Travel may have come to a standstill this year but we still saw the opening of amazing places to stay – as part of our review of 2020, here are Dezeen's top 10 hotels.
Saint Hotel, Greece, by Kapsimalis Architects
Kapsimalis Architects dug into a rocky hillside in Santorini to create the Saint Hotel's cave-like guest suites, which offer uninterrupted ocean views.
Surfaces throughout the rooms – and a majority of the furnishings – have been rendered white, mimicking the pale facades of the houses which appear along the island's coastline.
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The Tiing, Bali, by Nic Brunsdon
Rugged concrete walls that were cast against locally-sourced bamboo feature throughout The Tiing, a boutique hotel on Bali's north coast.
Each of its 14 rooms is funnel-shaped, meaning sightlines are steered towards the Balinese jungle in one direction, and to the ocean in the other.
These features ended up landing the hotel first place in the hospitality building category of this year's Dezeen Awards, with judges admiring its "strong connection to the immediate environment".
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CÃrculo Mexicano, Mexico, by Ambrosi Etchegaray
The minimalist aesthetic of this hotel in Mexico City draws upon the customs of the Shakers, a Christian sect known for their ultra-austere way of living.
Within each of the white-painted guest suites are just a couple of chunky plinths which support the bed and storage cupboards. Decor is restricted to wall-mounted peg rails, from which trinket boxes, mirrors and light-framed wooden chairs have been suspended.
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Canine and Feline Hotel, Portugal, by Raulino Silva Arquitecto
Pet owners headed on holiday can leave their furry four-legged friends in this hotel designed by Raulino Silva Arquitecto, which sits on the site of an old vineyard.
When the cats and dogs aren't roaming the grounds, being pampered in the grooming parlour or taking a dip in the pool, they can retire to their modern bedrooms – which have been designated to separate blocks so that the different species don't annoy each other.
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Santa Monica Proper, USA, by Kelly Wearstler
Interior designer Kelly Wearstler says there's "a lot of really great anomaly" throughout the rooms of Santa Monica Proper, which has been decked out with a mismatched medley of vintage furnishings.
Many of the details in the hotel – which also has a rooftop restaurant and pool – are meant to reflect California's beachy landscape. This includes the lobby reception desk, which is striated like a shell, and the curved headboards in the guest suites which are reminiscent of a setting sun.
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Monte Uzulu, Mexico, by Taller Lu'um and At-te
A dense jungle of trees surrounds this boutique hotel in Oaxaca, which perches up on a sandy hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Architecture studios Taller Lu'um and At-te took advantage of this lush landscape when it came to designing the interiors, where they've applied an array of locally-sourced natural materials. For example, the walls of the guest suites have been washed with earth and lime, while the roof has been thatched with dried palm leaves.
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Hotel Les Deux Gares, France, by Luke Edward Hall
Luke Edward Hall offered a lesson in maximalism with the boldly clashing interior of Hotel Les Deux Gares, which is meant to be reminiscent of old-world Paris.
Geometric carpeting and stripy headboards feature in the 40 upstairs guest bedrooms, while the downstairs lobby boasts chintzy wallpaper, leopard-print sofas and hand-painted portraits.
"I really wanted this space to feel above all joyful and welcoming and alive, classic but a little bonkers at the same time," said Hall.
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Six Senses Shaharut, Israel, by Plesner Architects
The materiality of this hotel in Israel's Negev desert riffs off structures built by the nomadic Nabataean tribe, which settled in the area over 2,000 years ago.
Locally-excavated limestone and flint has been used for the building's exterior, while smooth plaster walls feature inside the guest rooms – some of which include their own private pool.
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Aka Patagonia, Chile, by Larrou
A cluster of six lenga-wood cabins forms this hotel in Puerto Natales, a Chilean port city in southern Patagonia. The front of the cabins are windowless, but the rear elevations are inset with expansive glazed panels so that guests can enjoy views of a nearby canal and fields dotted with grazing sheep.
"Aka Patagonia is a tribute to the landscape," explained Larrou. "The space was designed so that guests can experience the continuous flow of nature, both inside and out."
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An 18th-century mansion in Hertfordshire is now hosting the Birch hotel, where Red Deer has worked to carve out a new concept of luxury.
To avoid the "wastefulness" of high-end hospitality spaces, the design studio left much of the building untouched and preserved almost all of its original decor details – the communal guest areas boast wooden boiserie, ornate ceiling cornicing or time-worn floorboards.