The 15 Hotels Our Readers Booked Most in 2023
Finding a spectacular hotel in an interesting neighborhood can turn a good vacation into a memorable, can't-wait-to-repeat-it experience. It can be difficult to sift through the many great options out there, though—which is why Traveler editors and writers are sent out to review dozens and dozens of hotels each year, from LA to Tokyo, and report back to you on the best of the best. We know a thing or two about finding an unforgettable place to stay.
As the year comes to a close, we wanted to look back at which properties resonated the most with our readers. From a health retreat resort and spa in New Mexico to a five-star property in Rome’s historical Trevi district, the following 15 stays were the most-booked Traveler-reviewed hotels in 2023. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing retreat or a bustling city stay, there’s something for everyone captured here—we hope it will inspire some of your 2024 travels.
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Cal-a-ViehotelCal-a-Vie
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Readers' Choice Awards 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023At Cal-a-Vie, in Vista California, you could mistakenly believe you were somewhere in the bucolic French countryside. Suites are simple and rustic, with washed-out wooden floors, fresh flowers, and comfy, bounce-worthy beds. This is a place that offers much to do—you can wake to a sunrise hike and follow it up with any combination of spinning, water volleyball, or piloxing (dance, pilates, and boxing). Soothe your sore muscles with a trip to the world-class spa; past patrons rave about the massages, but also look for their Vinothérapie options, which incorporate Cal-a-Vie’s organic wine grape seeds, skins, and pulp extracts. Pair these pampering treatments with an on-site nutritionist, and you’ll leave feeling like a million bucks. —Archana Ram
Ibiza Gran HotelhotelIbiza Gran Hotel
A seductively peaceful spot, the Ibiza Gran is a slice of laidback island life that’s deceptively close to the bustling town center. Eager to cater for every guest’s whim, the hotel has 12 different room configurations. The most basic option is a premium, set on the hotel’s first and second floors and looking out across Talamanca’s busy streets, with a king-size bed, rainfall shower and uber-deep bathtub. Those looking for private pools should book a superior suite, with indoor and outdoor whirlpool baths and a terrace looking out over the pool and garden. Nearby Playa de Talamanca is a favorite beach among locals, where ramshackle seafood restaurants and classic Mediterranean beach clubs rub shoulders with the likes of Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay. —Olivia Morelli
Courtesy Shou Sugi Ban HousehotelShou Sugi Ban House
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Hot List 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023The first wellness retreat in the Hamptons has a kick-off-the-espadrilles-and-down-a-tumeric-juice carefreeness, because its philosophy is thrillingly simple: Focus on the basics of self-care by tapping into what they like to call intuitive wellness. It’s just what high-strung visitors to the area need. The point of Shou Sugi Ban House isn’t to break anyone down, military- or medical-style, but rather to create a space—in sun-flooded barns and blond-wood studios with deep-soaking Japanese tubs—that is a recipe for happiness. There’s gentle morning yoga and strolls on the beach, though if lounging by the pool feels like the right speed, that’s fine too. The point is to indulge in all the things that are good for us (including that third slice of Danish seeded bread with plum preserves at breakfast), so that we can learn to live the way we all want to—and feel better for it. —Erin Florio
Nacasa & PartnershotelYuen Bettei Deita
$$A ryokan-style hotel, complete with mineral-rich onsen water, set in the heart of Tokyo’s coolest neighborhood—need we say more? We will. Like the quaint Japanese inns found deep in the countryside, Yuen Bettei Daita leans hard into traditional wellness, and has become a favorite among international visitors and staycationing Tokyoites alike. The multi-course menus in the restaurant, Tsukikage, pay tribute to a panoply of seasonal ingredients. Plus, you're smack dab in the middle of Shimokitazawa, largely considered to be Tokyo’s most fun cluster of city blocks and a global hub of streetwear fashion. Expect a scatter of traditional and modern construction replete with chic espresso shops, vintage clothing stores, and plenty of curry parlors and ramen joints. —Brandon Presser
Courtesy Toggle Hotel SuidobashihotelToggle Hotel Suidobashi
$Toggle is the operative word: Guests can customize their experience, moving between the hotel’s different moods and room setups. It's a big design swing that hits—bold pastels, compelling branding, and lofted furniture enliven these small-budget hotel rooms. The yellow and black stripes will grab you as you zoom by on the commuter train. Inside, the swatch book of eye-popping hues continues as purples and blues coat the common spaces and rooms. (We’re partial to the avocado and millennial pinks.) Hallways sliced down the middle by different shades of paint make for particularly fun Instagramming as you toe the line between two brash commitments to color. It’s worth combing through the website to pick your palette pattern before you arrive as a full spectrum of colors means you could end up with lemon-wedge yellows or deep coats of sapphire in your bedroom. Beds lofted above couches are particularly fun, and try for a room facing away from the train tracks for maximum quiet. —Brandon Presser
Brandon Barre/Autograph CollectionhotelHumaniti Hotel Montréal, Autograph Collection
$The most exciting high-rise development in Montreal’s recent memory—perhaps in all of Canada’s—is the LEED-certified, design-forward Humaniti, a multi-use building smack in the center of the city’s best location; the formerly quiet space where Downtown Montreal, Chinatown, and Old Montreal meet now has a destination hotel worthy of this fabulous address. It’s modern, it’s sexy, and it’s environmentally-friendly—you won’t find single-use plastics on the premises. For a high-rise hotel, the staff is very adept at keep service quick and snappy. We called down to the lobby for two wine glasses to enjoy the bottle of natural red in our mini-bar, and someone was at our door, glasses in hand, in about two minutes flat. —Todd Plummer
Wild Dunes ResorthotelWild Dunes Resort
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023Nestled in the Isle of Palms, this coastal beachfront property is owned by Hyatt, so you can expect the same level of excellent service, attention to detail, and spectacular amenities as many of the brand's other properties. The 1,600-acre resort is ideal for families, couples, or friends, offering luxe accommodations just a stone's throw away from the beach. Guests can enjoy complimentary time on the tennis court and putting green as well as preferred golf tee times. For those who would rather spend their days lounging around the beach or pool and eating delicious meals, there are 12 different restaurants, bars, and sweets shops to indulge in.
Bronwyn KnighthotelVilla Bokéh
$$ | Hot List 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2022Set on the outskirts of Antigua’s cobbled downtown, this elegant 15-room boutique hotel offers a picture-perfect view of Volcán de Agua, one of three volcanoes that frame the colonial Guatemalan town. The property is part of the Relais & Chateaux group; as such, the service is more concierge-style and upscale. The in-house team can book bespoke experiences for guests, from an on-site tasting journey of local varietals of maíz through bite-size dishes to a natural dye workshop with a local textile studio. Most suites come with private balconies or enclosed gardens with firepits, while the greenhouse-style restaurant centers on elevated presentations of regional and Indigenous Guatemalan ingredients. —Michaela Trimble
Curio Collection by HiltonhotelBaker’s Cay Resort Key Largo, Curio Collection by Hilton
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Open since February 2019 in Key Largo, Baker’s Cay Resort has been a hit with Traveler readers from the jump. It spans 15 tropical acres that were once a pineapple plantation tucked away off the busy Overseas Highway. The resort has 200 rooms but manages to maintain a boutique and intimate feel with winding nature trails throughout leading to quiet beaches. Rooms—including lavish suites with views of Florida Bay—have handcrafted wood furnishings, custom tile work in the bathrooms, and hardwood floors. There are several options for on-site dining that include poolside tacos, a mobile food truck, and Caribbean-Creole cuisine with bay views at the more upscale (but still Florida Keys casual) Calusa restaurant. Other amenities include a kids’ camp, two swimming pools with a waterfall grotto, and hammocks everywhere. Seaplane rides, scuba diving, and fishing charters all can be arranged. The resort is pet-friendly, too, with beachside tiki huts for dogs and even pet lifejackets on offer. Kayaking and paddleboarding are included in the resort fee. —Nancy DePalma
Kimpton Key WesthotelKimpton Key West: Winslow's Bungalows
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2021Winslow’s Bungalows is downright cool. The place just oozes a hip vibe with its retro-chic decor and intimate setting that makes you feel like you have the run of the place. It’s a boutique resort occupying several historic homes in the heart of Old Key West. Named for Winslow Homer, who wintered in town, it feels like it has a story behind it, and indeed the homes once belonged to a cast of characters. There may be 85 accommodations, but you’ll feel more like a guest in a private home than in a hotel. The resort fee covers the usual suspects, including towels at the resort’s three pools, but it also includes a kit with a mask and snorkel for getting up close and personal with the local marine life. Ask the concierge for the best snorkeling spots. —Nancy DePalma
Courtesy Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa/Photo by Julien McRobertshotelOjo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022Embark on a one-of-a-kind healing journey at this natural health resort in Northern New Mexico, one of the oldest spas in the country. The main draw: the natural springs made of geothermal mineral water that guests can soak in after a long day of hiking, biking, spa treatments, and lounging around. Perfect for rejuvenation and relaxation, this charming property offers a variety of accommodations from regular hotel rooms and suites to casitas and vintage trailers. As for the healing waters, you can either soak in one of the nine communal hot springs or book a more secluded stay with a private tub all to yourself.
Courtesy The Fife ArmshotelThe Fife Arms
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Gold List 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Plenty of pubs in Scotland have names like the Flying Stag. The one in the new Fife Arms hotel in the Highland village of Braemar, however, actually has a taxidermy stag, with added swan’s wings, poised not so much in mid-leap as in mid-launch over the bar, like an antlered space shuttle, and the energy here is irresistible. Same goes for the Fife Arms as a whole, down to the shocking-pink cocktail spot, Elsa’s, named after Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli (its turns out she adored the Highlands). The 46-room hotel takes a familiar tartan-clad template and—with love and respect, and even a kind of delicacy—blows it to smithereens. Braemar hasn’t seen the like since Victoria and Albert built the castle at nearby Balmoral. Its owners, Swiss art dealers Manuela and Iwan Wirth, previously hit the bull’s-eye with their gallery-restaurant-hotel in Bruton, Somerset, which has mobilized hundreds of thousands of art lovers since 2009 and transformed the community. The Fife Arms is different, in that it’s primarily a hotel, not an exhibition space—though, bedecked as it is in works by Picasso, Freud, Richter, and so forth, you could be forgiven for thinking of it as one. Even the rooms, from designer Russell Sage, which range in size and budget and bear grand names such as the Duke of Fife Suite, are a mastery of textile and layering. His sense of humor, more blatantly on display at London’s Zetter Townhouse, shines through—and its impact could well be as dramatic. —Steve King
Kindra Clineff/Courtesy The PointhotelThe Point
$$$ | Gold List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2021, 2022Built as a retreat by William Avery Rockefeller, The Point is an all-inclusive resort on 75 acres of property in the Adirondacks, off of Saranac Lake. Rustic comforts like log mansions with fireplaces make this resort a peaceful, relaxing getaway—perfect for roasting marshmallows, reading a good book by the fire, or trying the outdoor activities: picnics and boating in summer, ice fishing and skiing in winter. Here, you'll experience a simple, secluded stay with sparkling views of the lakeshore and surrounding nature—the perfect location to wile away your days in quiet comfort.
Courtesy Hotel MaalothotelHotel Maalot
$$Hotel Maalot is a five-star hotel that draws a young, upmarket crowd looking for colorful, individually-designed rooms outfitted with modern artwork and flea market finds. The restaurant and lobby area are slightly more soothing, with potted palms and low-slung rattan ceiling fans overlooking silky sofas and tiled tables. The Maalot is a refreshing change of pace from the faded hotels in Rome’s historical Trevi district. The area is a must-see, with its mix of monuments and must-see sights, including the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. —Maresa Manara
Courtesy The Sagamore ResorthotelThe Sagamore Resort
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Perched on “the edge of Lake George,” the recently renovated Spa at the Sagamore provides visitors with a medley of eclectic treatment choices. Tranquil private rooms, an indoor hydrotherapy space, and a waterfront spa area set the stage for the Adirondack Hot Stone Massages, Green Island Sugar Scrub, and Rose Hydrating Cocoon treatment. Guests who pick the spa's signature Sagamore Custom Facial receive personalized, attentive care targeting their individual skin concerns.