Aman Tokyo
Opening date: December 2014
Nightly rates: ~ $1,839 - $1,895
Luxury hotel chain Aman Resorts, which has drawn celebrity guests including Bill Gates, David Bowie, Mark Zuckerberg, Princess Diana, and the Kardashians, is moving away from its roots of nature-based wellness resorts to opening locations in major cities like Tokyo, New York, and Miami.
"What we've found with Aman is that even when they've gone into urban hotels in addition to resorts, they've made that transition very well," LTI founder Michael Crompton told Elite Traveler in 2018. "They've managed to create urban resorts and maintain the standard throughout."
Cheval Blanc Maldives
Opening date: December 2013
Nightly rates: ~ $3,195 - $7,965+
Cheval Blanc Maldives has five different types of villas, as well as a private island with a four-bedroom main villa and a separate guest villa, a private spa treatment room, fitness center, and screening room.
Cheval Blanc is a luxury hospitality brand owned by LVMH, the world's largest maker of luxury goods, which owns brands like Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Dom Perignon.
Corinthia London
Opening date: April 2011
Nightly rates: ~ $672 - $32,000
The Corinthia London, which opened just in time for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, offers 283 guest rooms, including 51 suites and seven penthouses.
The two-bedroom royal penthouse, which comes with a private roof terrace and a walk-in wine cellar, costs about $32,000 per night.
Kokomo Private Island, Fiji
Opening date: April 2017
Nightly rates: ~ $2,250 - $11,655
Kokomo Private Island, which is the brainchild of Australian billionaire and developer Lang Walker, offers guests their choice of 21 beachfront villas or five luxury residences.
"The Great Astrolabe Reef surrounds his island, which is located in one of Fiji's least developed areas," Robb Report's Jennifer Ashton Ryan wrote of the resort in 2017. "Billfish, tuna, giant trevally, and manta ray are regulars around the barrier reef. Humpback whales swim by seasonally."
La Réserve Paris
Opening date: January 2015
Nightly rates: ~ $1,056 - $7,785
La Réserve is one of only 25 hotels in France that have been awarded "palace hotel" status, which recognizes the country's top five-star hotels based on criteria such as location, appearance, history, "character of the establishment," excellent staff, gourmet restaurants, respectful environmental policy, and more.
It has just 26 suites and 14 rooms.
Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Seychelles
Opening date: October 2016
Nightly rates: ~ $2,235 - $20,415
Six Senses Zil Pasyon sits on the private island of Felicite in the north of the Seychelles, which has "a real Jurassic feel," with massive, jagged boulders and turquoise water, according to Forbes contributor Laurie Werner.
The resort has 28 one-bedroom villas, two two-bedroom pool villas, several three- and four-bedroom residences, a spa, and multiple restaurants and bars.
Soneva Jani, Maldives
Opening date: November 2016
Nightly rates: ~ $3,139 - $21,868
Soneva Jani is an intimate Maldives resort with just 24 overwater villas, several of which come with water slides. Guests can eat at one of three restaurants or have one of the chefs prepare a secret menu in a secret location. There's a spa with a fully-equipped gym and yoga pavilion, as well as sauna and steam rooms.
Guests can choose to partake in activities such as stargazing at the observatory to sunset dolphin cruises.
Song Saa Cambodia
Opening date: March 2012
Nightly rates: ~ $890 - $3,590
Song Saa sits on Cambodia's Koh Rong Archipelago and features 24 over-water, jungle, and ocean view villas, each of which comes with a private pool and lounge area.
The resort's staff "strives to create an experience that offers luxury in an informal setting," Mike Ives wrote for The New York Times.
The Silo, Cape Town
Opening date: May 2017
Nightly rates: ~ $1,400 - $8,178
The Silo, which was built in an old grain silo, sits on the waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. It has only 28 rooms and suites, including a 2,012-square-foot, one-bedroom penthouse. It also offers a selection of private residences.
The hotel includes a spa, a rooftop bar, a cocktail bar, a restaurant, and private dining options. It was designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the English designer behind Vessel, the new $200 million climbable sculpture in New York City's Hudson Yards neighborhood.
Velaa Private Island, Maldives
Opening date: December 2013
Nightly rates: ~ $3,025 - $25,300
The motto at Velaa, a luxury private island resort that's a 45-minute seaplane flight north of Malé, the capital of the Maldives, is "polite luxury," according to Petr Kolár, the Czech architect who designed the resort.
"I always had this idea that our guests would find themselves stranded on a deserted island, and by coincidence, there is this unique resort," Kolár told Forbes in 2014.
Velaa features 43 villas with private pools, six bars and restaurants, a spa, golf, and activities such as yoga, scuba diving, kite surfing, and stand-up paddleboarding.
