Hotels + Resorts The 20 Best New Affordable Luxury Hotels of 2023 The 2023 It List. By Travel + Leisure Editors Travel + Leisure Editors Since 1971, Travel + Leisure editors have followed one mission: to inform, inspire, and guide travelers to have deeper, more meaningful experiences. T+L's editors have traveled to countries all over the world, having flown, sailed, road tripped, and taken the train countless miles. They've visited small towns and big cities, hidden gems and popular destinations, beaches and mountains, and everything in between. With a breadth of knowledge about destinations around the globe, air travel, cruises, hotels, food and drinks, outdoor adventure, and more, they are able to take their real-world experience and provide readers with tried-and-tested trip ideas, in-depth intel, and inspiration at every point of a journey. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 20, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Ulysses These exceptional new hotels prove that luxury doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Our editors found incredible stays from hip hotel brands like the Ace, The Standard, and Palihouse, plus fantastic locally owned spaces reimagined with innovative design. Best of all, each of these 20 hotels offers rooms for less than $300 a night. 01 of 20 Ulysses — Baltimore Brett Wood/Courtesy of Hotel Ulysses The latest opening from hospitality and design firm Ash — which has hotels in Detroit; New Orleans; and Providence, Rhode Island — is a delightful palimpsest of references. Are those flamingo bedside tables a nod to Baltimore artist and filmmaker John Waters? They are. Do the floor mosaics and elevator paintings hint at Greek mythology? You bet. Is Ulysses a reference to the James Joyce novel? Naturally — but it’s also the name of a ship that brought Bavarian immigrants to Baltimore in the late 19th century. Layers of history and ornate design define the 116 rooms, which are done in blue, green, red, or yellow, with vintage European furniture and custom quilts made in Jaipur, India. I spent the day working remotely at Ash Bar, the hotel’s cafe and restaurant (don’t skip the steak tartare with rosemary chips), then stepped over to Bloom’s, a bar and lounge with velvet barstools and a mirrored ceiling. But my favorite moment was a simple one: drawing a morning bath in my suite’s soaking tub (provocatively placed in the middle of the room) and watching the sun come up over the city. ash.world; doubles from $165. —Liz Cantrell 02 of 20 Life House, South of Fifth — Miami Courtesy of Lifehouse South of Fith When it comes to South Beach crash pads, it doesn’t get much cooler than this SoFi charmer. Two blocks from the sand, its parasol-studded patio and eclectically furnished, plant-filled lobby welcome out-of-towners and locals alike. The upper floor of the landmark two-story 1930s cottage has been converted to house 26 rooms, decorated in a neutral palette that fans of the “coastal grandma” style will appreciate. Unique to the hotel (and, for that matter, Miami) is the family suite, which sleeps up to six guests, four of them in lofted full-size beds that offer a grown-up spin on the bunk beds of your youth. Pretty Swell, the hotel’s restaurant and bar, is open for drinks (try the Sea Foam, with Jamaican rum, salted coconut cream, and pineapple juice) and dinner (even carnivores will love the vegan barbecue jackfruit tacos). South Beach’s boutiques, bars, and beach scene are also just steps away. lifehousehotels.com; doubles from $257. —Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon 03 of 20 Palihouse West Hollywood — California Caylon Hackwith Never has nostalgia felt as fashionable as it does at Palihouse West Hollywood. My toddler immediately ran to pet the perfectly kitschy porcelain dalmatians flanking the lobby, beneath a field of floral wallpaper on the ceiling. The hotel’s 95 guest rooms — with custom corduroy sofas, gingham tile, and Smeg-stocked kitchenettes — are an extension of this quirk that seems as if a designer flawlessly curated your cool great aunt’s abode. Situated on one of L.A.’s most walkable streets, it stirs up old memories while making new ones. Delightful touches abound, from glass mushroom lamps in the Lobby Lounge Café and Bar to a secret sugary amenity in the vintage Cali-themed pool lounge. Outside, the striped saltwater pool was so tempting, we plunged in for a brisk January swim. Even with dozens of cafes and restaurants in the surrounding blocks, a permeating coziness made me want to stay put for heart-warming meals of crunchy coconut French toast and ooey-gooey macaroni and cheese. The scene is cool all day, but even more so by night when bartenders stir up Bénédictine-tinged cocktails and in-the-know foodies sneak upstairs to the pocket-sized sushi bar hidden on the mezzanine. Oh so L.A. palisociety.com; doubles from $288. —Kathryn Romeyn 04 of 20 Hotel Marcel — New Haven, Connecticut Seamus Payne Most travelers don't dream of sleeping beside a gargantuan Ikea, but if you're a fan of brutalism, you'll be willing to overlook the blue-and-yellow signage (not to mention the white noise of I-95) for a chance to sleep in a repurposed masterpiece that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. First built in the 1960s as the headquarters for the Armstrong Rubber Company by Hungarian-American architect Marcel Breuer, the floating concrete box sat essentially unoccupied for decades, until architect and developer Bruce Redman Becker purchased the pile for $1.2 million in 2020. He hired Brooklyn-based interiors and branding firm Dutch East Design to transform the tower into a dazzling, all-electric, LEED-platinum display of respectful adaptive reuse. Christening it the Hotel Marcel, Dutch East Design carved out 165 guest rooms and suites that remain true to the aesthetics of the midcentury architectural movement — note the Anni Albers fabrics, the Knoll chairs, and the 800 recycled lighting fixtures throughout — while notably warming up the interiors. Guests coming to New Haven to visit Yale enter the undulating panels of poured concrete to find shimmering, perforated brass encircling the restaurant bar, a sunken living room in the lobby, and deep, wood-lined windows in the guest rooms. If the stairs look familiar, that's because they’re the same as those found in NYC's original Whitney Museum of American Art, which Breuer also designed. Not a stick of Ikea furniture to be found — except next door. hotelmarcel.com; doubles from $135. —Heidi Mitchell 05 of 20 Ace Hotel Sydney Anson Smart/Courtesy of Ace Hotels This is Ace’s first opening south of the equator, and though Sydneysiders rarely socialize in swanky hotels, the 257-room outpost has already garnered a firm local following. That’s partially due to the quality of the eating and drinking spaces. There’s street-level cafe Good Chemistry; an all-day diner, Loam; and a rooftop restaurant, Kiln, which is one of Sydney’s hottest tickets, dishing up modern, produce-focused menus (curry-leaf eggplant with macadamia, Southern Ocean calamari, and salmoriglio) and an organic wine list. In a happening part of Surry Hills, this marks an overdue urban-cool entry for the neighborhood. acehotel.com; doubles from $261. —Kendall Hill 06 of 20 The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon Chris Schalkx Just when Bangkok's luxury hotels all started to look the same, The Standard swooped in to turn the Thai capital's hospitality scene on its head. Taking over one of the city’s most notable skyscrapers, The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon swapped the typical straight lines and muted hues of its five-star peers for a daring mash-up of polychrome palettes and swirling illustrations by Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon. The 155 rooms all deliver different perks: some have a whirlpool tub, others come with a small balcony or fully functional kitchen. At the five bars and restaurants, including dim sum–focused Mott 32 and neo-Mexican rooftop spot Ojo, locals often outnumber hotel guests. In a city as food-obsessed as Bangkok, that's always a good sign. standardhotels.com; doubles from $237. —Chris Schalkx 07 of 20 La Maison Palmier — Abidjan, Ivory Coast YANN DERET/Courtesy of Design Hotels Walking through La Maison Palmier’s open-air entrance under a canopy of palm trees, it’s easy to feel like you’ve stepped into a tropical postcard. This 74-room boutique hotel, designed by the Ivorian architect Désiré M’bengue, fully embodies its namesake of “palm house” — there are 200 varieties throughout the property. Set across nine villa-style buildings, the rooms are done in natural colors of cream, sage, and baked clay. The marvelous malachite-hued pool is also a statement-maker. It’s a serene and airy escape from the buzz of the city, and the property also represents a major moment for the de facto capital of the Ivory Coast — it’s the first hotel in West Africa to be affiliated with the Design Hotels group. lamaisonpalmier.com; doubles from $202. —Peju Famojure 08 of 20 Le Doyenné — Saint-Vrain, France Courtesy of Le Doyenné/Marine Billet In the small town of Saint-Vrain, roughly an hour south of Paris, Australian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly (both alumni of Paris’s Au Passage restaurant) have created a convivial guest house as an adjunct to their now award-winning restaurant. Out here, the food is billed as the main attraction, but the 10 well-appointed bedrooms on the upper floors of these former 19th-century stables are no afterthought. The building’s original structure, with its soaring ceilings and exposed oak beams, was preserved to set the tone for a contemporary countryside séjour, with inviting beds made up with homey linens, free-standing bathtubs, and for some, a view over the vegetable garden and orchard. Once dinner has been slept off, breakfast is a relaxed but equally delicious affair: order eggs any way you like (collected that morning from the property’s free-range hens), house-cured ham from the estate’s forest-raised pigs, and fresh bread and pastries made by in-house baker Lori Oyamada, who was lured here from Tartine in San Francisco. ledoyennerestaurant.com; doubles from $242. —Alice Cavanagh 09 of 20 Hotel Chelsea — New York City Annie Schlechter/Courtey of Hotel Chelsea New York bohemians breathed a collective sigh of relief last summer when the Hotel Chelsea, the city's most cherished artistic refuge, reopened its doors to paying guests after an 11-year closure. And although its 12 floors were mostly redesigned — fans will look in vain for the Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, and Leonard Cohen rooms — the density of underground lore feels palpable from the moment you walk into the lobby. The original carved 1884 fireplace is still flanked by paintings traded for rent by Stanley Bard, the artist-loving owner in the glory days of the '60s and '70s, and the splendid, Gothic wrought-iron spiral staircase still coils above the front desk. A special door leads to the hotel's Spanish restaurant El Quijote, where Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the musicians from Jefferson Airplane gathered for sangria and "shrimp and green sauce" in the summer of '69 before driving up to Woodstock. The space has preserved the red vinyl booths and antique Cervantes-themed murals. Cocktails are served in the majestic Lobby Bar, where polished wooden counters and antique mirrors look like relics from when Mark Twain held forth. Most important for guests, the upstairs floors no longer resemble "a middle school prison," as Patti Smith described the aesthetic in her memoir “Just Kids.” In fact, the remastered rooms are now downright luxurious — spacious and filled with enough light to satisfy any wide-eyed artist. The chic, retro decor — including plush velvet lounges, chairs with tiger-stripe patterns, brass fittings, and sumptuous baths — offers nods to the rock-and-roll lifestyle. Suites open onto balconies by the iconic neon hotel sign, offering New York's coolest new Instagram opportunity. Meanwhile, shuffling in and out of the elevators are the 40 full-time tenants of the Chelsea, who have managed to hang through legal wrangles, and many of whom recall the hotel's golden age of artistic debauchery and can tell wild stories about rockers, poets, and assorted hangers-on. To coin a phrase: only in New York. hotelchelsea.com; doubles from $220. —Tony Perrottet 10 of 20 Beacon Grand, a Union Square Hotel — San Francisco Courtesy of Beacon Grand When the Sir Francis Drake Hotel opened in 1928, it became a San Francisco icon practically on sight: More than 10,000 people showed up that day to check it out. And it remained a fixture of the San Francisco scene for the next 100 or so years — until, of course, the pandemic shut the party down. The hotel quietly changed hands in spring of 2021, kicking off a full-scale rebrand under its new owners, the Northview Hotel Group. Its place in San Francisco history remains: The English navigator has been dropped from the hotel’s name, but much of the Weeks and Day-designed building has been preserved, including original chandeliers, decorative grates, woodwork, and the grand marble columns and giant patinated mirrors of its soaring lobby. (Meanwhile, the 1920s-sized bathrooms have been expanded, and the subterranean gym now includes four Pelotons, among other new equipment.) The property reopened as the Beacon Grand in June 2022, with 418 fully renovated rooms and suites — some done up in clean navy and white, others with a custom San Francisco wallpaper featuring a pattern of cable cars, lighthouses, sourdough, and seals. The bar-restaurant above the lobby serves classic dishes with California ingredients (Brokaw avocados, Liberty duck) and an impressive list of barrel-aged batched cocktails; the dark-wood space hidden at the end of the mezzanine is now a library and whiskey tasting room. Plans for other culinary venues are in the works: the 21st-floor Starlite Room, once the glittering domain of San Francisco nightlife impresario Harry Denton, will eventually light up once again. beacongrand.com; doubles from $196. —Hannah Walhout 11 of 20 Château Royal — Berlin Felix Brüggemann/Courtesy of Château Royal A stay at this hotel is like a visit to one of the city’s many museums. Each of the 93 rooms (which include 26 suites and one residential-style apartment) showcases a work by a different contemporary artist. It’s a curated nod to the vibrancy of Berlin’s creativity, past and present. That might mean a painting by Damien Hirst, a mural by Cosima von Bonin, or a plethora of pieces in other mediums, including photographs and videos. (Among this wealth of conversation starters is a memorable expletive scrawled above the bar.) The property comprises two buildings from 1850 and 1910, plus a new building and roof extension designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect David Chipperfield, in the heart of the historic Mitte neighborhood, just down the street from the Brandenburg Gate. With everything from a covered winter garden to a fireplace lounge to relax in, this is a place for Berliners and visitors alike to discuss the zeitgeist. chateauroyalberlin.com; doubles from $207. —Chris Wallace 12 of 20 Aire de O:live — San Juan, Puerto Rico Courtesy of Aire de O:live You could sit in the rooftop pool at Aire de O:live and dreamily gaze out at the aquamarine ocean. Or, if you’ve booked an Agua de O:live suite, you can sit in your own personal, heated plunge pool and do the same from right inside the room. The plunge pool sits against a picture window, overlooking one of San Juan’s most scenic beaches 10 stories below. The pool is not the only showpiece in the two-room suite, though. A tranquil garden living area enhances the spa-like design, rich with earthen-toned wood, stone, and natural fabrics. If you can drag yourself out of the suite, Aire de O:live’s rooftop features a super-cool restaurant and bar with panoramic views, just like its sibling properties in San Juan, O:live Boutique Hotel and O:LV Fifty Five. Fittingly named Kumo, which means “cloud” in Japanese, the contemporary Japanese menu includes a selection of small plates, robatayaki, and Latin-infused mains. And there’s more to look forward to: a stylish lobby restaurant and Miami-style beach club are coming soon. airedeolive.com; doubles from $245. —Kathleen Squires 13 of 20 Fleur de Loire — Blois, France © Fleur de Loire At this hotel, set in the Duke of Orléans’s former home in Blois, the best thing to do is eat. Chef Christophe Hay’s eponymous restaurant was recently awarded two Michelin stars, and there’s also an exemplary pâtisserie, an inventive cocktail lounge, and a second restaurant, the upscale Amour Blanc, overlooking the Loire River. After a nine-course prix fixe, it was a relief to retire to my carpeted suite in the eaves of the 17th-century château, where the decor’s gold, caramel, and pearl tones soothed me to sleep. Though they share smart furnishings, like a writing desk with a pop-up vanity, each of the 44 rooms is distinct (ones with first-floor patios look onto the garden and an infinity pool). In between meals, visit the Sisley Spa and the fitness studio, which is outfitted in trendy gear like Nohrd’s wooden treadmill. fleurdeloire.com; doubles from $213. —Betsy Andrews 14 of 20 Hotel das Amoreiras — Lisbon Francisco Nogueira Tucked away in a leafy, quiet neighborhood just north of hip Príncipe Real, Hotel das Amoreiras is the latest in Lisbon’s hotly anticipated openings. For owner Pedro Oliveira, this discreet 19-room hideaway is a labor of love, one through which he aims to deliver the generosity of Portuguese hospitality. Inside the two stitched-together town houses, almost everything you see has a personal connection. For example, the framed Lisbon scene in the lobby was painted by Oliveira’s father, and the rest of the artwork used to hang in his apartment. Rooms are thoughtfully arranged to maximize the limited square footage, with large, light-grabbing windows and uncluttered design choices. Two attic suites feature special elements like a marble rain shower with a window that looks over Praça das Amoreiras. The ground-floor public areas are made for hours-long lingering. The interior courtyard that orbits around an old olive tree is as pretty a sanctuary as you’ll find anywhere in Lisbon, made even better with a nonstop flow of pour-over coffee — a rarity in a country obsessed with espresso. hoteldasamoreiras.com; doubles from $226. —Chadner Navarro 15 of 20 Short Stories Hotel — Los Angeles Stefan Merriweather In the heart of a city sprawling with some 3.8 million people, it’s easy to feel like just another body, but nothing about my experience at this 1960s motel turned boutique hotel felt anonymous. There was the check-in chitchat over fresh lemonade and a staff member to escort me to my room, featuring quirky, custom-crafted furniture (think leopard-emblazoned velvet love seats) and artwork from California painter Kenton Nelson. Then, there was the phone call to remind us of the complimentary afternoon wine hour on the shaded patio of the North African–influenced Short Stories Restaurant. Steps away, we splashed around in the petite pool beneath a living green wall, sheltered from the surrounding busy streets in a cozy little bubble. Each of the 66 rooms is stocked with plush bathrobes, Taschen books, and minibars of artisanal spirits. shortstorieshotel.com; doubles from $247. —Kathryn Romeyn 16 of 20 Sommerro — Oslo Francisco Nogueira The Sommerro building might not seem like the most likely candidate for a luxury hotel renovation. A municipal office building for a former electrical company? The American equivalent would be turning the DMV into a Four Seasons. But never underestimate the Norwegian creative spirit and attention to detail, and architecture with good bones. The Sommerro manages to be both chic and marvelously weird. The foyer is modern and minimalist, but if you head toward the back room, through the Ekspedisjonshallen restaurant, you’ll be confronted with a massive fresco by Norwegian artist Per Krohg, depicting how electricity transformed Oslo. In theory, it does not “go.” It’s folksy — nay, educational. But such is the charm of this place that will light up the imagination of anyone who stays here. sommerrohouse.com; doubles from $225. —Sloane Crosley 17 of 20 Le Bois des Chambres — Loire Valley, France © E. SANDER The town of Chaumont-sur-Loire, once the site of Catherine de’ Medici’s hunting lodge, now has a hotel. The 39-room property evokes agrarian-chic living — some beds are reached by barn ladders and others are tucked into tiny huts, while larger rooms offer sweeping countryside views and spacious showers overlooking a garden. The restaurant continues the back-to-nature theme. Beneath a thatched dome, chef Guillaume Foucault whips up Loire-centric delights like eel cream tart, wild-mint brioche, and rustic pâté in a pool of oat cream topped with juicy pear. The only other amenities here are courtyard fire pits, but who needs a spa or lobby bar when there are birds in trees, bees on flowers, and horses whinnying in the nearby field? leboisdeschambres.fr; doubles from $203. —Betsy Andrews 18 of 20 The Line San Francisco Chase Daniel Like its predecessors, The Line’s latest location, in San Francisco’s gritty Tenderloin neighborhood, is a celebration of creative communities. Vibrant and visually striking, the journey starts from check-in, where multimedia artist Sasinun Kladpetch’s concrete, moss, and glass found-art installation spans the lobby. Guests can further immerse themselves in curated experiences, including quarterly exhibitions from visual art nonprofit Root Division and on-site programming ranging from aura readings to incense making. Upstairs, the rooms capture San Francisco’s urban character (graffiti headboards, exposed concrete) and centuries-old history (Victorian-era pendant lights). But it’s the evenings when the hotel truly comes to life: sample the burrata with pickled gypsy peppers and wonton chips at the signature Tenderheart restaurant (chef Joe Hou’s imaginative cuisine is eclectic and flavorful). Then, head to the rooftop Rise Over Run, a glass solarium encircled by fire pits, for cocktails from bar master Danny Louie. thelinehotel.com; doubles from $219. —Lisa Cheng 19 of 20 Margaret - Hôtel Chouleur — Nîmes, France Courtesy of Margaret - Hotel Chouleur Half-hidden behind a courtyard off the delightful Rue Fresque, Margaret - Hôtel Chouleur is the hippest new hostelry in Nîmes, arguably the most elegant of southern French cities. Built in 1660 for an adviser to Louis XIV and in the ownership of architect Georges Chouleur for most of the 20th century, its five rooms and five suites offer a unique blend of the historic and cutting-edge, airy and spacious, but imbued with a sense of intimacy by dark, warm colors. The hotel’s Rouge restaurant has a Michelin star and serves residents a sumptuous continental breakfast. There’s also an outdoor pool, lush garden, 24-hour library, and small spa, as well as a gym requiring reservations, though perhaps superfluous in a pedestrianized neighborhood where walking between the Roman arena, fabulous covered food market, and Place de l’Horloge is locals’ favorite all-day activity. margaret-hotelchouleur.com; doubles from $254. —Anthea Gerrie 20 of 20 The Ned Doha — Qatar JOE CHUA AGDEPPA/Courtesy of The Ned Doha Formerly the Ministry of the Interior, this Brutalist-style building is now one of the chicest city hotels in the Gulf, with 90 rooms and suites and a members’ club. This is the third Ned property to open since the brand’s London debut in 2017. (The Ned Nomad also opened in New York in 2022.) David Chipperfield Architects extended the exterior of the building, on the city’s elegant Corniche, using bold sculptural forms. Soho House Design offset the stark 1970s concrete interiors with dark woods, green marble, bold fabric patterns, and vintage furniture. On the walls are hundreds of works of art chosen by Wadha Al-Aqeedi and Elina Sairanen, art historians and curators who champion works from west Asia and North Africa. There is also a mixed-gender gym, plus a spa and Moroccan hammam. thened.com; doubles from $265. —John Arlidge Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit