If September is the January of fashion, then what does this month mean for travel? Take a look at this fall’s most exciting hotel openings and the message is clear: we’re leveling up. From Montana to Mexico, and plenty of stops in between, a range of global brands and independently-owned newcomers are proving that hotels are often destinations themselves. In Big Sky, One&Only makes its elegant American debut, and in Naples, Florida, Four Seasons makes the case that it’s time that the most discerning luxury travelers start taking the Gulf Coast seriously. There’s also an epic New Hampshire opening in time for peak foliage season and a forgotten building in Hood River, Oregon that’s getting a new lease on life. The through line? These fall hotel openings are unapologetically bold in their ambition and also deeply tied to their surroundings. Here’s your cheat sheet for this season’s best of the best.
Where it’s located: Moonlight Basin is one of the most coveted corners of this already coveted corner of Montana. This long-awaited resort is set on 240 secluded acres contiguous with Big Sky Resort, with its own private gondola to the Madison Base.
Why we’re excited: This corner of Montana has undergone an insane glow-up in recent years, but One&Only Moonlight Basin promises to deliver a new level of luxury. For its US debut, this international brand pulled out all the stops, with a design that brings the outside in, courtesy of renowned firm Olson Kundig. You can’t go wrong with any of the 73 rooms and suites here, but if you’re asking us, the rooms to book here are the freestanding cabins, which feel extra secluded and stylish. Wherever you land, each accommodation comes with a fireplace, private balcony, heavenly bathrooms with soaking tubs and separate showers, and a curated minibar highlighting local beverages and snacks. Make sure to pencil in time for a nightcap at Moon Shack, a private speakeasy nestled in the woods—it’s undoubtedly going to be this winter’s bar of choice for Big Sky.
Where it’s located: On 1,000 feet of pristine shoreline, roughly between Naples International Airport and the Gulf—so you can get from plane to sand in record time. All the best attractions—the Gulfshore Playhouse, luxury shopping on Fifth Avenue South, buzzy restaurants—are all just a short drive away.
Why we’re excited: This is Four Seasons’ only ground-up opening in North America for 2025, and it’s a good one. The brand’s “West Coast” (of Florida, that is) debut signals a major milestone in the Naples’s evolution into a full-fledged luxury destination—it’s where you’ll want to be if you’re craving a luxurious Florida experience but perhaps not the traffic and the scene of Palm Beach or Miami. There are so many ways to kick back and relax here, whether it’s with a massage at the enormous 30,000-square-foot Sanctuary Spa, or by popping Champagne aboard the house’s 34-foot Hinckley Picnic Boat, exclusively for hotel guests, or savoring the Gulf-meets-French cuisine of two-time James Beard Award winner Gavin Kaysen at the resort’s signature Merchant Room restaurant. There are so many ways to get your pulse pounding, too—whether that’s day trips into nearby Everglades National Park, or tennis lessons on the resort’s Har-Tru clay tennis courts. Whichever you choose, it’s all roads lead to Sunset Bar for a golden hour apéro. Consider this Four Seasons the Florida experience at its absolute finest.
Where it’s located: In Tilton, in the heart of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, set on 36 acres with 3,400 feet of private shoreline on Lake Winnisquam, about a 90-minute drive north of Boston. This is a salt of the earth destination long known for its generational “camps” and rustic cottages, as well as the rough-and-tumble crowds of neighboring Laconia’s annual Bike Week. But for a convenient, high-end experience, The Lake Estate is making a gambit to shift New Hampshire’s tourism narrative entirely.
