As we recently reported, hotel loyalty programs aren’t what they used to be. Rather than just highlighting a cookie-cutter collection of brand-name properties, they now encompass enticing global portfolios filled with high-design boutique hotels, outdoor-focused glamping outposts, and luxury all-inclusives. Case in point, many of the world’s most exciting new and newly reopened hotels for 2025, including several that made Afar’s list of hotel openings worth planning an entire trip around, participate in awards programs that make them bookable using points.
As a loyalty program specialist and points maximizer, I create an annual list of new and noteworthy retreats that travelers can check into without paying the nightly rate in cash. These buzz-worthy hotels are bookable entirely on points through the world’s major loyalty programs. Indeed, you can offset even the priciest experiences, from a tented camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara to a Costa Rican jungle adventure. Of course, you need to be signed up for the relevant rewards programs and have stockpiled some serious points, but for those who have been hoarding Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and/or Accor points, here are eight exciting 2025 hotel debuts, each worth redeeming your entire balance for.
Check into the brand-new beachfront Andaz Miami Beach, where iconic Art Deco architecture means modern design.
Courtesy of Andaz Miami Beach
Andaz Miami Beach
Bookable with: World of Hyatt points
Location: Miami Beach, Florida
Opening: April 2025
The 287-key Andaz Miami Beach, situated in a historic building on the famed Collins Avenue, leans into the city’s Art Deco legacy with the architectural style’s defining curves. Andaz features an oceanfront pool and beach, and will also have an expansive fourth-floor spa with a terrace and relaxation room overlooking the Atlantic that will open in June. On the food and beverage front, two of the on-site venues, Bar Centro and the Mediterranean-inspired Aguasal, are collaborations with the world-renowned chef José Andrés. Andaz Miami Beach is one of the best ways to redeem Hyatt points in the Sunshine State.
Lake Como EDITION
Bookable with: Marriott Bonvoy points
Location: Lake Como, Italy
Opening: Summer 2025
Set in a 19th-century building on the western shores of Lake Como, the Edition will be Marriott’s newest luxury lifestyle property in Italy. Once it opens this summer, Lake Como Edition will offer 145 guest rooms (including two penthouse suites), a lobby bar, a floating pool, and a variety of venues to enjoy an aperitivo or dinner. While the region has its fair share of high-end boutique properties, there are virtually no points hotels belonging to the major hotel groups along the lake—until now.
Get your beach time in at this San Diego grande dame, and then head to the on-site Serẽa restaurant for elevated seafood-focused cuisine.
Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado
Hotel del Coronado
Bookable with: Hilton Honors points
Location: Coronado, California
Opening: Now open
Originally built in 1888, the 938-room Hotel del Coronado has long been a landmark Southern California destination along the Pacific. It’s undergoing the final stages of a monumental, six-year, $550-million-dollar reimagination set to be complete by June 2025. Think of “The Del” as five hotels in one, featuring everything from classic Victorian architecture to contemporary SoCal beach vibes. This spring, the hotel is welcoming a new signature all-day dining concept, Veranda, along with a new Nobu Del Coronado.
Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is located on Costa Rica’s Peninsula Papagayo.
Courtesy of Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Bookable with: Marriott Bonvoy points
Location: Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica
Opening: Now open
Located on a 1,400-acre private oasis in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, Nekajui is a collection of 107 ocean-facing rooms and suites, and three luxury treetop tents. All of the property’s accommodations blend indoor and outdoor living with garden showers, private plunge pools, and deep-soaking tubs amid a jungle-like environment. For the ultimate exclusivity, Villa Guayacan is a 10-bedroom retreat set amid a remarkable natural backdrop. And it’s all made more accessible, thanks to the ability to book using Marriott Bonvoy points.
We recently reviewed what it’s like staying at Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.
It doesn’t get more classy than the new Orient Express La Minerva in Rome.
Courtesy of Orient Express
Orient Express La Minerva
Bookable with: Accor Live Limitless points
Location: Rome, Italy
Opening: Now open
Historically, Orient Express has been better known for its luxurious trains (in fact, La Dolce Vita Orient Express debuted in Italy this year, too). However, Accor’s recent takeover of the iconic brand name means expansion into other types of just-as-glamorous overnight accommodations. Having opened this spring, Orient Express La Minerva is located just minutes from Rome’s Pantheon in a 17th-century palazzo with 93 guest rooms (36 of which are suites). Even better, because of the Accor affiliation, savvy travelers can use Accor Live Limitless points to book into this urban oasis.
To find out what it’s like staying at Orient Express La Minerva, you can read our recent review.
No stay at the Park Hyatt Tokyo is complete without a trip to the sky-high New York Grill.
Courtesy of Park Hyatt Tokyo
Park Hyatt Tokyo
Bookable with: World of Hyatt points
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Opening: October 2025
Built as Japan’s first Western luxury hotel in 1994, Park Hyatt Tokyo will reopen to guests this fall following a 17-month, top-to-bottom transformation. The iconic property, which had a starring role in the 2003 film Lost in Translation, featuring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, will include refreshed guestrooms and suites (including a new category bookable with points) while paying tribute to the original design. One venue undoubtedly returning: The New York Grill & Bar, perched on the 52nd floor with floor-to-ceiling views overlooking Tokyo, is getting a full restoration. Park Hyatt Tokyo worked with Paris-based design firm Studio Jouin Manku on the project (famous for leading renovations on La Mamounia in Marrakech).
The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp
Bookable with: Marriott Bonvoy points
Location: Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Opening: August 2025
Marriott’s upcoming marquee project, the Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara in Kenya, is a prime example of hospitality companies leaning into outdoor luxury. Once it opens in August, guests can expect expansive tented suites with private infinity plunge pools, restaurants with stargazing decks, and, of course, game drives in the national reserve. It is the first-ever luxury safari camp for the Ritz-Carlton brand and will be the second in the Marriott portfolio after the 2023 opening of the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge. In fact, the Bonvoy program will get yet another safari property in 2026, the JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp.
The Lexington Avenue entrance of Waldorf Astoria New York, which is set to open this fall.
Photo by Noë & Associates/Courtesy of The Boundary
Waldorf Astoria New York
Bookable with: Hilton Honors points
Location: New York, NY
Opening: Fall 2025
After an eight-year renovation, the legendary Waldorf Astoria New York will rejoin the Hilton lineup when it reopens later in 2025. It’s not only one of the most anticipated points hotel debuts, but it’s also one of the biggest reopenings in recent memory, period. The property has been a fixture of New York City society and is being meticulously restored by renowned architects from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with interior design by Pierre-Yves Rochon. Expect original Art Deco architecture reimagined with fresh contemporary furnishings. Instead of 1,400 rooms, the property now shrinks to 375 hotel rooms, about 20 percent of which will be suites, and 375 private residences.
