California’s Top Hotel Openings of 2025
As we bid adieu to 2025, let’s take a moment to recognize some of California’s most significant strides in hospitality. From the Golden State’s largest new build of all time to boutique properties that prove less is sometimes more, this year welcomed several new openings that are transforming travel for locals and visitors alike.
In addition to brand-new accommodations, a handful of timeless California properties also managed to complete multimillion-dollar renovations to keep up with the times. Laguna Beach’s Surf & Sand updated all 165 guestrooms, the oceanside pool deck, spa and restaurant, while Santa Barbara’s Ritz-Carlton Bacara celebrated its 25th anniversary with a property-wide transformation. This year also marked the completion of the Hotel del Coronado’s six-year, $550 million restoration project, preserving the hotel’s rich history for generations to come.
While we’ll always appreciate the iconic accommodations of California’s past, we’ve also got a lot of exciting hotels on the horizon (just wait for 2026). Whether you’re looking for a modern bay-side stay in Newport Beach or a wine country escape in Healdsburg, these are California’s most noteworthy hotel openings of 2025.
The Best 2025 California Hotel Openings
Bay Shores Peninsula Hotel
- 1800 W Balboa Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92663
Located in a refurbished surf motel from the 1960s, Bay Shores Peninsula Hotel is Newport’s newest boutique accommodation. With just 25 rooms, this charming property puts a modern California twist on mid-century bones. Expect clean and simple guestrooms with striped wallpaper, gingham upholstery and marble vanities. Pops of color appear in decorative furnishings, brass accents and checkered tiles in the shower. With the bay on one side and the beach on the other, guests can rent paddle boards and other water toys, or borrow a bike and cruise along the boardwalk. For a morning coffee or midday snack, head to the hotel’s all-day cafe.
Appellation Healdsburg
- 101 Dovetail Ln, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Sonoma County’s charming town of Healdsburg welcomed a new food-focused hotel in September 2025. Housing 108 modern rooms with a warm, inviting ambiance, Appellation Healdsburg marks a new era of hospitality for travelers seeking approachable luxury in wine country. The property’s village-style layout creates a sense of communal living, encouraging guests to mix and mingle while lounging poolside or sipping a glass of wine by the outdoor fire pits. Folia Bar & Kitchen is Appellation’s culinary crown jewel, boasting a creative menu with plenty of live-oak cooking and locally sourced goods. For a more scenic bite and bevvy, head to Andys Beeline Rooftop and admire the vineyard views below.
La Bahia Hotel & Spa
- 215 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Santa Cruz welcomed its first true luxury property on September 8. La Bahia Hotel & Spa is a 155-key resort located along the coastal town’s main beach. A neutral color palette sets the foundation for each elegant room, but the most unique design highlights are the eye-catching headboards that appear like a vintage painting. Enjoy craft cocktails at the lobby bar, Pearl, before sitting down for a formal seafood dinner at High Tide. During the day, admire sweeping ocean views from the serene rooftop spa, where you can explore premier facilities and the relaxing Zen Deck before or after your Himalayan salt stone massage.
The Ava Hotel Paso Robles
- 944 Pine St, Paso Robles, CA 93446
The Ava Hotel is a 151-room property located in the heart of downtown Paso Robles. Whether you’re passing through on a California road trip or spending a few days exploring this underrated slice of wine country, this design-forward hotel offers comfort, convenience and fun amenities like Paso’s largest rooftop bar and saltwater pool. Local chef Julien Asseo has partnered with the property on the on-site Mediterranean restaurant, Emre, while Pine Street Bistro offers more casual, daytime dining. For sunset, head to Esperanza on The Rooftop and sample Baja-inspired bites and refreshing tequila cocktails.
Gaylord Pacific
- 1000 H St, Chula Vista, CA 91910
On May 15, the Gaylord Pacific opened in San Diego. As the West Coast’s largest hotel built to date, this massive resort is a destination all on its own, featuring 1,600 guestrooms, including 10 presidential suites and two penthouse presidential suites. There are 12 different dining concepts on-site, ranging from an upscale steakhouse to an atrium-style tapas restaurant to a Japanese and sushi spot. Between the various food and beverage options and the 4.25-acre Water Oasis, with several pools, private cabanas and more, you’ll find few reasons to leave the resort during your stay. Those seeking a more serene experience can head to the Relâche Spa & Salon for a hot stone massage or ocean breeze facial.
Reset Hotel
- 7000 Split Rock Ave, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Joshua Tree’s hospitality scene has officially ushered in a new era with the opening of Reset Hotel. All 65 rooms at this modern boutique property boast private patios with cozy fire pits, but you’ll also find a few suites with outdoor soaking tubs. The modern amenities, from Flamingo Estate bath products to Jolie filtered shower heads, make you forget that you’re technically roughing it in the high desert, but the panoramic mountain views and epic stargazing are quick to remind you of your location. When you grow tired of lounging by the minimalistic saltwater pool, take a five-minute drive to the entrance of Joshua Tree National Park and get lost in one of California’s most unique and alluring landscapes.
Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley
- 1100 N Mathilda Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Whether you’re visiting Silicon Valley for work or pleasure, the new Treehouse Hotel offers an upbeat and modern home base for travelers. The 111 charming yet eccentric rooms feature quilted walls with playful patterns, spacious seating areas and breezy balconies, along with fun touches such as Rubik’s cubes and vintage dial telephones. For dinner, sit down at Valley Goat—a seasonally-focused restaurant helmed by Top Chef-winner Stephanie Izard. There is also an on-site beer garden where you can enjoy pizza and more than 30 brews, a cabana-lined swimming pool, outdoor fire pits and a fitness center.
Hotel Wren
- 6340 El Rey Ave, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Another exciting opening near Joshua Tree, Hotel Wren is an intimate, 12-room hideaway designed by Manola Studio founder Jessica Pell. Originally a 1940s roadside motel, Hotel Wren preserves the property’s retro foundation while giving it a stylish facelift inspired by the surrounding desert landscape and the Indigenous peoples who inhabited it. A decorative attention to detail and craftsmanship extends from the cozy, fireside lobby to the chic yet inviting rooms with sandy tones, vaulted ceilings and convenient kitchenettes.