Dezeen Magazine

Clifftops by Morrow + Lorraine

Dezeen's top 10 hotels of 2021

With the year drawing to a close, some of us are already thinking about where to holiday in 2022. As part of our review of 2021, Dezeen rounds up 10 impressive new hotels, including Pharrell Williams' Goodtime Hotel, a 17th-century monastery conversion and clifftop villas on the Jurassic Coast.


Image of Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou hotel by Studio Avoid
Photo is by Guo Zhe

Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou, China, by Studio Avoid

Located in the village of Xiyaotou in the Zhangjiakou prefecture, Studio Avoid designed Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou to reference a collection of traditional cave dwellings in the area.

The cave-like pods take shape as a number of interconnected, brick-clad, vertical volumes each 0f which is topped with large skylights. A winding wooden walkway on stilts weaves between the pods connecting to entrances on the first-floor level.

Find out more about Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou ›


Image of Casona Sforza hotel by Alberto Kalach
Photo is by Alex Krotkov

Casona Sforza, Mexico, by Alberto Kalach

Alberto Kalach designed this hotel in the coastal town of Puerto Escondido, Mexico with a series of vaulted, brick arches overlooking a large circular swimming pool.

The hotel, which is named Casona Sforza, consists of arched volumes of varying heights arranged asymmetrically. Its design aims to integrate with the landscape and offer guests restful spaces for reflection.

Find out more about Casona Sforza ›


Monastero Arx Vivendi hotel by Network of Architecture
Photo is by Alex Filz

Monastero Arx Vivendi, Italy, by Network of Architecture

Network of Architecture transformed a former Italian monastery into the Monastero Arx Vivendi hotel by preserving and updating the interiors.

Located in Arco, near Lake Garda, the 17th-century complex was renovated with a number of common rooms, 40 guest suites and a purpose-built wellness area. The designers sought to conserve and retain as many of the original features as possible, including a seven-metre-tall perimeter wall.

Find out more about Monastero Arx Vivendi ›


Pool of the Goodtime Hotel by Ken Fulk for Pharrell Williams and David Grutman
Photo is by Alice Gao

Goodtime Hotel, US, by Ken Fulk and Morris Adjmi

With architecture by Morris Adjmi and interiors by American designer Ken Fulk, music producer Pharrell Williams' and entrepreneur David Grutman's Goodtime Hotel in Miami boasts a playful, clashing scheme that aims to reflect the area's famed art deco buildings.

The hotel comprises 266 rooms plus 100,000 square feet of public space including restaurant and pool club Strawberry Moon as well as shops, a gym and a bar, all decorated with pastel hues and bold prints.

Find out more about Goodtime Hotel ›


The Seeds hotel by ZJJZ Atelier
Photo is by Tian Fangfang

The Seeds, China, by ZJJZ Atelier

Ellipsoidal shingle-covered pods nestled in a woodland area in Jiangxi, China form part of The Seeds hotel by Tree Wow hoteliers.

ZJJZ Atelier referenced nature in its design, using natural forms that would compliment the scenic surroundings. Pine shingles line the exterior of the pods around circular windows, while the underside of the pods was clad in shiny aluminium tiles.

Find out more about The Seeds ›


Paradero Hotel by Ruben Valdez and Yashar Yektajo
Photo is by Paradero Todos Santos

Paradero Hotel, Mexico, by Ruben Valdez and Yashar Yektajo

Set on a 5.5-acre (2.2-hectare) plot in Todos Santos, a coastal town in southwest Mexico, Paradero Hotel was designed by architects Ruben Valdez and Yashar Yektajo. The complex was arranged around a low-water garden taking cues from historic California missions.

It is comprised of a series of beige-hued concrete structures intended to blend in with the landscape. Each volume contains guest rooms with sweeping walls, stairwells and corridors, while the interiors were overseen by Guadalajara studio B Huber.

Find out more about Paradero Hotel ›


The Clifftops Hotel by Morrow + Lorraine
Photo is by Jim Stephenson

The Clifftops, England, by Morrow + Lorraine

The Clifftops is a collection of five seaside holiday homes in Dorset, England that were designed by London-based studio Morrow + Lorraine.

The development, which is located on the Jurassic Coast, was set within large, exposed walls that mimic the rocky clifftop terrain. Each lodge has a stone and wood interior with views out to the English Channel.

Find out more about The Clifftops ›


Casa Octavia hotel by PPAA
Photography is by Luis Garvan, Luis Young and Maureen Evans

Casa Octavia, Mexico, by PPAA

Mexican practice PPAA designed Casa Octavia, a boutique hotel in Mexico City based around fashion label Octavia, with the interiors imagined as an extension of the brand's clothes.

PPAA covered the facade of the hotel in a wooden lattice that shades the interior and creates a delicate pattern of light. Soft and neutral tones were used across the interior offering guests a serene environment in which to relax.

Find out more about Casa Octavia ›


Swimming pool view of Villa 19 of Palmares Ocean Living & Golf resort by RCR Architectes
Photo is courtesy of RCR Arquitectes

Signature Villas, Portugal, by RCR Arquitectes

Californian studio RCR Arquitectes designed eight luxury, red concrete villas for the Palmares Ocean Living & Golf resort in the Algarve, Portugal.

Designed as part of a wider luxury development, the villas take the form of overlapping volumes with overhanging roofs and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Find out more about Signature Villas ›


El Perdido Hotel by Estudio ALA
Photo is by Iwan Baan

El Perdido Hotel, Mexico, by Estudio ALA

Located outside a small agricultural town named El Pescadero, this hotel was designed by Mexican architectural studio Estudio ALA. It has rammed earth walls and timber-hewn roofs covered in thatch, showcasing traditional construction techniques while also referencing the surrounding vegetable farmlands.

Suites are housed within individual structures that are organised across the site around communal areas containing the hotel's lobby and restaurant.

Find out more about El Perdido Hotel ›