Hawaiian Openings, ‘White Lotus’ Updates, Underwater Rooms, and Other Hotel News

Plenty happened in the hotel world this week, from a finished Moana Surfrider renovation in Waikiki to a brand-new Raffles taking shape in the French Alps.

Here’s a roundup of what you might’ve missed this week, including an announcement that fans of HBO’s most discomfiting vacation show will want to bookmark.

Hotel Openings

Four Seasons in Maui

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea has debuted its Club Floor, a 26-room hotel-within-a-hotel concept with private lounge access, dedicated concierge, and Meyer Davis–designed interiors. It’s the first piece of a broader resort transformation continuing through the year, which will also bring a new spa and wellness center and a Pantry by Madhappy grab-and-go.

Moana Surfrider in Waikiki

The Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort & Spa in Waikiki has wrapped its multiyear, multimillion-dollar renovation across all 791 rooms. The former Diamond Wing has been renamed the Surfrider Wing in a nod to its 1952 origins as a standalone hotel called the SurfRider. A new oceanfront event space, a refreshed historic lobby, and a coed Wellness Lounge at Moana Lani Spa round out the work.

Rooms at the Moana Surfrider start at $538 during late spring and hover around $410 in early fall before reaching nearly $1,000 per night around Christmas and New Year. Bookings with Marriott Bonvoy points start at 62,000 points during off-peak periods but can go as high as 105,000 points per night.

JW Marriott Atlanta Downtown

The JW Marriott Atlanta Downtown has opened in time for 2026 FIFA World Cup games. It offers a fitness center, spa, meeting spaces, and 237 guest rooms.

Rooms start at $240 or 40,000 Marriott points per night.

Underwater Room in Tanzania

Off the coast of Pemba Island in Tanzania, The Manta Resort has launched a new generation of its Underwater Room. The original 2013 unit has been sunk and added to the nearby reef as a permanent conservation installation, and proceeds from the new room support coral restoration and local fishing programs through Blue Alliance.

Hotel Conversions Opening Soon

IHG has added Hotel Mount Fuji to its Vignette Collection in Japan, the brand’s third in the country. The 150-room property sits at 1,100 meters atop Mount Odeyama and is, as the name suggests, purpose-built for views of Mount Fuji and Lake Yamanaka. Renovation comes first, with a yet-undecided opening date to follow.

Marriott is reshuffling its Lima, Peru, portfolio in a big way. The current JW Marriott Hotel Lima in Miraflores will convert into The Ritz-Carlton, Lima — only the second Ritz-Carlton in South America (after Santiago, Chile). Meanwhile, a new JW Marriott Hotel Lima will replace the former Westin Lima in San Isidro’s Paseo Begonias district. Both conversions are targeted for 2028 openings.

New Signings

IHG also signed Theobalds Estate in Hertfordshire as the first U.K. property under its new Noted Collection brand. The partly Grade II–listed estate, once an 18th-century royal residence, sits on 55 acres about 35 minutes from Liverpool Street station in London. After an extensive refurbishment, it will reopen in 2027 with a heavy wellness focus, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, red light therapy, and padel courts. Owner Surya Hotels simultaneously signed voco Thatcher’s Hotel in Surrey.

Raffles will open its first-ever alpine resort in Courchevel 1850 for the 2028 winter season. Developed by Art de Vivre and designed by JMV with interiors by Humbert & Poyet, the 50-room property will sit in Jardin Alpin, the highest enclave in Courchevel, France. It will be Raffles’ sixth hotel in Europe and its second in France after Le Royal Monceau in Paris. Meanwhile, Raffles Lake Como is still on track for 2027 in Italy.

Other Hotel News

The Mandarin Oriental Lutetia in Paris has been confirmed as a filming location for the fourth season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” marking a shift away from the show’s Four Seasons habit (though Mandarin Oriental’s Bangkok property hosted some parts of the third season). The Lutetia joins Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière and Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France, as confirmed Season 4 locations.

Final Thoughts

Between the Raffles in the Alps, Marriott’s Lima reshuffle, the completed Moana Surfrider, and a fresh Underwater Room in the Indian Ocean, there’s no shortage of activity to keep an eye on — and several openings worth penciling in for 2027 and 2028 as you think about future travels.

We’ll be back next week with more hotel news.