Until you can travel again with a clear conscience, you simply feed your wanderlust with new inspiration for your own bucket list. These hotel openings in 2021 definitely whet my appetite and hopefully yours too. From city hotels to design spots by the lake, all-inclusive deluxe in Andalusia and an all-inclusive dream in the Indian Ocean: hope travels on.
Despite many rules, one rule still applies: making plans and dreaming is allowed. That’s why I’ve put together a small selection of hotel openings in 2021 that make me really curious and that I would like to see in person. Now I try to present on the blog mainly hotels and accommodations that you can afford well and fairly even with a smaller budget, without being a CEO, professional footballer or Tik Tok star. But because traveling is always a bit of dreaming, there are also one or two hotels where you have to save two or three months more or save it for your honeymoon. But now: have fun with the insider tips that will be launched this year.
Hotel openings 2021 or: appetizer for daydreaming
AMERON München Motorworld
I live in Munich and have therefore followed the construction all the more excitedly. If you check into this hotel opening in 2021, you don’t have to be dramatically interested in cars to get your money’s worth in style and culinary delights. But if you get heart palpitations when you hear the word “cars,” you’ll probably fall in love with the AMERON Munich Motorworld.
Integrated into the newly designed automobile experience world Motorworld in Munich, the hotel is embedded in an ensemble that also includes the event locations Zenith, Kohlebunker and Kesselhaus. The 156 design rooms, including six Premium Rooms and three Car & Bike Studios. Visually, everything pays homage to the world of the automobile. On the one hand, the industrial character and style of the listed locomotive hall – some parts such as the steel girders remain in the original – and on the other hand, the passion automobile, which is part of the basic idea of MOTORWORLD. Thus, the “gaudy” paints of the cars of the 60s and 70s were transported into the public spaces as well as into the rooms. The hotel derives its own character from the creative fusion with its surroundings: in the midst of the lively world of mobility, equipped with 112 glass boxes in which old timers and premium sports cars are on display, car and motorsport fans should find plenty of reasons to flock to this new hotel.
At Ameron München Motorworld, there’s more than just a rearview mirror. And every design in sight puts you in a good mood.
Keyword appetizing: In the hotel house guests find an Italian restaurant with the new AMERON concept “BACiO della Mamma”, which serves traditional Roman dishes, should besides the stomach also the mind be relaxed, a Vitality Spa with a view of the illuminated glass cubes of the Motorworld car hall beckons.
Overnight car couture
My highlight: The 44m² Car & Bike Studios (including garage; living space 24m²) are located on the first floor and offer not only you, but also your vehicle an exceptional hotel stay. The room is directly connected to a design garage through a glass front and provides a view of your car or motorcycle during your stay.
Spoiler: this dream unfortunatelly ain’t included in the stay. But take it as an inspiration.
Overnight stays start from around 95 euros, more info at ameronhotels.com/de/motorworld
AMERON Zürich Bellerive au Lac
A real must-see on the lake: The AMERON Zurich Bellerive au Lac, which opens in May 2021, puts Art Deco directly on Lake Zurich in a new light. The tradition-steeped hotel has been completely remodeled and includes 61 rooms and suites, catchy experience gastronomy, and the landmarked “Private Bar Freddie Frinton” for special personal events, such as weddings. Don’t worry, you can check in even if you’re single.
I immediately fell in love with the bar car at the Bellerive au lac. After all, hotel openings in 2021 should be celebrated in a special way.
The Hotel Bellerive au Lac, which is one of the most famous properties in the city, enjoys an excellent location directly on the lively lakeside promenade of Lake Zurich and is only a few minutes’ walk from Sechseläutenplatz with the Opera House and the famous Bahnhofsstrasse. This makes it an ideal starting point for all activities in and around the city.
© Ameron 
© Ameron 
© Ameron 
© Ameron
The Studio Bellerive restaurant shares its name with the legendary Zurich film studio, which was born in 1953 in the former in-door tennis halls of the Hotel Bellerive au Lac. Here, restaurant, grill and bar merge in one large space. All in an Instagram-ready design dress code. Following the all-day dining concept, the team serves street food deluxe. And I hear you don’t have to worry about wines to go with it there, either. You’ll have to carefully pat your wallet now and then, but if you’ve been patient enough to travel for so long, you don’t have to worry about patronizing yourself for an evening, do you?
Overnight stays start from around 210 euros (per room), more info at ameronhotels.com/de/bellerive-au-lac
Ikos Andalusia, Marbella
All-round carefree vacation with the Infinite Lifestyle concept is now also available in Andalusia after Greece. The idea of the Ikos all-inclusive concept I have already introduced you to the Ikos Aria on Kos (the full report on the stay you can read here) It is in all Ikos hotels is designed so that you do not have to worry about anything – you can plan with your existing budget, if you do not want to book just massage treatments or the like, nothing more is added. The price per night (per room, not per person) includes all meals in the restaurants. Most of the time it’s even a la carte food – so you can order appetizer, main course, dessert and cava as you like. And it gets even better: The wine cellar of the Ikos is open to you – you can choose your favorite from around 300 different wines. By the glass or, you heard right: by the bottle. Everything in. So you can relax and feel your way through Spanish, French or German wines!
On the beach, the excellent service continues: all-day service to the beach lounger (yes – just order a beer and drink it a short time later in the pool or sea is included) and sports activities such as paddling, canoeing, windsurfing, a trial lesson in diving, as well as the evening program with theater performances and musicals, live stage program in the Ikos Theater, live music, cinema, children’s entertainment and theme parties such as the White Night (free drinks on the beach) are part of the Infinite Lifestyle. Miles of golden sandy beaches, right by the sea – the beachfront resort on the tranquil coast of Playa de Guadalmansa offers more than 21 hectares of land with magnificent landscaped gardens and various leisure facilities. Located in a magnificent bay, less than sixty minutes from Málaga International Airport and just minutes from the coastal city of Marbella, the new resort is the perfect base for travelers to discover the diversity of the region.
The rooms and suites at Ikos Andalusia mix elegance with the perfect dash of lightness. And in addition, a private pool – dreamlike.
Great details, cozy flair: Makes you want to enjoy a glass of wine right away, like here in the Beach Club. Doesn’t that look fancy?
The 70-acre garden complex borders directly on the mile-long sandy beach and will include hotel buildings and bungalows with 400 luxurious rooms and suites. Some will have private gardens or private pools. Seven different restaurants will take you on a culinary journey around the world. The menus of the internationally influenced à la carte restaurants were designed by Michelin-starred chefs and combine selected ingredients from the Mediterranean. Dine-out service allows guests to enjoy local flair in authentic restaurants outside the hotels.
© Ikos 
© Ikos 
© Ikos
There are also offers for kids, so you can get your money’s worth as a couple as well as a family, while keeping an eye on your budget. Of course, the price is a bit higher, but the design, offer and food quality are of a correspondingly high quality.
Overnight stays start from around 300 euros (per room), more info at ikosresorts.com/de
Monastero Arx Vivendi, Lago di Garda
I do celebrate contrasts, when you mix old with new, design something new, keep the charm, but put everything so unconventionally in new design light, that it is all the more charming. That’s why I really celebrated the first pictures of the Monastero Arx Vivendi, opening in the mid of may. Because one should not have vacationed in such a way in the proximity of the Lake Garda yet. So I’d love to see it in person right now and dive in there. In this case, a former monastery becomes a new retreat.
The brains behind the cool accommodation idea are hosts Steffi and Manuel. Originally from South Tyrol, owning a monastery in Italy was never part of their master plan, but when they both stumbled upon the crumbling, atmospheric Arx Vivendi in Arco, it was thankfully love at first sight and the start of their restoration journey. The new Monastero Arx Vivendi is now a luxurious new-style retreat, set within thick 17th-century sacred walls. Between the peaks of the mountain and the palm trees of Lake Garda in Italy, reduced design and sophistication blur between hotel and spa.
For me, one of the design highlights of the hotel openings in 2021: the design of the Monastero Arx Vivendi. Here the room category Loggia.
© The Aficionados 
© The Aficionados 
© The Aficionados 
© The Aficionados 
© The Aficionados
The time-honored monastery was redesigned for the modern nomads. In the process, the architectural firm noa* from Bolzano, also known as Lukas Rungger and Stefan Rier, has sensitively preserved the ecclesiastical tradition of the vaulted architecture and the sanctuary of the walled monastery gardens. The wellness resort, housed within the original walls of the herb-scented monastery garden, is now a soundtrack of minimalist clean lines, glass fronts and columned facades. It’s joined by a wonderful garden, a hammam, and the Monastero Bar, which – by then they had me in butterfly mode for good – serves wine. Oh, did I mention the heated outdoor pool?
Overnight stays start from 215 euros, more at www.theaficionados.com/monastero-arx-vivendi
Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, Maldives
In a time when one is so ripe for the island, it was probably logical that a newly ripe dream island lands on my bucket list. Maldives, oh yes. Last time even the ZDF Traumschiff stopped by there, the hotel here is also a hit, but much classier than the Klamauk cruise. The brand new Ozen Bolifushi is located on an island in the shape of a lying eight, which is only 750m long and measures 100m at the widest point. Attached to it is a wooden water villa pier, which is another 750 meters long.
The architecture and interiors of the Ozen are deeply interwoven, creating harmonious spaces that highlight the tropical beauty of the island. Like its sister hotel, OZEN LIFE MAADHOO, Bolifushi Island’s design emphasizes tropical beauty. Such as in the use of chic hand-woven fabric wallpaper, tropical colors, and ornate décor highlights such as the borders of the wooden floor with green marble. Why am I featuring a 2021 hotel opening from arguably the most expensive category here? Because the OZEN RESERVE BOLIFUSHI offers exclusive all-inclusive plans where villa, meals and leisure activities are already included in the price. In other words, your bank account gets a big scratch, but you also get the Hello Kitti plaster to go with it. You have your budget in view.
At Ozen there are both water villas and beach accommodations. Dreamlike is everything.
Is it possible to slide into the switch-off more dreamlike than here?
Thanks to the RESERVE™ Plan, no hidden costs await the guest. The RESERVE™ Plan combines the best of upscale cuisine, finely selected drinks and exclusive experiences for an unforgettable vacation. Guests get to choose from four different restaurants daily and enjoy an incredible selection of great drinks and wine. Every element of the luxury vacation experience is included in the plan – whether it’s the villa’s maxi-bar, which is replenished twice daily, or access to the overwater gym.
Highlight: The nine Ocean Pool Suites and seven Private Ocean RESERVEs are the most sought-after water villas and feature long outdoor slides that begin on the top floor and open directly into the clear lagoon. There stress times can really slide down the Bucle. I dream then times further.
Overnight stays start from around 1070 euros (for a 7-night stay), more info at www.theozencollection.com/ozenreserve-bolifushi
