Best Luxury Hotels in USA

Home to one of Carolinas’ largest whiskey collections, The Ballantyne is a resort-style hotel with a breathtaking Gone with the Wind wide staircase and its own art gallery. Try a signature treatment, such as the Carolina Lavender massage, at the in-house spa which is considered to be one of the best in Charlotte. You can swim indoors here, or outdoors, surrounded by glamorous loungers and beside the pool bar (which also serves food). Further dining options are the Gallery Restaurant (with golf course views and an alfresco terrace) and The Ryal. 244 bedrooms have deep-soaking baths, 55-inch TVs and designer toiletries.

This was The Ritz-Carlton group’s first LEED Gold-certified property worldwide, and the first hotel to receive the accolade in the Charlotte area, making it a good option for the eco-conscious traveller. The property is located in the salubrious Uptown, accommodating guests in 146 bedrooms over 18 storeys. A penthouse spa and wellness centre occupies two floors and there’s a newly launched in-house gift boutique, Hidden Treasures. For drinking and dining guests can frequent the Urban Sip wine and scotch bar, the Bar Cocoa dessert dining and retail experience and the Cocoa Lab dessert cooking school (the chocoholic’s dream), as well as a street-side BLT Steak restaurant.

This Argentinian-inspired hotel features bold and eclectic custom furnishings and original artwork. Each bedroom offers Starbucks Coffee, a JBL Bluetooth Speaker, a soaking tub and a portable steamer to tackle travel-creased clothing. Búho Bar is the indoor/outdoor lounge on the 16th floor with weekly live music; Mico is the lavish restaurant serving Argentine cuisine in Art-Deco-influenced surroundings; and Poseidon is the hotel’s spa, harnessing the healing power of water. Additionally, there’s a Starbucks coffee shop, the exclusive use Monito dining room and a Bohemian Garden for some alfresco relaxation with stunning views over Charlotte.

Dating back to the Gilded Age, this was once the private home of wealthy cotton merchant Francis Silas Rodgers and his 14-strong family (plus 24 servants). Built in the Second Empire style by architect Daniel G. Waynes, it has a rooftop cupola and spans 24,000-square-feet over four floors. Now a boutique hotel, it has 50 bedrooms, some of which have hot tubs for two and library nooks. Original features — including pocket doors with 19th century brass hardware, 14-foot ceilings, Tiffany windows, hand-carved moulding and marble fireplaces — are everywhere making it a veritable sweetie shop for fans of period residences. The stables have been repurposed as a luxe spa and the carriage house as a restaurant.

The Charleston-based Bennett family are behind this grande dame, a hotel reflecting Charleston’s elegant and graceful nature. Hotel Bennett opened in 2019, but was in the planning for over a decade prior. Refined and plush, it has 179 bedrooms, the Fiat Lux rooftop bar and the Art Deco-inspired Camellias bar, the two-tiered Gabrielle restaurant focussing on the coast’s seafood and La Pâtisserie, paying homage to the city’s European connections. A chic rooftop pool has sea views, plus there’s a spa and a concierge to help with anything you need during your stay.

Stay in one of just 18 bedrooms at this family-run Relais and Chateaux property. Evocative of the Gilded Age, the red-brick mansion house features antiques, glamorous modern interior touches by designer Joszi Meskan, working fireplaces and four-poster beds. Guests have access to a library of books, a complimentary car (for trips up to three miles), a selection of movies, a 1920s-esque afternoon tea and drinks served from a vintage bar trolley. But the best benefit of all, is the creative in-house bistro, Magdalena, featuring a raw bar and headed up by Chef Scott Bacon.

This 1900s-era dance hall and warehouse is now a 128-bedroom hotel in one of the city’s most prestigious neighbourhoods, Fells Point. Part of the Waterfront’s Recreation Pier, it juts out over the sea, with a “floating” pool area and dining deck providing direct views of the passing superyachts. Inside are two further culinary options from the team behind Nobu; the Rec Pier Chop House for world-leading steaks and The Cannon Room whisky bar (do try the Sagamore Spirit Rye). The Sagamore Pendry decor is a blend of industrial-chic and grand, with a touch of grown-up sass.

Stay right beside the sea, at the city’s most iconic hotel. Dating back to the 1920s, it displays the kind of classic American elegance that’s attracted guests including a total of ten presidents, as well as famous names like Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but recently received a massive makeover bringing its 85 grand and funky bedrooms into the modern age. The Cavalier has an indoor splash pool, a private beach club, a full-service spa and multiple dining options (several of which are ocean-fronted) such as a taco shack, an ice cream parlour and an Asian-fusion rooftop eatery.

This large-scale AAA Five Diamond retreat in Park City will meet all your sports and wellness requirements. Built in a mountain lodge style, The St Regis encompasses a 14,000 square-foot Remède Spa, a 3,000 square-foot fitness centre overlooking a year-round, outdoor, split-level pool and hot tubs. Stay in one of 177 guest rooms, including 64 suites featuring the brand’s signature butler service. Replenish after an active day on the slopes, with seafood and steak at RIME, or classic French dishes at Brasserie 7452. The hotel’s impressive Wine Vault houses over 10,000 bottles of wine, and there’s a cocktail bar.

The city’s only art and boutique hotel, Revival occupies the former Peabody Court Hotel building. It was also the site of the first Museum of Art exhibition in 1923 and is found in the historic Mount Vernon neighbourhood. Guests can expect both the art and the playlists to be thoughtfully curated; a live DJ plays vinyl on a Friday and Saturday night in the vicinity of a lit sign stating “Let Your Life Proceed by Its Own Design”, somewhat of a motto here. The food and drink has an artisan feel too, with the Topside restaurant, Dashery Café and the B-Side Cocktail Lounge.

Located close to the Goldener Hirsch, The Chateaux Deer Valley takes its cue from the inns of Alpine France. Guests are met with a stone exterior and courtyard fountain, before entering the marble lobby. Leisure facilities include a heated pool and two hot tubs, Le Spa Chateaux, a sports rental shop and fitness centre. The family-friendly Cena Ristorante serves Italian dishes, while the Cena Lounge has a menu of lighter bites and regular live music. Choose from lodge-style studio, one, two, three and four-bedroom accommodation options, some with kitchens, jetted tubs, fireplaces and balconies, all with mountain or courtyard view.

Perched beside the ski lift, this mid-mountain hotel in Silver Lake Village is handy for the slopes (you can ski in/ski out and there’s a ski valet). Guests can stay in bedrooms in the old house — a Bavarian-style inn — or in sleek multi-bedroom residences designed by the award-winning architect Tom Kundig. There’s a bar, a restaurant (do try the fondue), a pool, a terrace and a hot tub on the rooftop of the new wing, from which you can gaze at the neighbouring mountains through the ethereal rising steam.