Well, 2024 was quite a year for five-star hotels. Take London, which was a clear hotspot (and will continue to be, for some time): Mandarin Oriental opened its second spot in the capital, barely minutes in a limo from its existing Knightsbridge perch, while Maybourne’s soon-to-be aggressive expansion was teed up by the arrival of the sleek Emory. Rival the Dorchester Collection counterpunched with its equally modern Lana hotel in Dubai, and Malta’s Corinthia hotel group jostled for similar prominence with the first of its high-profile new sites, a complete overhaul of New York City’s Surrey…Get ready to start planning out the next 12 months of globe-trotting now, and pass along the list to your travel agent as a cheat sheet where to see and be seen in 2025.

Driftwood Ranch Resort

Location: Catskills, NY
Expected Opening: Q2
Rates: Doubles from $1,000.

Ninety minutes north of NYC, a slice of the wild west has come to Sullivan County. Driftwood Ranch Resort is the brainchild of three-time circuit champion of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, Steve Dubrovsky, who wanted to bring a taste of Montana to the Catskills. Set on over 200 acres located in White Lake, the property features seven large accommodations that include a two-story Cattle Drive Suite, a Museum Suite (with relics pulled from the 1992 exhibit, “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” at the Rochester Museum of Science and Nature); and a four-bedroom Bunk House.