10. Hotel Saint Augustine Is a New Urban Sanctuary in the Heart of Houston

Award-winning local architecture firm Lake Flato imagined the Hotel Saint Augustine as a cluster of five two-story structures that reflect the proportioning of the neighborhood, but that also delineate a series of cloistral courtyards. Bunkhouse Hotels presents their new Houston locale, Hotel Saint Augustine, named after Saint Augustine, the patron saint of printing because of his extensive writings on and early dissemination of the catholic faith.

9. Refreshed Casa Loma Beach Hotel Explores Laguna Beach’s Bohemian Heritage

Marc & Rose Hospitality tapped renowned interior design firm Electric Bowery and leading branding agency LAND to deftly carry out a comprehensive and site-responsive refresh of the Casa Loma Beach Hotel. Situated in Laguna Beach, the design is centered around the narrative of a life well lived, adding a sentimental touch most hotels are lacking.

8. The Nickel Hotel Extols Charleston’s Old World Allure With Modernity

New York firm Morris Adjmi Architects, in partnership with Philadelphia-based hospitality developer Method Co., designed the recently opened The Nickel Hotel by blending the best of past and present. Situated on Charleston’s historic King Street, complete with an ironwork facade, the hotel is conducive to contemporary needs with generously proportioned rooms and a traditionally inspired courtyard.

7. Mesonia Is an Artisan-Made Boutique Suite in San Miguel de Allende

In the heart of San Miguel de Allende’s lively San Antonio neighborhood sits a tribute to the creative spirit of contemporary Mexican craft. Daniel Valero, founder of Mestiz Studio, with the help of Maye Estudio, transformed the concept of boutique lodging into a fully-immersive design experience one would never forget. Part retreat, part living gallery, guests are invited to slow down and take in the colors, the detail, and the artistry.

6. Philippe Starck Scribes a Narrative Behind the Surrealist Maison Heler Hotel

The formidable and alluring Maison Heler was born of a surreal, poetic tale imagined by Philippe Starck, sharing, “It is a hotel conceived as a habitable work of art, a literary principle crystallized in matter.” The eight-story tower overlooks the city of Metz in northern France, with a pièce de résistance on top – a fanciful penthouse, complete with multiple spires and gardens on the surrounding terrace.

Photo: Courtesy of Policronica

5. Paris’ Elysée Montmartre Hotel Highlights the Warmth of Eucalyptus

Policronica meticulously transformed this abandoned building situated right next to the Elysée Montmartre, celebrating the warm, reddish-toned hues of eucalyptus. Considered an invasive species, eucalyptus is used not only for practicality, but principle – Policronica creates a completely cohesive 16-room hotel while also promoting sustainability, assuming full creative and manufacturing control.

4. Warsaw’s Classic Old Town Is Tempered by the Puro Stare Miasto Hotel

Muted earth tones and soft lighting create a welcome backdrop to Warsaw’s Puro Warszawa Stare Miasto hotel, designed by design duo GamFratesi. Located squarely in the center of the city’s bustling Old Town, home to picturesque squares, cobblestone streets, and grand neo-classical buildings, the hotel aims to be a Scandinavian retreat while offering Polish hospitality.

3. Nantucket’s Reimagined Beachside Hotel Attracts Without Skimping on Style

Nantucket still remains relatively remote for those that live on the island, a mixture of beautiful windswept beaches and sea spray leaving a trail of sand and salt along the bottom of bags and shoes. The newly reimagined Beachside Hotel by multidisciplinary New York practice Parts and Labor Design (PLD) creates a luxurious vision of what the future of the island holds, while still remaining true to the original vision of the seventies (and restoring the island’s signature cedar shingle to it’s former glory).

Photo: Courtesy of Paradero Todos Santos

2. Vacationers Experience the Best of Baja California at the Paradero Hotel

Brutalist Paradero is a site-responsive and eco-conscious escape just an hour south of the oversaturated Cabo San Lucas. Cast-in-place concrete volumes naturally promote air conditioning and circulation, wherein the bridge between indoor and outdoor dissolves. Ruben Valdez and Yashar Yektajo designed the 5-acre oasis with the idea of “framing” the environment in which the desert meets the ocean.

And the top travel post of 2025 is…

1. Populus Seattle Brings the Pacific Northwest’s Natural Beauty Indoors

A nod to the woodlands that surround the city, Populus Seattle is proudly presented by Urban Villages, transforming one of the historic Pioneer Square brick buildings into an urban rainforest. “We were inspired by its unique location at the intersection of Seattle’s railways and waterways, blending past and present into a forward-leaning design still deeply rooted in the community,” says Carlos Herrera, Studio Design Leader at Curioso. The freshly imagined 120-room hotel builds on biophilic principles brought about by Jeanne Gang’s design of the first Populus Denver hotel, with an abundance of greenery and reclaimed wood throughout.

Check out the rest of Design Milk’s end of the year coverage here!

Growing up in NYC has given Aria a unique perspective into art + design, constantly striving for new projects to get immersed in. An avid baker, crocheter, and pasta maker, handwork and personal touch is central to what she loves about the built environment. Outside of the city, she enjoys hiking, biking, and learning about space.