This year the shortest month was a day longer, meaning 24 more hours of hotel news you might have missed in February.
For us here at The Points Guy, it was a busy one full of exciting (and unexpected) announcements, some frustrating devaluations and a lot of hotel reviews.
The biggest news of the month was that Hilton snatched up Small Luxury Hotels from Hyatt, a major loss for World of Hyatt loyalists. But it’s not too late to book some of those SLH properties with Hyatt’s Award chart, and we rounded up our favorites you should consider. Hilton also announced that it’s partnering with AutoCamp, so Hilton Honors members can now book some outdoorsy vacations on points.
Marriott also had an exciting month with the opening of the highly-anticipated Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa, plus the news that Marriott Bonvoy is giving away tickets to see Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” including an out-of-the-world experience that’ll have one winner seeing the biggest name in music right now three times in three different countries.
Here’s what else you need to know happened in the hotel world last month.
Maui’s Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort got a swanky new spa
If there’s one place I want to be on every vacation, it’s the spa. Even better if it’s in Hawaii. Thankfully, the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort on Maui just unveiled its all-new Kilolani Spa, a 50,000-square-foot oasis that also happens to be the largest spa in the state and cost a whopping $55 million to create.
At the Kilolani Spa, guests will find 40 treatment rooms, a hammam, hydrothermal gardens, halotherapy-infused infrared saunas, a meditation lounge and a reflection lounge, all in a conceptual space centered around the Hawaiian moon calendar. This unique concept was developed by Grand Wailea’s in-house cultural and wellness team in collaboration with the renowned spa consultancy TLEE Spas + Wellness and Rachael McCrory, Hilton’s regional director of Spa & Wellness.
The innovative and fresh oasis follows moon cycles (known as Helu Po) with changes to programming coinciding with 10-day moon cycles and using native plants, Maui-made products and other holistic treatments. There will also be a new Hawaiian-inspired sound healing experience using native chants, a saltwater pool for floating experiences, the only hammam in Hawaii, an open-air area with saunas and steam rooms, fitness classes, Peloton bikes, a salon and more.
One of the most exciting hotels of 2024 opened in Savannah
There’s no place better for an Aperol Spritz than Hotel Bardo in Savannah, Georgia — because the orange-hued property, especially Bar Bardo, feels like it was inspired by the drink. Featured on TPG’s list of most exciting hotel openings for 2024, the hotel has chic rooms with a less-is-more vibe, a cozy Italian restaurant that also offers cooking classes, an Instagram-worthy pool (see the gallery above) and even a spa. If you live in the area, there’s also a private membership club, Club Bardo, that comes with access to a private pool, lounge and fitness center.
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Rates at Hotel Bardo Savannah start at $297 per night.
Paris Las Vegas gets a fresh new hotel tower
Ooh la la, Paris Las Vegas has been growing thanks to the City of Light-themed resort taking over the Horseshoe Las Vegas’ Jubilee Tower and converting it into the Versailles Tower while also giving the property a head-to-toe renovation that’s near completion. Costing over $100 million in total, the project adds 756 rooms to Paris, as well as a pedestrian bridge to connect the tower to the original part of the resort. And, according to Caesars, the rooms, which start at 436 square feet, are some of the largest standard rooms in Sin City. Even better, some rooms will have 55-square-foot Strip-view balconies.
Related: 15 best hotels in Las Vegas
Hot tip for anyone staying at Paris or heading to Las Vegas: Vanderpump a Paris, reality star Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant and bar in the resort, has one of the most interesting martinis in town, Le Dirty Bleu, made with Bombay Sapphire gin, blue cheese-stuffed olives, rosemary and an everything bagel spice rim.
Houston gets its first taste of Thompson Hotels
Opening just in time for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, one of the biggest rodeos in the world, there’s no better way to say “welcome to the Thompson Houston” than by saying “Howdy.” At the 172-room hotel overlooking Buffalo Bayou Park, guests will find design-forward rooms (I mean, look at that bathroom), the six-treatment-room Thompson Spa, an all-day restaurant and bar called Sol 7, and a soon-to-open French restaurant and an upscale supper club.
Rates at Thompson Houston start at $349 or 17,000 World of Hyatt points per night.
Mexico’s newest Four Seasons is taking reservations
Another on our list of most exciting openings of 2024, the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol is now accepting reservations and plans to welcome guests starting May 1. Likely to become a staple in Cabo’s luxury hotel scene, the new resort will have 96 rooms, casitas, suites and villas, as well as 61 residences, villas and estates for people looking to plant their flag on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. There will also be a spa offering treatments inspired by the healing traditions of the native Kumiai tribe, plus seven restaurants and bars.
Opening rates at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol start at $1,380 per night.
In other news:
Hotel reviews to inspire your next trip:
