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
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