The gold -- no , scratch that -- platinum envelopes have been opened to reveal Condé Nast Traveler 's 18th annual `` hot list , '' highlighting what it says are the best hotels to debut in the past year . Editors from the luxury vacation mag examined hundreds of swanky venues from Beijing to the Big Apple to pinpoint their favorites , a tough job after which they likely deserve a well-earned vacation . This year 's list of 33 finalists is described as the most selective ever . It certainly seems that way -- in 2013 no fewer than 154 were chosen . Some 510 hotels from 400 cities and 93 countries were scored for `` sense of place , '' `` personality '' and `` intuition '' -- which apparently means meeting your needs before you know what your needs are . The venues were split into seven categories , including the best beach hotels , family hotels , design hotels and `` way-out-there '' remote hotels . The list also celebrates `` over-the-top '' establishments , such as Venice 's Amal Canal Grande . It also includes `` bargain hotels '' -- but this being Condé Nast Traveler , slumming it means you still wo n't get much change out of $ 300 a night . Best beach hotels . Andaz Maui at Wailea ( Hawaii ) Mukul Resort ( Guacalito de la Isla , Nicaragua ) Nizuc Resport and Spa ( Cancún , Mexico ) Point Yamu by COMO ( Phuket , Thailand ) Salt House Inn ( Provincetown , Massachusetts ) Best family hotels . Andaz Peninsula Papagayo ( Costa Rica ) La Bandita Townhouse ( Tuscany , Italy ) Palihouse Santa Monica ( Los Angeles ) The Ritz-Carlton , Aruba ( Aruba ) Best food hotel . Domaine de la Baume ( Tourtour , France ) Park Hyatt Siem Reap ( Cambodia ) Thompson Chicago ( Chicago ) The Vines Resort & Spa ( Tunuyán , Argentina ) The Wild Rabbit ( Kingham , England ) Zero George Street ( Charleston , South Carolina ) Best bargain hotels . American Trade Hotel ( Panama City , Panama ) The Dean ( Providence , Rhode Island ) The Line Hotel ( Los Angeles ) The Marlton Hotel ( New York ) The Temple Hotel ( Beijing ) Best design hotels . Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles ( Los Angeles ) Hotel B ( Lima , Peru ) Hotel d'Angleterre ( Copenhagen , Denmark ) Mandarin Oriental Pudong , Shanghai ( Shanghai ) The London Edition ( London ) Best over-the-top hotels . Aman Canal Grande Venice ( Italy ) Cheval Blanc Randheli ( Maldives ) Four Seasons Lion Palace St. Petersburg ( Russia ) The Chedi Andermatt ( Switzerland ) Rosewood London ( London ) Best way-out-there hotels . Amanoi ( Nui Chua National Park , Vietnam ) Fogo Island Inn ( Newfoundland , Canada ) Segera Retreat ( Laikipia Plateau , Kenya )
Condé Nast Traveler says this year 's list of 33 new hotels is its most selective yet . Comment: