The short answer: of five headline 2026 luxury openings in New York, three are already trading. The London, a Luxury Collection Hotel (562 all-suite) opened in June; Kimpton Era Midtown (529 rooms) on 11 March; Kimpton Ashbel on Park Avenue (205 rooms) in January. Still to come: The Little Nell New York at Rockefeller Center (fall) and the Plaza Athenee Nobu on the Upper East Side. Each is dated and sourced below.
By Marcus Ellison, Senior Editor · Last updated: June 11, 2026
We may earn a commission when you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Rankings are editorial; we never accept payment for placement. Opening dates, room counts and operators below were checked against brand newsrooms and trade press in June 2026 and are dated as such. Pre-opening dates move; confirm directly before you book.
The five openings, by the numbers
One figure reframes the list: of five headline luxury openings, three of five (sixty percent) were trading as of June 2026, a far healthier ratio than most cities manage in a single year. Here is the count at a glance.
| Hotel | Area | Status (June 2026) | Rooms / operator |
|---|
| The London, a Luxury Collection Hotel | Midtown (W 54th) | Open since June 2026 | 562 suites; Marriott |
| Kimpton Era Midtown | Midtown (W 48th) | Open since 11 Mar 2026 | 529 rooms; IHG |
| Kimpton Ashbel, Park Avenue | Midtown (Park Ave) | Open since Jan 2026 | 205 rooms; IHG |
| The Little Nell New York | Rockefeller Center | Due fall 2026 | 136 rooms; Aspen Hospitality |
| Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel & Spa | Upper East Side | Scheduled 2026 | 145 rooms; Nobu / AWC |
How the dates were checked
Pre-opening dates are the least reliable figure on a page like this, so every claim here was verified in June 2026 against the operator's own newsroom or reputable trade press (Marriott and IHG releases, Aspen Hospitality, Nobu Hospitality and AWC, plus Hospitality Design and Hotel Dive). The rule is simple: a hotel is listed as open only when it is actually trading and bookable. Where a date is still a target it is labelled due or scheduled. One much-listed property is kept out on purpose: The Twenty Two New York, the British import in Union Square, opened in 2024, not this year, so it belongs to an earlier wave.
The openings, status first
1
Midtown, West 54th · Open now
The London, a Luxury Collection Hotel
Opened June 2026 · 562 all-suite
The number that matters: 562. That is the all-suite count of the largest and most consequential of the year's openings, and one you can already book. The 54-storey tower at 151 West 54th Street marks the return of Marriott's Luxury Collection to New York under a name borrowed from a storied address; every key is laid out as a Manhattan apartment, with a separate living room and an oversized bath, many facing Central Park.
For the loyal: as a Luxury Collection house it earns and redeems Marriott Bonvoy points, making it the realistic award target among this year's openings.
Honest note: an all-suite tower of this scale is a large, brand-managed city hotel, not an intimate house; expect polish and Central Park views rather than the hush of a small property. As with any opening, the first months are a settling-in window.
Source: Marriott News Center.
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2
Midtown, West 48th · Open now
Kimpton Era Midtown New York
Opened 11 March 2026 · 529 rooms
The figures: a 33-storey new-build of 529 rooms at 32 West 48th Street, opened on 11 March 2026, the work of SLCE Architects and INC Architecture & Design. It brings IHG's design-led Kimpton flag a full-scale Midtown house, with several dining concepts and a rooftop bar surveying the skyline.
For the loyal: Kimpton sits within IHG One Rewards, so points and status apply, a rarity among design-forward openings.
Honest note: at 529 rooms this is a large lifestyle hotel rather than a boutique, and a brand-new build in the theatre district will trade quiet for location. Ask about higher floors away from the avenue for calm.
Source: Hotel Dive; Hospitality Design.
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3
Midtown, Park Avenue · Open now
Kimpton Ashbel New York-Park Avenue
Opened January 2026 · 205 rooms
The figures: 205 rooms and suites, including 14 connecting rooms, set within a reimagined 1928 Beaux-Arts building on Park Avenue and opened in January 2026. Where Kimpton Era is a tower, the Ashbel is the townhouse-tempered sibling, trading on a heritage shell and a quieter, residential corner of Midtown.
For the loyal: like its sibling it earns IHG One Rewards, and the connecting rooms make it the more family-minded of the two.
Honest note: a converted 1928 office floorplate means rooms vary in shape and size more than in a new build; ask about the layout of the specific category you book.
Source: Global Traveler; Boutique Hotelier.
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4
Rockefeller Center · Scheduled
The Little Nell New York
Due fall 2026 · 136 rooms
The figures: 136 rooms and suites across floors 8 to 16 of 10 Rockefeller Plaza, due in fall 2026. This is the urban debut of The Little Nell, the Forbes Five-Star slopeside flagship of Aspen, a marque with a long pedigree in mountain service now testing itself against Manhattan, above the studios where the Today show and Saturday Night Live are filmed.
Why it counts: an independent of genuine standing arriving in a trophy address; the pedigree, not a points chart, is the draw.
Honest note: not yet open or bookable, and a fall target leaves room to slip; as an independent it offers no transferable points; and a celebrated mountain name has still to prove its template works thirty floors above Midtown. Confirm the date before planning around it.
Source: Hotel Management.
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5
Upper East Side · Scheduled
Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel and Spa New York
Scheduled 2026 · 145 rooms
The figures: 145 rooms on the Upper East Side, on the site of the former Hotel Plaza Athenee, developed by Nobu Hospitality with the Thai group AWC and scheduled for 2026. It is Nobu's first hotel in New York, pairing the Plaza Athenee name with a Nobu omakase restaurant, a bar and lounge, and a spa.
Why it counts: a famous Parisian hotel name reborn in New York under one of the most recognisable dining brands in the world, on a quiet residential stretch off the park.
Honest note: as of June 2026 it was scheduled rather than open, so it is not yet bookable; it is independent of the major points programs; and an Upper East Side address trades downtown energy for a more sedate, residential setting.
Source: Hotel Management; Hotel Dive.
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Also stirring, but not counted here
Two further projects belong in the conversation without quite belonging on the list. Hotel Meta, a 379-room tower at 450 Eleventh Avenue operating under Marriott's Tribute Portfolio, was targeted for early 2026 but had not been confirmed open at the time of writing, so we hold it back rather than print a date we cannot stand behind. And The Twenty Two New York, the British import in a landmarked 1891 building on Union Square, is already trading and very bookable, but it opened in 2024, which makes it a recent arrival rather than a 2026 opening. Both are worth a look; neither is strictly this year's news.
How to book around a new New York opening
Three rules hold up in a year this busy. First, do not pre-pay for a hotel that has not opened; "pre-opening" rates surface on third-party sites months early, and fall and "2026" targets can slip into the following year. Second, if your trip is date-critical, book a property that is already trading, The London or either Kimpton among the newcomers, or one of the established names, and treat the Little Nell and the Plaza Athenee Nobu as a bonus if they land in time. Third, the first weeks of any opening are a soft-launch window: service is still settling and amenities like the spa or signature restaurant often trail the room count. That is normal, and a reason to set expectations rather than stay away.
Frequently asked questions
- What new luxury hotels are opening in New York in 2026?
- Five headline openings. Already trading as of June 2026 are The London, a Luxury Collection Hotel (562 all-suite, Midtown, opened June 2026), Kimpton Era Midtown (529 rooms, opened 11 March 2026) and Kimpton Ashbel New York-Park Avenue (205 rooms, opened January 2026). Still to come this year are The Little Nell New York at Rockefeller Center (136 rooms, due fall 2026) and the Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel and Spa on the Upper East Side (145 rooms, scheduled 2026).
- Which new New York hotels can I book right now?
- Three of the five. The London, a Luxury Collection Hotel on West 54th Street, Kimpton Era Midtown on West 48th Street and Kimpton Ashbel on Park Avenue were all open and bookable as of June 2026. The Little Nell New York and the Plaza Athenee Nobu were still scheduled for later in the year, so do not pre-pay a third-party rate for either until the hotel confirms a live opening day.
- When does The Little Nell New York open?
- Fall 2026. The Aspen brand's first New York hotel will occupy floors 8 to 16 of 10 Rockefeller Plaza with 136 rooms and suites, the urban debut of a marque best known for its slopeside flagship in Colorado. As of June 2026 it was not yet open or bookable, so treat the fall date as a target and confirm directly.
- Has the Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel New York opened yet?
- No. As of June 2026 the Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel and Spa New York, a 145-room property on the Upper East Side developed by Nobu Hospitality and AWC on the former Hotel Plaza Athenee site, was still scheduled rather than open. It is Nobu's first hotel in New York and will include a Nobu omakase restaurant and a spa. Confirm the opening day before booking.
- How big is The London, a Luxury Collection Hotel?
- 562 all-suite accommodations across a 54-story tower at 151 West 54th Street in Midtown, many with Central Park or skyline views. It opened in June 2026 as the return of Marriott's Luxury Collection brand to New York, with every suite laid out like a Manhattan apartment, a separate living room and an oversized bathroom. It earns and redeems Marriott Bonvoy points.
- How were these 2026 dates verified?
- Each opening date, room count and operator was checked in June 2026 against the brand's own newsroom or reputable trade press (Marriott and IHG releases, Aspen Hospitality, Nobu Hospitality and AWC, plus Hospitality Design and Hotel Dive). A hotel is listed as open only when it is actually trading and bookable; where a date is still a target it is labelled due or scheduled. The Twenty Two New York is excluded because it opened in 2024, not 2026.
