Best Luxury Hotels in USA
The USA, with 50 states, has something for every luxury traveller. From the metropolis of New York to the national parks of Yellowstone or Yosemite, the States can provide an urban adventure or indeed one in nature. Go surfing off the coast of California or enjoy the skate scene in Los Angeles. Head north to the Rocky Mountains and trek between stunning summits or swim beneath spectacular waterfalls.
Travel east to New York and enjoy the street food scene or retreat to the Napa Valley and enjoy world-class wine tasting. Discover the elegance of historic mansions in the south or fly over the pacific to Hawaii and stay in exclusive resorts. Whether it’s white water rafting in Colorado or sunbathing in a sandy bay in Florida, USA has something for the luxury traveller who seeks both relaxation and thrill. The accommodation options are just as varied from large hotels in the cities to smaller retreats in beautiful coastal towns. Read on to find out about our favourite places to stay.
Florida, Miami, Coconut Grove
The Mayfair House Hotel & Garden
Stay in the city’s colourful Coconut Grove district, within easy reach of the beaches and downtown area. The Mayfair House has many impressive features, including an outdoor atrium garden, an Art Noveau lobby with a mini-rotunda and curved walls, and a pool area, where you can recline on a circular cabana beside an open fire. Of its 179 bedrooms, most have balconies and some have rolltop clawfooted tubs. The colour palette revolves around earth terracottas and turquoise, reflecting Miami’s natural landscapes, while the interior aesthetic blends vintage styling with contemporary flair. Dine at the Grill, and pop into one of the wellness sessions (yoga, meditation and sound baths are available).
Florida, Miami, Coral Gables
Loews Coral Gables Hotel
Located close to the Miracle Mile on a buzzing multi-functional plaza, the Loews Coral Gables Hotel has 242 bedrooms — book one on the higher floors for the best views. Guests can dine and drink at its locally-inspired venues; The Americana Kitchen, The Americana Bar, Miami Joe Coffee Co. and Phineas, an alfresco rooftop lounge nine storeys up. It has a health club featuring Peloton, an outdoor pool with cabanas, 2,787 square metres of meeting space (including an “event lawn”) and a striking, modern aesthetic.
Florida, Miami, Brickell
Four Seasons Hotel Miami
This historic Surf Club on Miami Beach has been renovated owing to the Four Seasons. The original Mediterranean Revival clubhouse has been restored and an additional 12-storey glass tower has been built. All these have made this luxury resort bring a little bit of the Old Florida charm back to Surfside. This resort offers sublime rooms, each with luxurious finishes and a plush white bed. The services and facility are also on point. The dark, atmospheric Shiseido Spa tops among its top facilities. Other facilities include Bar, Beach, Kids’ club, Fitness centre, Laundry, Pool, Parking and Restaurants among others. The food and drinks all offer a great dining experience at this resort. To top it up, the staff is efficient and courteous.
Florida, Miami, Wynwood Art District
The Arlo Wynwood Hotel
Designed by NBWW Architects and Meyer Davis, this brand-new neighbourhood hotel is a cultural meeting point, as well as a place to stay. Art is a big deal at the property, whose exterior walls are emblazoned by the work of Miami-based artist Hoxxoh and interiors showcase over 250 innovative pieces, including specially commissioned, site-specific work. The building rises nine stories, topped with a rooftop deck that accommodates the pool, private cabanas, a bar, a café and a yoga deck featuring a plexiglass mural. Dine indoors or out, at its 2,666-square-foot restaurant, in MaryGold’s and at its bodega.
Florida, Delray Beach
The Ray Hotel Delray Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton
This recently opened design-forward property is found in the palm-flanked Pineapple Grove Arts District. The tropically inspired building by González Architects is accented with living walls, huge sculptures and a “floating glass cube” function space/yoga studio. Indeed glass plays an intrinsic part in its makeup, creating allowing the outside in. The Rosewood Rooftop houses a bar, restaurant and pool; Stingers is the coffee shop, Ember Grill serves US-style food and there’s a Japanese restaurant, Akira Back, led by a Michelin-starred chef. Bedroom interiors are by Virserius Studio and art installations are found throughout the public spaces.
The Ray Hotel Delray Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton
SAVE FOR LATERFlorida, Fort Myers
Luminary Hotel & Co., Autograph Collection
Stay downtown at this AAA Four-Diamond resort perched on the Caloosahatchee River. The 12-storey building was completed in 2020 and is just a couple of blocks from the beach with views across the marina. Terraces house the fourth-floor pool and a bar, while 243 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and urban chic decor, with artistic nods to the city’s illustrious “luminaries”. There are five places to eat and drink on-site; a seafood restaurant, a coffee shop, an American diner, a top-floor river-view cocktail bar and the latest addition, Oxbow Bar & Grill. The Luminary also accommodates a culinary theatre and indoor and outdoor fitness areas.
Florida, Deerfield Beach
Royal Blues Hotel Relais & Chateaux
Perched on Deerfield Beach, this hotel was the first Relais and Chateaux property in Florida. Originally the work of film and theatre producer Edward Walson, it now welcomes guests in its 12 polished bedrooms, each with balconies and Nespresso machines and displaying Walson’s own curated collection of original art. The Royal Blues’ Chanson restaurant is something very special indeed, with fine food prepared using local ingredients, served beside wide open ocean views and a huge overhead saltwater aquarium. Beside this is a wine lounge, with an extensive array of wines and a tapas tasting menu.
Florida, Boca Raton
Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center
Two rows of underlit palm trees line the walkway to the Marriott’s entrance in a frontage that’s typically Sunshine State. The hotel is located in the downtown area of Boca Raton and boasts a gorgeous walled outdoor pool area with a hot tub and chic cabanas accented by vibrant cushions and loungers. Neutral bedrooms also have pops of colour in the form a wave-style blue wall panel calls to the nearby coast. The Marriott’s restaurants, Sonrisa and Drift, serve the brand’s own take on Caribbean food, described as “Floribbean”. There’s also a fitness centre and a wealth of amenities on the doorstep.
South Carolina, Charleston, Historic District
The Dewberry Charleston
This mid-century modernist construction overlooking Marion Square was once the L. Mendel Rivers Federal Building, first commissioned by President Kennedy back in the 1960s. It became The Dewberry in 2016, forming 154 ADA compliant bedrooms and suites. Each boasts custom-designed Stickley armoires with the hotel brand’s own botanical pattern, works by Charleston-based artists, a curated selection of books, lighting from the local Urban Electric Co. and bathrooms wrapped in Danby, Vermont marble. A lobby, spa, Living Room, Citrus rooftop bar and Henrietta’s brasserie restaurant, make up the public spaces.
North Carolina, Charlotte
Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel
Stay in the Uptown’s Third Ward, at the Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel. This is a brand known for its commitment to pet-friendliness and wellness (rooms have yoga mats and treats for four-legged guests). Guests can take advantage of loaner bikes, custom-designed Micro Kickboard scooters and complimentary evening wine receptions; dine at Angeline’s modern American restaurant; drink and order small plates in Merchant & Trade (the rooftop terrace on the 19th floor); and meditate at sunrise on the deck. In winter you can book your own igloo for a romantic tete a tete under the Carolina stars.
South Carolina, Charleston, Historic District
Grand Bohemian Charleston, Autograph Collection
Art lovers will revel in the Grand Bohemian Gallery, a key feature of this trendy hotel. The elegant white four-storey property was completed in 2014, incorporating a light-filled lobby with a pink chandelier and a soaring ceiling. 50 bedrooms have an eclectic decor, with French vintage style headboards upholstered with a bold, mustard-coloured crushed velvet and colourful arty cushions, plus LUSH products in the marble bathrooms. Public spaces blend European glamour with a more rustic vibe (think exposed brick walls and wooden beams). While outside, there’s a snazzy rooftop bar and a cute ground-floor seating area for charming morning coffees.
South Carolina, Charleston
Planters Inn
Stay in the Historic District in one of 64 bedrooms at Planters Inn. Built in 1844, it retains a period feel, with handcrafted four-poster beds from the Baker Historic Charleston Collection, 10-foot ceilings, working fireplaces and antique furnishings. Each bedroom has Italian hemstitched bedding by Mascioni, private-label bath products, travertine marble bathrooms, etchings from Elizabeth O’Neill Verner and prints from John James Audubon. Pass through the lantern-lit carriage courtyard to enter the Peninsula Grill, the city’s pre-eminent restaurant, where Chef Kalen Fortuna presents fine Southern dishes. Planters Inn is found opposite the Charleston City Market.