4 California hotels ranked among 100 best new hotels in the world
California has its fair share of luxury accommodations to offer glitzy visitors, and now four recently opened hotels in the Golden State have been ranked as some of the best in the world.
Editors and travel experts at Travel + Leisure compiled a list of 200 “soon-to-open” hotels and visited nearly 130 of them across 39 countries as part of their 100 Best New Hotels of the Year list for 2024.
The hotels were divided into six categories: U.S. resorts, affordable luxury, splurge-worthy stays, international resorts, best city hotels and for the first time, T+L ranked the best new cruise ships.
Of the top 13 resorts in America, three are in California; of the three, one is in SoCal, one is in Santa Barbara County and the third is in Northern California.
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Starting off locally, Pendry Newport Beach comes in at ninth out of the 13 best U.S. resorts. The hotel, which lies in the heart of the city’s Fashion Island, is home to a craft cocktail bar, a members-only club, a coastal Italian restaurant, a Topgolf Swing Suite and more.
“Spread throughout a 20-story tower, the hotel’s 295 guest rooms – 114 of which are suites – are sleek and contemporary, offering a spacious home base from which to explore the area,” Travel + Leisure said.
The exterior of the Pendry Newport Beach as seen in an undated photo. (Pendry Newport Beach) The pool of the Pendry Newport Beach hotel as seen in an undated photo. (Pendry Newport Beach) The bar at Pendry Newport Beach as seen in an undated photo. (Pendry Newport Beach)
Further north is The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern in Santa Barbara County, which finished 11th on the 2024 list of best American resorts.
Part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern is located in Los Olivos, which was ranked as America’s best small food and culture town by T+L in 2023.
The “enchantingly symmetrical” 1880s property in the Santa Ynez Valley consists of guest houses, a restaurant and a bar. The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern is also within walking distance of 27 wineries, according to Travel + Leisure.
The third Golden State hotel on the best American resorts list is Dawn Ranch, located in Sonoma County, which claimed the number three spot.
The interior of a cabin at Dawn Ranch in Sonoma County, CA. (Gentl & Hyers) An interior view of Dawn Ranch in Sonoma County, CA. (Gentl & Hyers) The exterior of several cabins at Dawn Ranch in Sonoma County, CA. (Gentl & Hyers)
Accommodations at Dawn Ranch, situated on the Russian River in the community of Guerneville, range from seasonal “glamping tents” to chalets, and guests don’t have to venture far for good food, wineries and the Pacific Coast, T+L said.
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Included in the broader list of the top 100 new hotels in America is The Georgian in Santa Monica, which recently reopened after an extensive renovation. Despite the changes, the building’s original antique tile work, famous blue façade and the bellhops’ baby blue uniforms remain, keeping the hotel’s unique charm alive more than 90 years later, T+L said.
The exterior of The Georgian hotel in Santa Monica, CA. (Douglas Friedman) The Terrace at The Georgian hotel in Santa Monica, CA. (Douglas Friedman) View from one of the rooms at The Georgian hotel in Santa Monica, CA. (Douglas Friedman)
The Georgian features a total of 84 rooms – 28 of them suites – and boasts an art gallery and two restaurants, both of which are open to the public.
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At the very top of Travel + Leisure’s list of best new resorts in America was 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, located on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The full list of Travel + Leisure’s 100 best new hotels can be read here.
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