Hot new hotels: which ones are the best of 2018?

In one of the most hotly contested categories of this year’s awards, a panel of 15 luxury and travel journalists and editors narrowed down which properties they think deserve to be in the running for the final accolade of Best New Luxury Hotel of the Year.

The new hotels that most impressed the judges overall are:

Capella Ubud, Bali
Mandarin Oriental, Canouan
Omaanda, a Zannier Hotel
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Andamans
The Middle House, Shanghai
The Murray, Hong Kong
University Arms, Cambridge

The overall winner of these will be announced at the big event on February 22 at Rosewood London, along with the winners of all other categories.

Judges this year were Jane Anderson, editor, Family Traveller; Amanda Statham, travel editor, Cosmopolitan; Lauren Ho, travel editor, Wallpaper; Nick Redman, deputy editor, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine; Kerry Smith, content director (Travel and Luxury), Cedar; John O’Ceallaigh, group luxury travel editor, Telegraph Media; Sarah Marshall, travel editor, PA; and Sheena Bhattessa, founder & editor, Citizen Femme.

They were joined by a host of extremely expert globetrotting freelance luxury travel writers, consultants and editors including Fran Kellett, Juliet Kinsman, Nigel Tisdall, Lee Cobaj, Ianthe Butt, Mary Lussiana and Joe Mortimer, who between them write for a host of luxury, travel and lifestyle titles.