Despite the challenges faced by the hospitality industry during 2021, the year was an innovative time for hotel food and beverage launches. In Chicago, Pendry opened the doors to a new luxury hotel, complete with a French brasserie, Venteux, helmed by the city’s youngest Michelin-starred chef, Donald Young. And on the west coast, the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley made its debut in California’s wine country, marking the first time the luxury hotel chain has opened a resort set within a working vineyard.
There was plenty to report from in Europe, too: in London, Spanish chef Dani Garcia opened BiBo – a lively, upscale tapas bar at Shoreditch’s Mondrian hotel, while W Rome made a contribution to the Italian capital’s dining scene with Chef Ciccio Sultano’s Sicilian-infused Giano Restaurant. France welcomed Airelles Château de Versailles, the first hotel to exist within the landmark heritage site, and the setting for acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse’s new signature fine-dining restaurant.
The outlook for 2022 is just as encouraging. According to data collected by our partners at Tophotelprojects, some 6,877 projects are currently in the pipeline globally – 2,648 of which are slated to open in the coming year. That’s a total of more than 500,000 new rooms worldwide – and some very intriguing F&B concepts.
With that in mind, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the high-profile dining venues expected to launch over the next 12 months. Here we round up of the very best upcoming restaurants and bars from across the sector, from a fine-dining Cantonese eatery on the Australian Coast, to a luxurious dining experience at a South African safari lodge.
Raffles London at the OWO, UK
Raffles London at The OWO is one of the most hotly-anticipated openings of 2022, and its culinary offering will be no exception. The hotel has partnered with the acclaimed chef Mauro Colagreco (of the triple-Michelin-starred Mirazur) on a brasserie, a fine dining restaurant and an avant-garde chef’s table concept, each located within the historic Whitehall building’s most storied rooms. Colagreco’s signature restaurants will showcase the UK’s best organic produce sourced daily from farms, fields and shores across the country.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Owner / Developer: Hinduja Bank / Obrascon Huarte Lain • Operator: AccorHotels • Architecture: EPR Architects
W Algarve Hotel & Residences, Portugal
W Hotels makes its entry into Portugal with the new Spring 2022 opening of W Algarve Hotel & Residences. Culinary concepts include the poolside bar SIP, which will serve all-day healthy food and cocktails, and The Market Kitchen restaurant, which is inspired by the local food markets. The Milanese restaurant Paper Moon will also get an onsite sister restaurant, dealing in award-winning Italian cuisine dished up in elegant surroundings including a bar, dining room and terrace. The Living Room bar and the champagne sunset deck AIR complete the hotel’s F&B offering.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Operator: Marriott International • Developer: Nozul Algarve • Architecture: Divercity Architects • Interior Design: ABconcept
Como Le Montrachet, Burgundy, France
Located in the heart of Burgundy, one of the world’s most prestigious wine regions, Como Le Montrachet will bring the group’s contemporary flair to the Côte-d'Or region, providing unparalleled access to some of the most famous Grand Cru vineyards. The five-star property will be arranged across four heritage buildings, and the venue will also offer a Como Shambhala Retreat, and exceptional dining options and wine experiences in beautiful surroundings.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Operator: Como Group • Interior Design: Paola Navone
The Langham, Gold Coast, Australia
Langham Hospitality Group is making its debut on Australia’s Gold Coast this year with a beachfront property sat in the heart of Queensland’s Surfers Paradise. The buzzy launch will also include a gastronomic offering spanning a casual café, an all-day dining venue, a pool bar and a podium sky terrace with a bar overlooking the ocean. Headlining the culinary offering, however, will be the Cantonese restaurant T’ang Court, a stylish counterpart to the existing Michelin-starred locations at The Langham hotels in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Owner: Ridong (Australia) International and Yuhu Group Australia • Operator: Langham Hospitality Group • Developer: AW Holding Group • Architecture: Oppenheim Architecture & Design • Interior Design: Studio Aria
Nobu Hotel and Restaurant Roma, Rome, Italy
Nobu is heading to Rome to launch its first hotel – and its second restaurant – in Italy. The global hospitality brand is expected to make its debut in the capital in the summer of 2022. A collaboration with Carlo Acampora, Chairman and CEO Grand Hotel Via Vineto, the opening will transform the luxurious Grand Hotel into a Nobu Hotel and Restaurant, featuring 122 guest rooms and suites, a spectacular green-rooftop terrace, a full-service city spa and a signature Nobu Restaurant offering 24-hour in-room dining.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Operator: Nobu Hospitality
The Aubrey, Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park London
The Aubrey London, which replaces Bar Boulud, is the first UK venture from Maximal Concepts, the award-winning international restaurant group with its roots in Hong Kong, in partnership with Mandarin Oriental. The Aubrey London will be an eccentric Izakaya restaurant with menus that showcase traditional Japanese cooking techniques with a focus on sustainable, locally-sourced produce. Two bars will offer distinctive and creative cocktail menus.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Owner / Operator: Maximal Concepts and Mandarin Oriental
Hard Rock Hotel New York City, USA
Making its official debut in Manhattan in April 2022, The newly-constructed Hard Rock Hotel New York will feature 446 music-inspired guest rooms and specialty suites created with the help of award-winning design firm Jeffrey Beers International. Culinary concepts will include the upscale NYY Steak, a steakhouse which is launching in partnership with the fabled baseball team the New York Yankees. With signed memorabilia lining the walls and dishes presented on tableware bearing the players’ numbers, this is sure to be a hit with sports fans. The hotel will also feature an RT60 Rooftop bar and the brand’s signature Sessions Restaurant and Bar.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Owner: Extell Development Company • Operator: Hard Rock International • Developer: Extell Development Company • Architecture: SLCE Architects • Interior Design: Jeffrey Beers International
WunderLocke Munich, Germany
Opening in May 2022, Locke’s new German outpost WunderLocke will feature 360 spacious studio apartments and four food and drink destinations, each conceived by the founders of revered local Michelin-starred restaurant, Mural. A new concept dubbed Mural Farmhouse will include an urban farm that will supply fresh herbs and vegetables to a farm-to-table concept, and rooftop cocktail bar with panoramic views of the Bavarian Alps.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Operator: Edynl • Interior Design: Holloway Li
The Homestead, South Africa
The Homestead, a luxury lodge set to launch this year on the Nambiti Private Game Reserve in South Africa, has appointed chef Kamarl John to oversee its culinary offering. Chef Kamarl, who joins the property from Gordon Ramsay in Mayfair, London, was formerly Head Chef at Four Seasons Singapore and Executive Sous Chef at Marina Bay Sands Singapore. His menu at The Homestead will put organic, locally sourced produce at its core, showcasing the very best of Africa.
El Vicenç de la Mar, Mallorca
Opening in April 2022, El Vicenç de la Mar sits in a beautiful bay in Mallorca, surrounded by the azure waters at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains. The hotel will feature a multi-tiered rooftop terrace offering views across Cala Sant Vicenc and the Sierra Tramuntana Mountains, which are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The space also provides the setting for one of the hotel’s two restaurants, which will both be helmed by Michelin-starred Chef Santi Taura, whose menus will combine the most natural Majorcan and Mediterranean cuisines.
EXPRESS CHECK-OUT: Operator: Mallorca C Collection
