NEW IN THE UK The hotel openings to mark in your diaries

Although it’s been a difficult start to 2021, hoteliers are looking ahead, and it’s still set to be a bumper year for new openings. Some selections on this list have been a long time coming, though proprietors have used the lockdown delays (and will no doubt use the new restrictions) as a chance to iron out any kinks or to fulfil more ambitious plans. With overseas travel still a large question mark, at least in the early part of this year, staycations look set to dominate. And, after far too much time spent in our own homes, when we are able to, a jaunt to a sparkling new hotel couldn’t be more appealing. Here is a round-up of the most exciting openings to earmark.

THE ALBION, CARDIGAN, WALES The next piece in the puzzle for the 200-acre farm retreat Fforest is a 23-room hotel housed in two old warehouse buildings. The Albion will celebrate the town of Cardigan’s maritime history, with preserved 19th-century pencil sketches of tall ships covering many of the internal walls and views on to the river Teifi. Guests will be able to explore the world of Fforest – with its Japanese onsen domes, traditional crog lofts, luxury garden “shacs” and multiple food and drink options – but retreat to the hotel at night. It looks set to be the solution for those who like the idea of glamping, but don’t do shared bathrooms. Opening early 2021; coldatnight.co.uk

THE DOUBLE RED DUKE, CLANFIELD, COTSWOLDS

The latest opening from Country Creatures, a collection of Cotswolds inns run by husband and wife duo, Sam and Georgie Pearman (former owners of the Lucky Onion group), is its most ambitious to date. A romantic, 17thcentury, wisteria-clad coaching inn has been converted into a sleek retreat, with 19 individually decorated bedrooms, a warren of snug sitting rooms and an open-fire kitchen. To instill a homely feel, guests will be able to order from the menu (specialising in grilled meat and overseen by Richard Turner, of Hawksmoor and Pitt Cue fame) and eat where they like. Design is British-focused: expect handmade baths and sinks from Kent-based Catchpole & Rye and intricate wallpaper from Lewis & Wood.

Opening February 2021; countrycreatures.com

THE STAR INN, ALFRISTON,

EAST SUSSEX

Olga Polizzi’s micro-group of hotels is finally to become a trio: The Star Inn in Alfriston, hidden in a Saxon village in the South Downs National Park, will join her highly acclaimed Endsleigh in Devon and Tresanton in Cornwall. The medieval inn, which was once a pilgrim’s sanctuary and then a smuggler’s hangout, is close to the Polizzi family’s heart: it was also once owned by Lord Forte, Olga’s father. Expect top-class interiors across the Grade II listed building, not the usual British hotel tropes. Opening March 2021; thepolizzicollection.com

KINGSLAND LOCKE, LONDON Dalston is the latest recipient of a Locke Hotel, the trendy hotels group changing the way we think about aparthotels – and its latest arrival comes at a time when the hospitality industry is thinking more than ever before about future-proofing. Much like its sister hotels, Kingsland Locke will have studio rooms with kitchenettes and living areas, a co-working space and restaurants. Leaning into its Hackney hipster surrounds, this outpost even has a microbrewery. Public areas continue the brand’s now-signature industrial look, but with an added sense of lushness from velvet banquettes. Some studios have mezzanine bedrooms, making them even more practical for long stays.

Opening early 2021; lockeliving.com

THE PIG IN THE SOUTH

DOWNS, WEST SUSSEX

Having basked a little in the fanfare surrounding its new Cornish outpost at Harlyn Bay, the Pig Hotels group is readying for another big opening in summer 2021. The Pig in the South Downs has been announced and will be coming to the rolling West Sussex countryside, bringing all the brand’s usual staples – farm-to-fork restaurant, Potting Shed spa – as well as the very first Pig vineyard (expect varietal vines of Champagne and Burgundy). Aside from the comfy bedrooms in the main building, there’ll also be accommodation in the “Chicken Shack”, the “Chicken Coup” and some Garden Wagon rooms.

Opening summer 2021; thepighotel. com

By Emma Beaumont, Jade Conroy and Tom Mulvihill