Netjets EU Volume 20 2023

MARK ANTHONY FOX
THE SMART GUIDE
is flying high with Australia’s
tallest hotel. Soaring 80
stories above the Victorian
capital, the 257-room The
Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne
(ritzcarlton.com) will be filled
to the brim with all the brand’s
luxury offerings – including
an infinity pool on the 64th
floor – against a backdrop of
jaw-dropping city views.
MEXICO MARVELS
From palm-fringed beaches
to steamy jungles and
archaeological ruins, Mexico is
a beguiling and diverse country
that offers a little of something
for everyone. And with hotels
like Nobu Los Cabos and the
hip Grupo Habita collection
of boutique properties, there’s
no shortage of great hotels
either. This year, the hospitality
industry continues to up its
game with a bunch of new
arrivals, most notably along
the Riviera Maya, a stretch
of sunny Caribbean coastline
on the country’s Yucatán
Peninsula. Here, Belmond’s
Maroma Hotel (belmond.
com) will reopen after a tipto-toe
renovation to include
10 new waterfront villas
and the first Guerlain spa in
Latin America. The EDITION
(editionhotels.com) brand will
also make its Mexican debut
with a 180-room property –
including a sprawling 204sq m
Penthouse Suite – a beach club
and no less than six bars and
restaurants located within the
prestigious Kanai development.
Keeping the luxury levels on
an even keel in Kanai, St.
Regis (st-regis.marriott.com)
will open a 124-key resort that
will include top-notch offerings
such as private butler services,
excellent dining across five
restaurants, and access to two
18-hole golf courses. One of
11 properties from the brand
due to open worldwide over
the coming years, the Riviera
Maya launch will also be
joined by a new property in
Los Cabos. Located within a
13ha coastal development
in Quivira, at the tip of the
Baja Peninsula, the resort will
unfold over 120 rooms and
suites and 74 residences,
each with spectacular ocean
views. Also on the Baja
California peninsula, Banyan
Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe
(banyantree.com) – the
group’s fourth hotel in Mexico
– is located in the region’s
emerging food and wine area
and will include 30 villas,
all with swimming pools,
and a number of bars and
restaurants spread over 16
hectares of land. Meanwhile,
following the success of its
Tulum and Bacalar hotels,
Habitas (ourhabitas.com)
continues its rapid expansion
with two new properties also
on the Baja California. Habitas
Todos Santos, particularly, will
be a gem, its rooms fashioned
from organic materials to fit in
with the group’s low-impact,
minimalist approach. Over
in Tulum, on a remote white
sand beach along a stretch of
Quintana Roo’s coast, Casa
Chablé (chablehotels.com)
is barefoot luxury at its best,
with only five rooms and five
beachfront villas and a sense
of wellbeing typical to this
small, emerging Mexican
brand.
LONDON CALLING
As one of the most visited
cities in the world, London’s
hotel scene has always been at
the top of its game – not least
with icons like Claridge’s, The
Berkeley and The Connaught
setting the standards. Part
of the expanding Maybourne
Hotel Group, these hotels will
now be joined by The Emory
(the-emory.co.uk), the brand’s
first new-build in London
designed by the legendary
MARTIN MORRELL
18 NetJets