Small, intimate and well-placed, a good boutique hotel offers far more than just a place to lay your head.
The best, especially those in the charm-filled cities of Europe, exhibit local flavor, distinctive character and a strong connection to the community.
While the pandemic may have put paid to many travel plans over the past two years, things are looking slightly more hopeful for 2022, with a number of new boutique hotels slated to open across Europe by the end of the year.
Whether you’re looking for a home away from home, a hideaway from the bustle of the city, or somewhere in the center of it all, here are some of the most stylish new European boutique boltholes to watch out for this year.
Gleneagles Townhouse, Scotland
From presidents and princesses, to prestigious performers and professional athletes, Scotland’s legendary Gleneagles estate has hosted more than a few famous faces over its nearly 100-year-old run.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that the new Gleneagles Townhouse, a small, urban offshoot coming to Edinburgh’s New Town this spring, is one of the year’s most highly-anticipated openings.
Gleneagles’ new kid sister will take up residence in a historic building on St. Andrew Square, with 33 well-dressed guestrooms, proving good taste runs in the family.
Gleneagles Townhouse, 39 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Xenodocheio Milos, Greece

With seven airy, whitewashed estiatorios all around the world, restaurant brand Estiatorio Milos isn’t afraid of casting a wide net.
The upmarket Greek seafood eatery entered into new waters this year with the opening of Xenodocheio Milos, its first boutique hotel.
Located right in the heart of downtown Athens, the 43-room property is a minimalist temple of gastronomy, with views over the pine-covered Lycabettus Hill and the neoclassical Old Parliament House.
Xenodocheio Milos, Kolokotroni 3-5, Athina 105 62, Greece
Passalacqua, Italy

Practically piled with Renaissance palazzos, grand dame hotels and private villas, it takes a lot to stand out in a destination as glitzy as Lake Como.
But Passalacqua, a 24-suite historic mansion-turned-hotel, has managed to do just that even before opening its doors.
Set in the village of Moltrasio on land once owned by Pope Innocent XI, Passalacqua comes from the De Santis family, owners of the impossibly lavish Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
Expect romantic rose gardens, bathrooms of bronze-veined Breccia Pontificia marble and what’s set to be the largest suite on Lake Como when the boutique hotel launches this spring. Fully equipped with its very own music room, this suite is where Italian o