Travel

5 of the best new hotels in the world are in Massachusetts, according to Travel & Leisure

One hotel is in Boston.

A guest room at The Newbury in Boston. Durston Saylor

April 20, 2021

Travel & Leisure magazine named five Massachusetts hotels among the best on the planet Tuesday as part of its It List 2021.

The five hotels are among 30 nationwide and 73 worldwide that made the travel magazine’s 16th annual list, full of properties that showcase “resilience, determination and hope for the future,” according to the publication. The Bay State hotels that made the cut: The Newbury in Boston, Edgartown Inn and Harbor View Hotel, both on Martha’s Vineyard, Life House Nantucket, and Miraval Berkshires in Lenox.

“It’s an honor to recognize each of these standout new properties that offer travelers so much to look forward to,” said Jacqui Gifford, editor in chief of Travel & Leisure, in a statement. “In a year when hotels were challenged to rethink their approach to just about everything, the industry forged ahead. Our list of properties spans the globe, showcasing resilience, determination and hope for the future. The 2021 It List is a reminder of so many of the joys of travel, and this latest crop of openings is as exciting as any we’ve seen in the 16 years of creating the It List.”

Back Bay’s The Newbury, debuting this spring, first opened in 1927 as the Ritz-Carlton and will retain 42 of the property’s original wood-burning fireplaces, according to the magazine.

“It’s worth checking out the 17th-floor conservatory trattoria, the Rooftop, for some of the best views in the city,” wrote Travel & Leisure.

The Edgartown inn on Martha’s Vineyard.

The magazine called Life House Nantucket a “fresh, beautifully designed retreat along the cobblestoned byways of New England’s famed island seaport.”

Edgartown Inn’s 12 rooms on Martha’s Vineyard “takes its aesthetic inspiration from the island’s inland agrarian landscapes rather than its coastline and maritime history,” an unusual approach, wrote the publication. Harbor View Hotel received a $15-million “chic, contemporary update.”

“Towering over Edgartown’s harbor and lighthouse, this grand dame has been a meeting place for islanders and visitors for over 130 years,” wrote the magazine.

The programs are a major draw at Miraval Berkshires, the publication noted, writing, “In the surrounding forest, you’ll find hatchet throwing, ropes courses, and classes in primitive fire-building techniques, as well as workshops on beekeeping, rehabilitating birds of prey, and meditating with horses (a fascinating practice in which the horse responds to the guest’s energy).”

The Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Conn. also made the list.

Travel + Leisure editors researched hundreds of new properties across the globe last year and sent editors and contributors to visit the top selections. The 2021 It List is featured in the magazine’s May issue.