
$$ | Hot List 2022Repurposed from three bordering-on-derelict buildings, The Tasman has cemented Hobart as an up-and-coming travel destination. While it’s about the rooms, restaurant, and sandstone façade, the real appeal is stumbling upon some of the structures’ original features. Artifacts from excavation such as pipes, perfume bottles, combs, and marbles are displayed at the bar, and exclusive wines and rare spirits will soon be stored in the old coal chute. Though there are modern, luxurious touches throughout (and the Italian cuisine at Peppina is already a local hit), Marriott has left plenty of room for history to keep peeping out from the past. Rooms from $280. —Kate Hennessy
Resorts World Las VegashotelResorts World Las Vegas
$ | Hot List 2022The first new resort to be built on the Las Vegas Strip in more than a decade, Resorts World Las Vegas packs in celeb residencies, new-to-Vegas restaurants, and three distinct hotels into a single property. The crowd skews young here: These are tech-savvy partiers with some crypto to spend on entertainment and shopping. The suites vary by hotel, but some have features like in-room massage guns. In terms of dining, options range from headline-making $20,000 steaks to food stalls configured as a Southeast Asian street market. The Awana Spa is certainly worth setting some time aside for, if just to see what the coed Fountain of Youth facility is all about. Rooms from $71. —Andrea Bennett