Edition Cape Town opens 142 rooms on the V&A Waterfront, its first in Africa

The Cape Town Edition is now open, bringing one of the year's most anticipated hotel debuts to South Africa. Marriott's Edition brand has chosen the V&A Waterfront for its first outpost on the African continent, putting the sleek new property at the very tip of Africa.

Guests can book one of 142 rooms and suites, all wrapped in art and design that the hotel describes as a reflection of Africa's creative landscape. Beyond the guest rooms, the property carries a spa alongside numerous dining and bar outlets, giving visitors several reasons not to leave the harbour.

The opening lands the Edition brand in the African market for the first time, and its choice of the V&A Waterfront places it among Cape Town's most visited waterside addresses. The setting puts Table Mountain's coastal backdrop within reach of every window.

The other openings this week

Across the Atlantic, New York's celebrity-favoured Mark hotel is getting its first spa this November. The Mark Wellness & Longevity Spa by Augustinus Bader will mark the skincare house's first branded location in the United States, with three treatment rooms and science-backed therapies.

The Mark is already the Met Gala's fashion hotspot and the home of Caviar Kaspia's caviar-loaded baked potatoes, so a luxe spa is a natural next step. In-room massage services round out the offering, and the opening follows a recent round of room updates at the hotel.

In Las Vegas, the W is making one of Marriott's conversions truly its own. Two years after the group took over the former Delano at Mandalay Bay and turned it into W Las Vegas, the brand has relaunched Skyfall Rooftop Bar & Lounge on the 64th floor.

Rockwell Group recreated the space with bold interiors accenting its floor-to-ceiling windows, all above panoramic views of the Strip. In the lobby, the Living Room bar has also been reimagined. The hotel said the two spaces blend glamour, futuristic energy and immersive nightlife.

The W's statement framed the redesign as capturing the true spirit of Las Vegas while holding onto the bold, playful quality that is the brand's signature. The Delano conversion dates to 2024, so the bars arrive two years into the hotel's life under the W name.

For travellers chasing something quieter, Hotel Du Pont in Wilmington has launched an Equestrian Escape Package. The offering pairs riding boots and jackets lent by The Frye Company with a private lesson at the 200-acre Carousel Park Equestrian Center.

A gourmet picnic from the hotel's Le Cavalier French brasserie completes the package, tying the city hotel to the countryside stables nearby. It is a distinctly American take on the country-house escape, assembled from horsemanship, heritage leather and a French kitchen.

In Italy, the wait for the 69-room Thompson Rome is over. The property is the Thompson brand's first in the country, set near Piazza Venezia and the city's major attractions, with restored elements from the hotel's original building woven through its contemporary interiors.

Guests will find a contemporary Mediterranean restaurant, a rooftop cocktail bar and a lobby bar under one roof. The location, close to Piazza Venezia, suits visitors who want Rome's monuments on the walk out the door.

The free-time study behind the roundup

Club Med's research into how North Americans spend their free time frames this week's openings. The brand commissioned a study of 2,000 Americans and Canadians and found that 81% miss the sense of wonder they had as children more than the free time they enjoyed then.

A second finding is more optimistic: 88% of respondents reported at least one positive effect the last time they pushed themselves to try something new. That is the feeling the reporter says these openings speak to, from a Cape Town waterfront to a Delaware riding school.

None of the openings is dated further out than November, and several are already welcoming guests. The Cape Town Edition and Thompson Rome are open now; the Mark's spa follows in November, and the W's relaunched Skyfall bar and Living Room are already serving.

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1. The Points Guy A sky-high Vegas bar, a chic new Marriott in South Africa and more hotel news

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Images: Featured image by MARRIOTT; The Points Guy