A first wave of openings for the new brands
Minor Hotels‘ 2027 programme ranges from city hotels to island resorts, and also includes a mountain resort in China and a safari lodge in Tanzania. Of the 22 properties, seven are due to open in the first quarter, ten in the second and five in the third.
Above all, the schedule marks the arrival on the ground of the group’s newest brands. The Wolseley Hotels will make its debut in New York, alongside the launch of The Wolseley Members Club. Minor Reserve Collection will open its first hotels in Slovenia and the United Kingdom. Colbert Collection will expand across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Analysis – Most of the projects in the programme are conversions or rebrandings of existing properties, often housed in heritage buildings: Dukes London, the Hotel Palace in Portorož, the Savudrija resort, Dukes The Palm in Dubai and the Johannesburg hotel. Only a handful are new builds, such as those in Malta and Singapore. The group’s soft brands lend themselves well to this model, which remains consistent with the ‘asset-right’ approach highlighted when Minor Hotels’ second-quarter 2026 results were published.
The Americas: The Wolseley Hotels sets up in Manhattan
The Wolseley Hotel New York is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2027 in the former clubhouse of The Lambs Club, on West 44th Street. It will be the brand’s first property and marks Minor Hotels’ entry into the US luxury segment. The building, designed by McKim, Mead & White, thus returns to its original purpose as a meeting place.
The hotel will have 77 rooms and suites, as well as a completely redesigned wellness centre. It will be home to The Wolseley New York, the brand’s first restaurant in the United States. The Wolseley Members Club will offer an all-day private space dedicated to dining, culture and conversation.
In Mexico, Tivoli Hotels & Resorts will arrive in Mérida, capital of Yucatán, in the first quarter. Tivoli Mérida Residences will comprise 69 branded residences within a five-star development on Paseo Montejo. The project is centred on Casona 333, a restored mansion dating from 1903, which will house the reception, restaurant, a bakery, the bar and a piano lounge, as well as a garden and terrace reserved for private events.
Europe: London and the Adriatic take centre stage
In London, Colbert Collection will open The WestDill Mayfair Hotel in the first quarter. The Grade II-listed building was built in 1922 by Sir William Curtis Green, on the corner of Piccadilly and Albemarle Street. Once converted, it will offer 50 rooms and suites over six floors, plus a restaurant and bar, two minutes’ walk from Green Park station.
Dukes London will reopen in the second quarter under the Minor Reserve Collection banner, marking the brand’s arrival in the United Kingdom. The St James’s hotel, which opened in 1908, is emerging from several years of renovation led by Russell Sage Studio. It will have 85 keys, including 13 executive suites and five signature suites paying tribute to notable figures associated with the neighbourhood.
The Dukes Bar will keep its ritual of ice-cold martinis served tableside. A new restaurant, created with The Wolseley Hospitality Group, will open when the hotel reopens. The Delany Drawing Room, which already offers 160 whiskies, will now also host afternoon tea and private events in its conservatory and garden.
On the Adriatic, two second-quarter openings mark the group’s arrival in Slovenia and Croatia. In Portorož, the Hotel Palace becomes Minor Reserve Collection’s first seaside property. Following an extensive renovation, the 183-key hotel will showcase the resort’s wellness tradition. It will feature three restaurants, three bars, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, and direct beach access.
In Savudrija, on the Istrian peninsula, Anantara Adriatic Istria Resort will be the first Anantara in Croatia. The renovated 186-key seafront resort is connected to Golf Adriatic PGA National Croatia, an 18-hole, par-72 course running along the coast. It will have three restaurants, four bars, an Anantara Spa and MICE facilities.
In Tuscany, Colbert Collection will open its second Italian property in the second quarter. ExCelle Hotel San Gimignano is set in a former Tuscan convent that also served as a prison, within the San Domenico complex in the UNESCO-listed historic centre. Its 33 rooms will be created in the convent’s former cells. A cultural and artistic programme will run throughout the complex.
NH Hotels & Resorts continues its expansion in major European cities. In Malta, NH Collection Sliema, a new build, will bring 268 rooms and suites, with a spa, a pool, a restaurant and a sea-facing rooftop. Valletta is less than 10 kilometres away.
In Barcelona, a 70-key hotel on Avinguda del Paral·lel will switch to the NH brand in January 2027, becoming the group’s ninth property in the city. In Budapest, the 76-room NH Budapest District VII will become Minor Hotels’ fourth address in the Hungarian capital, joining Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel, NH Collection Budapest City Center and NH Budapest City.
Asia: Singapore and Central Asia
In Uzbekistan, NH Tashkent, announced in early November, is due to open in the first quarter. It will be the first Minor Hotels and NH Hotels & Resorts property in Central Asia. The 151-room hotel is ten minutes from the airport, close to the UzExpo Center and the Palace of International Forums.
Avani will arrive in Singapore in the second quarter, in the Tanjong Pagar district, which also marks the group’s entry into the city-state. The 14-storey new build will have 200 rooms and suites, a landscaped terrace, an outdoor pool and an AvaniFit gym. Food and beverage will include a SEEN Restaurant & Bar, a Lobby Lounge and The Pantry.
In Thailand, Colbert Collection will make its Asian debut in the first quarter with The Rasa Resort Samui. The 32-room, adults-only resort is located on Chaweng Beach. Its beach restaurant will be redesigned, and a new café will turn into a cocktail bar in the evening. The opening follows the signing in May of Asia’s first Minor Reserve Collection property, in Phuket. Avani, for its part, will open 63 rooms and suites on Koh Phangan, on Thong Nai Pan Noi beach.
In Malaysia, Avani Kota Kinabalu will open in the second quarter in the Luyang district, ten minutes from the airport. With 352 keys, it targets both business and leisure travellers. It will offer five dining venues, including a Chinese restaurant inspired by Sabah Hakka cuisine and a rooftop SEEN, as well as an infinity pool.
In China, Anantara Xiling Snow Mountain Chengdu Resort will be the brand’s first resort in Sichuan province. It is located 90 minutes from central Chengdu. Its 113 rooms and suites will be complemented by an Anantara Spa, with year-round access to skiing, hiking and nature trails.
Middle East: Bahrain, and Colbert Collection in Dubai
Minor Hotels will arrive in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the third quarter with two resorts at Bilaj Al Jazayer, on the south-west coast. The luxury Tivoli will have 100 rooms and suites, while the premium Avani will offer 110. Both properties will have direct beach access, restaurants, wellness facilities and family services.
In Dubai, Dukes The Palm Dubai Hotel, on Palm West Beach, will be renamed and join Colbert Collection in the third quarter, marking the brand’s first presence in the emirate. The resort combines 273 hotel keys and 287 serviced apartments, a private beach, an infinity pool, a lazy river and six restaurants.
Africa and Australia: Elewana and NH Collection break new ground
In Tanzania, Elewana will open its second Explorer lodge in the second quarter, following the one in the Serengeti. Ngorongoro Explorer by Elewana will be built at the highest point of the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. Its 84 rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows. Designed by 2802 Architects to blend into the landscape, the building will include a spa, an infinity pool and lounges with fireplaces.
In Johannesburg, Minor Hotels’ first hotel in South Africa will be renovated and rebranded as NH Collection in the third quarter – a first for the brand on the African continent. The property is located in Sandton, the city’s financial district. It will have 329 rooms and suites, two restaurants, two bars, an executive lounge, conference rooms and a large outdoor pool.
NH Collection will also open its first hotel in Australia in the third quarter, at 55 Wentworth Avenue, on the edge of Sydney’s central business district. The 254-key hotel, close to Hyde Park, Surry Hills and Central Station, will have three restaurants and bars, including a rooftop venue, as well as flexible event spaces.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Minor Hotels: 22 openings scheduled for 2027
Debuts in six new countries: Bahrain, Croatia, Malta, Singapore, Slovenia and Uzbekistan
The Wolseley Hotels launches in New York (Q2 2027, 77 keys) with The Wolseley Members Club
Minor Reserve Collection debuts with Dukes London and Hotel Palace Portorož
Colbert Collection opens in London, San Gimignano, Koh Samui and Dubai
First NH Collection hotels in Africa (Johannesburg) and Australia (Sydney)
