Four Openings to Pitch

Opening lists are full of hotels that slip a year, change brand or never open. The four below have timing confirmed in reporting or company material dated 2026, and each gives an advisor something specific to sell: a heritage site, a first-in-market brand, or a reopening that resets a classic. All four are 2027 conversations to start now, while clients are still building next year’s calendar.

1. Songtei Kyoto, Shangri-La Signatures — Kyoto

Opening: first guests from late 2026, full unveiling in early 2027. Keys: 77.

Shangri-La Group announced the hotel on 14 September as the second address in Shangri-La Signatures, its ultra-luxury collection, after The Silk Lakehouse in Hangzhou. It sits opposite Nijō Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the former residence of the Kyoto Shoshidai, the shogunate’s official in the city. According to the company, rooms frame views of the castle’s great north gate. Facilities include a private spa with indoor and outdoor hot baths, an indoor pool, an all-day dining lounge, a Chinese fine-dining restaurant, a kappo-sushi counter and an evening bar.

The pitch: a castle-front address for clients who have already done Kyoto’s temple districts. Factor in Kyoto’s new accommodation tax, which reaches ¥10,000 per person per night at the top rate tier.

2. Six Senses Tel Aviv — Tel Aviv

Opening: 2027, per the brand’s openings page. Keys: 140 across 10 floors, plus 55 serviced residences.

The hotel spans a city block between Rothschild, Herzl and Lilienblum streets and is built around five heritage buildings dating to 1909, with a modern tower added. Six Senses lists a spa, a sky pool with cocktail lounge, a chef’s restaurant and a Six Senses Place members’ space, and positions the hotel as a gateway to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Six Senses Shaharut. Industry reporting in March 2026 also listed it for 2027.

The pitch: wellness-led clients who already know the brand from its resorts and want a city stay. Check current Government of Canada travel advice before quoting.

3. Mandarin Oriental Winter Palace — Luxor

Opening: July 2027. Keys: not yet announced.

In February, Mandarin Oriental said it would take over two of Egypt’s best-known historic hotels from owner Talaat Moustafa Group. The Winter Palace in Luxor, overlooking the Nile near Luxor Temple, closes for a full restoration and reopens in July 2027 with six dining venues and a spa in its gardens. The Old Cataract in Aswan was due to move to Mandarin Oriental management in May 2026; its heritage building stays open while the Nile Wing is renovated, with completion also set for July 2027. The group is adding its first river cruise, now in design, with three-, four- and seven-night sailings between Luxor and Aswan.

The pitch: the Luxor–Aswan pair, bookended by a Nile sailing under one brand, is a ready-made itinerary for Egypt from late 2027. Note that the Winter Palace is closed until then.

4. Cheval Blanc Pitrizza — Costa Smeralda, Sardinia

Opening: May 2027. Keys: 65 rooms and suites, including 16 villas with pools, as reported when LVMH‘s Cheval Blanc took on management for owner Qatar Investment Authority.

The 1960s hotel is being relaunched after a three-year transformation. Lea Garret, Cheval Blanc’s regional director of sales for Europe, told LATTE Luxury News in March that about 80% of rooms are done, with a redesigned spa and a new fine-dining restaurant still to come. The brand opens roughly one hotel every four or five years, she said, which is why it matters.

The pitch: summer 2027 for clients who already follow the Cheval Blanc brand. Expect early allocation to be tight.

What came off the list

• Conrad Athens The Ilisian is no longer an “upcoming” opening: Hilton opened it on 23 April 2026 in the former Hilton Athens, with 278 rooms and suites open and a penthouse and residences following later in the year.
• Nobu Hotel Hamburg (Elbtower) should be treated as off. Construction stopped in November 2023 when developer Signa Prime failed to pay its contractor, and parent Signa Holding filed for insolvency in late 2023. A January 2026 report on the rescue plan describes a shorter tower, completed by 2029, with a natural history museum taking about half the building, and makes no mention of a hotel.
• Rosewood Hangzhou was announced for 2026 but we could not find company confirmation of a date this year, so it stays on watch.

For advisors

• Kyoto now: ask Shangri-La for pre-opening rates and whether early stays fall before the “full unveiling”, when some outlets may not be ready.
• Egypt for winter 2027–28: register interest with Mandarin Oriental for the Winter Palace and cruise; until July 2027, sell the Old Cataract’s open heritage building with caution about works on site.
• Sardinia for May–September 2027: contact Cheval Blanc early; the villas are the inventory high-value families will want.
• Watch: Six Senses Tel Aviv dates, which depend on the market; don’t take deposits on a month until the brand confirms one.

Sources

• https://www.hotel-online.com/news/shangri-la-group-announces-77-key-songtei-kyoto-shangri-la-signatures (Shangri-La Group announcement, 14 Sept 2026)
• https://larevuedeshotels.com/en/songtei-kyoto-opens-late-2026-facing-nijo-castle-77-keys-signed (14 Sept 2026, updated 25 Sept 2026)
• https://www.sixsenses.com/en/new-openings/tel-aviv (Six Senses official page, accessed 1 Oct 2026)
• https://www.leading-hoteliers.com/post/six-senses-charts-2026-growth-trajectory-urban-expansion-and-global-pipeline-update (27 Mar 2026)
• https://www.sixsenses.com/en/corporate/media-center/press-releases/2023/six-senses-tel-aviv-announcement/ (project details)
• https://www.jardines.com/content/dam/jardines/corporate/documents/newsroom/2026/Mandarin-Oriental-to-expand-its-presence-in-Egypt-with-two-iconic-hotels-and-a-luxury-Nile-cruise-experience.pdf (Mandarin Oriental release, Hong Kong, 11 Feb 2026)
• https://www.travelweekly-asia.com/Luxury-Travel/Mandarin-Oriental-launches-luxury-Nile-cruise-and-hotels-in-Egypt (12 Feb 2026)
• https://latteluxurynews.com/2026/03/13/cheval-blanc-sets-out-very-slow-expansion-strategy/ (13 Mar 2026, updated 23 June 2026)
• https://cpp-luxury.com/qatar-owned-hotel-pitrizza-in-sardinia-to-open-in-2027-under-the-management-of-cheval-blanc-lvmh/ (room count)
• https://stories.hilton.com/emea/releases/conrad-athens-the-ilisian-now-open (23 Apr 2026)
• https://fink.hamburg/2026/01/elbtower-fertigstellung-bis-2029/ (6 Jan 2026)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbtower (2023 construction halt)
• https://www.hotelvor9.de/inside/fragezeichen-hinter-nobu-hotel-wegen-elbtower-baustopp (7 Nov 2023, Nobu plan)