When most people envision how they’d spend their time being a digital nomad, they probably imagine enjoying a leisure-filled two or three months in a given destination before packing up. My life often unfolds in two or three day intervals — one hotel and then another and another after that, maybe a few in a given city or island or region before hitting the next stop on the docket. It’s exhausting in the most first-world problem sense, but I do this so I can experience as great and as far-reaching a swath of the planet as possible.
When I look back on my year of travel, after spending yet another 365 days on the road and staying in give or take 100 different properties, these are the most impeccable moments, incredible details and unforgettable experiences. I’m not talking about monuments or temples or tours or restaurants or bars. I write about those enough. This list is focused instead on what might matter most: where you’re staying. Because nothing can make or break a trip quicker than your choice of hotel.
These aren’t necessarily the most luxurious hotels I stepped into (but some of them are, no doubt). Instead, and without further adieu, this is a collection of the coolest hotel amenities and features I saw in 2024.
A Secluded Spa House in the Middle of Manhattan
The Aman New York features a three-story spa replete with a swanky heated pool, full sauna and steam room facilities, and an excellent fitness center. The jaw droppers, though, are its spa houses, enormous private getaways that somehow include secluded outdoor terraces that will make you feel as if you’ve stepped out for a breather in your lush countryside estate rather than in the middle of Manhattan.
The spaces are yours for treatment journeys highlighted by either a hammam or banya session. Each spa house is a private domain that can, well, be lived in, with a cozy bed, couches and lounge seating, a gas fireplace and that outdoor lounge, including daybeds, a hot tub and cold plunge pool. Oh, and you’ll be taken care of by a personal attendant ready to deploy snacks and drinks at your command. This is full-on, treat yo’ self health and wellness.
A Drink With Picasso
A wonderful hotel bar is that much better when you get to share a round with a special guest. At the Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo, that guest is already there waiting for you in the form of Pablo Picasso and a few of his friends.
The hotel’s lobby bar features a staggering art collection, including two Picasso paintings, one from Andy Warhol and another by Francis Bacon. That’s all the company you need for some inspiration and companionship, I would think — well, perhaps that and a Martini or two. The hotel will be undergoing a renovation for much of 2025, but once she’s back and ready for action, be sure to put a drinking date with your boy Picasso on the agenda. Save room for dinner at Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac, the two-Michelin-starred restaurant adjacent to the bar where the bread and cheese courses alone may be worth the price of admission.
A Captivating Nightly Sunset Ritual
When the Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui debuted its renovation at the start of the year, they hit the ground running with a bar that became a must-visit the minute its first drink was poured. At Pilina, you’ll enjoy a tantalizing collection of island-inspired cocktails crafted from local ingredients and made with intention to depict authentic Hawaiian stories and themes. But that’s only the beginning.
The open-air space offers an unimpeded view of the Wailea coast, with the longest ocean-facing bar on the island. As the sun lowers, you’ll be treated to a spectacular sunset and, if you’re visiting during the right time of year, a majestic display of breaching and spouting whales swimming by in near endless succession. Paradise is an overused and abused descriptor, but this may qualify.
An Architectural Design Mimicking Its Surroundings
El Zonte, El Salvador, has developed a reputation as a hotspot surfing destination. First came the surf crowd and then the cafes, restaurants and hotels catering to them. Now those offerings are being taken to new heights, led by properties such as Al Suave House, named for the country’s all-encompassing al suave ethos similar to Costa Rica’s pura vida.
The five-bedroom private rental opened this summer and brings the region to life via the innovative design from Salvadorean architect José Roberto Paredes. The villa features a little sliver of a pool slicing down the property’s narrow central courtyard, opening up into a larger teardrop-shaped pool resting atop the black sand beach below. It’s an attractive feature that becomes all the more impressive once its intentions are explained, as the pool represents the river that cuts Playa El Zonte into its two halves.
Such attention to detail, along with a commitment to sustainable materials, local artisans and the flowing lines of a concept meant to evoke the ideals of surfing, warranted the property being named one of five finalists in its class at this year’s World Architecture Festival in Singapore.
A Garden Retreat Within a Metropolis
The 61-room Bulgari Milano is found almost hidden away in a quiet, garden-like setting within the bustling Italian city, built atop and around a renovated 18th century palazzo. That tranquility is by design, of course, with a well-manicured and cultivated space that’s an idyllic setting for anything from breakfast al fresco to a late afternoon aperitivo, or for dinner at Il Ristorante by Niko Romito, who has a three-Michelin star restaurant — his flagship Reale in Abruzzo — under his belt. During the summer, the hotel also opens up its Il Gazebo space, a sequestered private dining area within the garden.
If all this feels a little quaint, well, every other aspect of the property features an almost impossible-to-recreate, chic, sexy vibe befitting the Bulgari brand. Do your best to keep up by requesting the house car, a Maserati, to give you a lift to dinner. You won’t need the wheels to make it to the best of Milan, though — you can walk to the Duomo in minutes from its impeccable location.
A Celebrated 1930s Beach Destination Lives On
Four Seasons at the Surf Club in Miami has all the trappings of a top-tier modern hotel, with several glass and white towers of rooms and residences looking down upon a series of pools and a quiet stretch of pristine Surfside beachfront. But its namesake, The Surf Club, may be the biggest draw. First opened in 1930, it remains the hotel’s heart today, carrying forward a legacy as a thriving, see-and-be-seen destination.
The original Surf Club space incorporates the lobby and lounge of the hotel, as well as its main restaurant, Lido, and The Champagne Bar. At the former, relish a lineup of house-made pastas and breads backed by a tome-sized wine list and service that calls to mind the space’s elegant roots. At the latter, bar director Jonathan Gabbay has put together a scintillating cocktail menu, featuring showy Martini cart service and thematic drinks named for different Miami neighborhoods.
Outside at the pool, secure yourself a daytime cabana and bask under the same sun that has brought revelers through the doors for nearly a century. Clean yourself up — you’ll want to look the part at the buzzy bar — and get ready for another night of revelry, and you’ll see why guests come back season after season at a space that’s been doing it right decade after decade.
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A Rooftop Helicopter Lounge
At The Peninsula Hong Kong, every mode of transportation is handled with style and grace. It has a famous fleet of 14 Rolls Royce Phantoms — in its own shade of Peninsula Green — now backed by four Bentley Bentaygas. But when a Rolls or a Bentley just won’t do, you can opt for an upgrade to a helicopter transfer from the airport, thanks to the hotel’s rooftop helipad.
En route to the chopper, stop for a drink or a bite in the exclusive China Clipper lounge. The 30th-floor space is an aviation-themed retreat filled with vintage photographs and memorabilia and can be rented for private events. The lounge has a direct staircase to the helipad and offers an unbeatable view of Victoria Harbour as you wait to embark. Of course, if you’d prefer to pull up to the property in that Rolls, opt instead for a scenic helicopter tour of the Hong Kong islands.
A Hotel Bar Making Speakeasies Cool Again
The new Hotel Heron in Alexandria, Virginia, has a history stretching back to 1926 when it debuted as the George Mason Hotel. That perhaps makes the addition of a semi-secret bar space a natural homage to the era, and as opposed to many faux speakeasies across the country, this one is actually worth your time.
The bar isn’t adorned with any signage, but fear not — once you walk down the hallway to find it, you won’t need to know any special handshakes. Once within the dimly-lit Francis Hall, you’ll find cocktails ranging from low- and no-ABV specials to classic punches and large-format drinks. The latter includes options such as Martini decanter service for two, featuring a tray of garnishes (multi-garnish fiends such as myself, rejoice).
It’s not the only venue in the hotel worthy of your time and attention, either. Be sure to book a chef’s counter seat at Kiln, where you can watch the hearth in action. Chef Matthew Maienshein, who worked at three Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurants in New York, offers a five-course tasting menu highlighting local farms and purveyors. Hearty vegetable courses like the 18-hour cabbage take on a starring role alongside regional, seasonal ingredients, but the chicken with mole sauce and the Kiln bread are also good bets.
A Killer Hinoki Soak With a View
At the Conrad Tokyo, you’ll be positioned to enjoy a view of the adjacent Hamarikyu Gardens, a scenic park on the grounds of an Edo-era Shogun’s villa. The best perch for a look may be at the hotel’s sultry spa. Treatment rooms include floor-to-ceiling glass windows, next to which is positioned a huge Hinoki, or Japanese cyprus, bathtub. The wood is a traditional choice found within old school onsens, providing an alluring dose of natural aromatherapy in addition to an indulgent soak.
Maximize your time by signing up for a Japanese spa treatment like the hotel’s signature Mizuki Spirit. In addition to a standard body massage, the two-and-a-half hour journey incorporates time for a soak in that Hinoki tub, along with a tea ceremony, foot ritual, bamboo massage and facial.
A Walk Through a Notorious D.C. Scandal
Instead of tiptoeing around its notorious history, Washington, D.C.’s The Watergate Hotel is now embracing it. History comes to life in the hotel’s aptly named Scandal Suite, which is the actual room used during the 1972 break-in, with the perpetrators sneaking out of room 214’s balcony to gain access to the adjacent tower.
Within the room, you’ll find plenty of intriguing news clippings and relics from the ’70s and a few kitschy add-ons, such as custom “cover up” bathrobes. It’s not only for show, either — the Scandal Suite is actually a bookable room you can spend the night in. When it’s not reserved, though, you can ask the front desk to arrange for a tour of the space.
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