Jack Ezon is the Founder and CEO of Embark Beyond, the Virtuoso luxury travel agency specializing in customized itineraries and special event hotels, resorts, and private island takeovers. To help us zero in on the best hotels opening in 2024, Ezon put together his top 10 properties opening in Asia Pacific region this year.
1. Shangri-La Melbourne
2. Southern Ocean Lodge
3. Janu Tokyo
4. Rosewood Miyakojima
5. Flockhill Villas
6. Huka Lodge
7. Anantara Bali Uluwatu
8. Regent Bali Canggu
9. Nay Palad Hideaway
10. Aman Nai Lert Bangkok
1. Shangri-La Melbourne (Australia)
Located in one of Melbourne’s most iconic new buildings, this 500-room new hotel overlooks the stately Carlton Gardens, offering three levels of amenities, including a sky lobby, premium dining, spa, fitness center, and pool.
2. Southern Ocean Lodge (Australia)
After almost five years of reconstruction after devastating fires in 2019, Southern Ocean Lodge reopens on a bluff overlooking the sea in the most coveted location on Kangaroo Island. New features include a pool on the Great Room Terrace and the Southern Spa with a full gym, three treatment rooms, a sauna, and hot and cold plunge pools that look out across the sea. The addition of the ultra-premium Ocean Pavilion offers guests an even more exclusive experience of the clifftop site.
3. Janu Tokyo (Japan)
Aman debuts their approachable luxury brand Janu this year in Tokyo’s vibrant Roppongi, within a new nature-embraced lifestyle district with restaurants, retail, and gardens. Views include the Tokyo Tower. Guestrooms start at 550 ft, one of the largest entry points in the city. Janu features a 40,000 ft spa and 3,500 ft gyms, including a boxing studio and a golf simulator.
4. Rosewood Miyakojima (Japan)
Located on a small island off the coast of Okinawa, the new Rosewood will be the first luxury island resort in Japan with just 55 private villas, all with private pools and unobstructed sea views. It will occupy a secluded peninsula surrounded by beaches and rock formations and offers activities that include snorkeling at Yabiji, the largest coral reef expanse in Japan, to diving through underwater caverns teeming with marine life and outstanding deep-sea fishing. It is easily accessible by a 20-minute drive from Miyako Airport or a 30-minute drive from Shimojishima Airport, which receives direct flights from Hong Kong and major cities in Japan.
5. Flockhill Villas (Japan)
Set in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, Flockhill, which boasts six private ski fields, opens 14 one-bedroom villas and suites in 2024. Just 90 minutes outside Christchurch, guests here have access to two private trout fishing streams on property, deep caves to explore, and endless mountains for trekking along extraordinary landscapes – where the Battle in Narnia was filmed.Â
6. Huka Lodge (Japan)
Reopens after a complete over-hall. While still respecting its past and sense of place, the new Huka will introduce floor-to-ceiling windows and wide doors, making the most of the lodge’s riverside setting. A new River Room will feature a double-sided fireplace, while the north terrace will be substantially expanded with contemporary glass-roofed pergolas. Each of the lodge’s 20 rooms will be redone, and a proper spa will be introduced in the new Huka Huts. Â
7. Anantara Bali Uluwatu (Indonesia)
This clifftop resort features 73 suites, pool villas, and penthouses with a signature multi-layer pool and multiple dining outlets.
8. Regent Bali Canggu (Indonesia)
Located just 12 miles from the airport in Denpasar, Bali, Regent returns to the popular island with 150 rooms, suites, and private villas on the beach.
9. Nay Palad Hideaway (Philippines)
Formerly known as Dedon Island Resort in Siargao, Philippines, it relaunches in 2024 as a barefoot luxury surf resort (home to the famous Cloud 9 break) after being destroyed by a typhoon. Set on a pristine stretch of sand, the resort features just 10 eco-chic villas (two with private pools) and will feature a new Tree Lounge, two restaurants, and a host of water-based activities.
10. Aman Nai Lert Bangkok (Thailand)
Aman brings its Urban sanctuary to bustling Bangkok in the new Nai Lert Park development with 52 suites and 50 residences in a new Jean Michel Gathy building with wraparound views, open-air terraces, and a central atrium.
