There are hotel groups that are instantly recognisable, wherever in the world you happen to check in. Rosewood has always taken a rather different approach.
A former maternity hospital in São Paulo. An 18th-century landmark overlooking the Place de la Concorde. A Riviera Maya resort woven between mangroves and lagoons. Most recently, Amsterdam’s former Palace of Justice. The Rosewood name may be on the door, but there is rarely a formula being repeated behind it.
It’s one of the reasons we have long been fans of the brand at RASK Travel – and why we’re particularly proud to be part of Rosewood Elite, its invitation-only programme for selected luxury travel specialists.
Rosewood calls its philosophy A Sense of Place, and while hotel slogans don’t always tell you very much, this one really does. It extends far beyond the buildings themselves. It runs through everything from the restaurants and art to the experiences and local character. There are signatures you’ll come to recognise, but enough personality that choosing between Rosewoods rarely feels like choosing between different versions of the same hotel.
Our relationship with Rosewood also means we spend a fair amount of time talking about the hotels: which room to book, what’s changed since our last visit, which properties work best for particular trips and, inevitably, where the brand is heading next. Through Rosewood Elite, we’re also able to offer our clients additional recognition and benefits when they stay.
And right now, there is plenty to talk about. Rosewood’s European portfolio is growing pretty quickly, with Milan, Rome, Venice and Crete all on the horizon, alongside new openings in Dubai and further afield. It’s an interesting pipeline from a brand that, despite its growth, has so far managed to retain much of the individuality that made us like it in the first place.
We’ll get to those new arrivals shortly.
First, five Rosewoods that have made us such fans of the brand.
The RASK Edit: Five Rosewoods We Love
Rosewood São Paulo, Brazil
If you want to understand what Rosewood means by a “sense of place”, São Paulo is a very good place to start.
Rosewood São Paulo forms part of Cidade Matarazzo, an ambitious regeneration of a collection of historic buildings just off Avenida Paulista. At its heart is the beautifully restored Matarazzo Maternity Hospital, where more than half a million Brazilians were born, sitting alongside a striking new vertical-garden tower by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel.
Philippe Starck oversaw the interiors, but this is far from a European designer simply imposing his aesthetic on Brazil. Brazilian culture runs through the hotel: furniture by the likes of Sérgio Rodrigues and Oscar Niemeyer, locally sourced materials, Brazilian poetry engraved onto mirrors and an extraordinary collection of 450 site-specific works created in partnership with Brazilian artists.
It is big, bold and wonderfully difficult to take in on a single walk around.
But for all the architecture and art, Rosewood São Paulo is also an exceptionally fun hotel to actually stay in. The two outdoor pools are surrounded by greenery, including the spectacular rooftop infinity pool high above the city, while Asaya brings a sizeable wellness offering to the mix. Downstairs, Le Jardin spills out beneath the trees and stays open around the clock for hotel guests – handy whether you want a leisurely breakfast or something considerably later.
Food and drink are a big part of the experience. Taraz, overseen by acclaimed Brazilian chef Felipe Bronze, cooks its way around South America over wood fire – go for the ceviches and Brazilian specialities, or even better, time your stay for its Sunday lunch, when sharing dishes, drinks and Latin music take over the terrace beneath centuries-old olive trees.
Then there’s Rabo di Galo, the hotel’s dark, intimate cocktail bar, where live Brazilian music plays every night. It’s exactly the sort of hotel bar we love: somewhere we’d recommend going even if you weren’t staying upstairs.
And that’s precisely why Rosewood São Paulo is one of our favourites. There’s enough happening within Cidade Matarazzo that you could quite happily spend a day barely leaving the grounds, yet step outside and you’re right in the middle of one of the world’s most exciting cities.
RASK tip: Give yourself time to actually explore the hotel. The art isn’t background decoration here – much of it was commissioned specifically for the property and there is a story behind almost every corner.
Rosewood Mandarina, Mexico
Rosewood Mandarina is a special one for us. Jonas was among the first guests through the doors when it opened in 2025, arriving just days after the resort officially welcomed its first guests.
Around an hour north of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, Rosewood Mandarina occupies a spectacular stretch of Pacific coastline where dense rainforest tumbles towards the ocean. The resort has been designed around rather than over that landscape, with suites and villas tucked among the trees and every one featuring its own private infinity plunge pool.
There’s plenty to tempt you out of them, though. Three main pools, a beach club and Asaya Spa cover the slower days, while surfing, jungle ziplining, a nine-hole Greg Norman-designed golf course and the Mandarina Polo & Equestrian Club make this a good choice for anyone who likes a little more adventure with their beach holiday.
Food is another highlight. Buena Onda, right beside the Pacific, was a particular favourite during Jonas’s stay – grilled seafood, paella and smoky mezcal cocktails as the sun goes down. Elsewhere, La Cocina Mandarina celebrates Mexican cooking around the comal, while Toppu brings Japanese flavours to a dramatic perch above the resort.
What really stayed with Jonas, though, was how accomplished everything felt so soon after opening. The service, design and relationship with the surrounding landscape already felt completely assured – quite an achievement for a hotel only days into its life.
We could tell you considerably more, but Jonas already has.
Read our full first-hand review: [Inside Mexico’s newest Riviera retreat: Rosewood Mandarina]
RASK tip: Don’t automatically plan Mandarina as a pure beach holiday. The setting is a huge part of what makes it special, so leave the resort behind for an afternoon and experience the surrounding landscape – horseback is a particularly memorable way to do it.
Rosewood London
Rosewood London has been part of the capital’s hotel scene for more than a decade, but it still feels like somewhere you actively want to go rather than simply somewhere convenient to stay.
You arrive through wrought-iron gates into the grand Edwardian courtyard, immediately leaving the bustle of High Holborn behind. Inside, the mood is closer to a polished London residence than a conventional five-star hotel, with dark woods, books, fireplaces and plenty of British character. At the top end is The Manor House, a 208-square-metre residence with its own private entrance – and, when combined with its connecting rooms, its own postcode.
Food and drink are why we’re so happy it’s practically on the RASK Travel doorstep. Holborn Dining Room does British classics brilliantly, with its Pie Room dedicated entirely to pastry, but the real star for us is Scarfes Bar. Gerald Scarfe’s artwork covers the walls, fires burn in the hearths, and there’s live music every night. Crucially, it feels like a great London bar in its own right.
Add Sense Spa, Covent Garden and Soho within easy reach, and you have a hotel that works just as well for a weekend in London as it does for a longer stay.
Rosewood’s London story has recently grown, too. The Chancery Rosewood opened in the former US Embassy on Grosvenor Square in September 2025, bringing a very different Rosewood to Mayfair – all-suite, Joseph Dirand-designed and home to the first European outpost of New York’s Carbone. Rosewood London remains an old favourite of ours, but we’ve already spent some time getting to know its new sibling, too.
RASK tip: Keep an evening free for Scarfes. Come for one drink and live music; don’t be surprised if you’re still there several cocktails later.
Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel, Paris
Few hotels get to claim an address quite like 10 Place de la Concorde.
Hôtel de Crillon occupies an 18th-century palace overlooking one of Paris’s most recognisable squares, with the Tuileries across the road and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré around the corner. Yet for all that history, staying here never feels like checking into a museum.
The rooms and suites pair the building’s elaborate original details with a more contemporary Parisian feel. For a serious splurge, Les Grands Appartements, designed by the late Karl Lagerfeld, include bespoke furniture and an extraordinary Carrara-marble bathtub carved from a single two-tonne block.
Then there’s the pool. Hidden beneath the hotel in Sense Spa, it’s lined with thousands of shimmering gold scales and is easily one of the most beautiful hotel pools in Paris.
Upstairs, Nonos by Paul Pairet offers a contemporary take on the French grill, but we’d always save time for Bar Les Ambassadeurs. Beneath its painted ceiling, cocktails, Champagne and live music come with views straight onto Place de la Concorde.
The Crillon is Paris at its grandest, but importantly, never feels stuck in the past.
RASK tip: Don’t rush straight out sightseeing. An afternoon in Sense Spa followed by a drink at Les Ambassadeurs is time very well spent.
Rosewood Amsterdam
One of Rosewood’s newest European arrivals has already become one of our VIPs’ favourites.
Opened in May 2025 after a decade-long restoration, Rosewood Amsterdam occupies the city’s former Palace of Justice on Prinsengracht, right in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Canal District.
Dutch designer Piet Boon has cleverly worked with the building’s history, retaining original architectural details while introducing contemporary interiors and more than 1,000 pieces of art. There are 134 rooms and suites, alongside five signature Houses for something more residential.
We love the playful nods to the building’s former life. Advocatuur, the cocktail bar, takes its name from the Dutch word for the legal profession and even has its own distillery producing jenever, while bedroom headboards subtly reference judges’ collars.
There’s also Eeuwen for seasonal Dutch cooking, Asaya Spa and an indoor pool, but perhaps our favourite feature is moored outside: Rosewood’s private salon boat. Step almost directly from the hotel onto the Prinsengracht and explore Amsterdam from the water, preferably with a drink in hand.
RASK tip: Book the salon boat for late afternoon or early evening. It’s a brilliant way to see the city – and makes the most of one of the hotel’s greatest assets: its position right on the canal.
So, What’s Next for Rosewood?
Quite a lot, as it happens.
Rosewood has a busy few years ahead, with Rome, Milan, Venice, Crete and Dubai all on the way. And no two projects look quite alike: a landmark bank on Via Veneto, historic Milanese palazzi, the revival of one of Venice’s best-known hotels, a new chapter for an old favourite on the Cretan coast and a major new waterfront development in Dubai.
Here are the openings firmly on our radar.
Rosewood Hotel Bauer, Venice | Opening 2027
This is a big one.
The Bauer has occupied its enviable spot near Piazza San Marco for generations, and its transformation into Rosewood Hotel Bauer will bring one of Venice’s best-known hotels into the Rosewood collection.
The hotel is currently undergoing an extensive restoration, with much of the historic fabric being preserved, including its original façade and grand winding staircase. When it reopens, plans include around 110 rooms, with more than half expected to be suites and signature suites.
Location, of course, is hard to argue with. The hotel sits between the Grand Canal and Piazza San Marco, with its own private water access and views across Venice’s rooftops and waterways. The plans also include several restaurants and bars, including a rooftop restaurant and bar with panoramic views across the city.
The Bauer already comes with decades of history and a strong identity of its own. The question is how Rosewood will bring something new to it without losing what made the hotel such a Venice institution in the first place.
On our radar for: A properly special Venice weekend – and that rooftop at sunset.
Rosewood Rome | Opening 2027
Via Veneto is getting a very interesting new arrival.
Rosewood Rome will occupy the former headquarters of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, spread across three early-20th-century buildings on the street made famous by Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.
There will be 155 rooms and suites, three restaurants and bars and a rooftop terrace overlooking the city. But it’s what Rosewood is doing with the building’s banking past that has really caught our attention.
Deep below street level, the former bank vault is being transformed into a Roman bathhouse, while its signature Asaya Spa and wellness terrace will sit on the rooftop above.
Old bank vault below, Roman rooftops above. We’ll be watching this one closely.
On our radar for: A long weekend where the hotel earns almost as much itinerary space as Rome itself.
Rosewood Milan | Opening 2027
Rosewood’s Milan address couldn’t be much better placed.
Rosewood Milan will span two historic buildings – Palazzo Branca and Palazzo della Banca Commerciale – moments from Via Montenapoleone and the Quadrilatero della Moda.
The 70-room hotel will be relatively intimate by Rosewood standards, with around 20 suites. Paris-based Studio KO is behind the interiors, bringing a more eclectic, colourful approach to the two historic palazzi. A restaurant and bar will spill into a courtyard and garden, while Asaya will include three treatment rooms, an indoor pool and fitness centre.
Rosewood has already shown in Amsterdam and Paris what it can do with historic buildings, and Milan feels like a natural next step – especially in a city where architecture, fashion and design are so closely intertwined.
On our radar for: Design weekends, Fashion Week and anyone for whom Via Montenapoleone being around the corner is either very good or very dangerous news.
Rosewood Blue Palace, Crete | Opening 2027
For anyone who already knows Blue Palace, this is an intriguing one.
The much-loved Cretan resort is being reimagined as Rosewood Blue Palace, becoming the brand’s first property in Greece when it opens in 2027. We’ve been waiting a little longer than expected for this one – originally announced for 2025 and later slated for 2026, its reopening has since moved to 2027.
Thankfully, the setting isn’t changing. The hotel sits between Plaka and Elounda on Crete’s northeast coast, looking straight across the water towards Spinalonga. What will change is the hotel itself. Rosewood is working with Greek architecture and design practices on the transformation, with plans for 154 rooms and suites, several restaurants and bars, Asaya Spa and a beach club.
There’s a fine balance to strike here. Blue Palace already has a loyal following and one of Crete’s most recognisable settings, so this isn’t about creating an identity from scratch. The real test will be how Rosewood puts its stamp on a hotel people already know and love.
On our radar for: One of the most exciting Greek hotel openings of 2027.
Rosewood Dubai | Opening 2029
Rosewood is heading to Dubai – but not to the part of the city you might expect.
The new hotel is planned for Dubai Peninsula, a waterfront development in the Jumeirah district, rather than among the towers of Downtown or along Palm Jumeirah. The project will include a 195-room Rosewood hotel alongside Rosewood Residences.
Architecture comes from internationally renowned firm SOM, while interiors are being led by Yabu Pushelberg, whose work you’ll find at some of the world’s best-known hotels and restaurants.
Plans include several restaurants and bars, a beach club, Asaya Spa and wellness centre, and a private marina. There will also be a members’ club – Rosewood’s first in the region – giving the project a slightly different dimension from a conventional Dubai resort.
It’s still some way off, but the combination of waterfront setting, Yabu Pushelberg interiors and a more residential approach to the city makes this a Dubai opening worth remembering.
On our radar for: A different take on the classic Dubai stay.
Booking Rosewood with RASK Travel
If one of these has made it onto your list, there is an advantage to booking it through RASK.
We are proud members of Rosewood Elite, Rosewood’s invitation-only programme for a select group of luxury travel agencies around the world. It gives our clients access to additional benefits and recognition when staying at participating Rosewood hotels, while still booking at Rosewood’s best available rate.
Benefits vary between hotels, but can include daily breakfast for two, hotel or resort credit, room upgrades subject to availability and priority for early check-in and late check-out.
For us, though, Rosewood Elite is only part of the story. We know the collection, keep a close eye on new openings and can advise on the details that aren’t always obvious when you’re looking at a booking page – which room or suite is worth choosing, where to eat, what to book before you arrive and which Rosewood is actually right for the trip you’re planning.
And we’ve only scratched the surface here. Rosewoods have appeared regularly in the RASK Journal over the years, from Rosewood Matakauri on the shores of Lake Wakatipu to Rosewood Doha, while we had The Chancery Rosewood firmly on our radar long before its doors opened. Add newer arrivals such as Rosewood Miyakojima, the brand’s first hotel in Japan, and a pipeline stretching from Venice to Dubai, and there’s plenty more to look forward to.
Whether you’re returning to an old favourite, curious about one of the latest arrivals or already planning a stay at one of those still to come, we’ll make sure you get the very best from it.
Planning a Rosewood stay? Get in touch with RASK Travel, and we’ll take care of the rest.
