Unpacked by Afar

These are the Best New Hotels of 2025—and They Have Stories to Tell


Listen Later

The best hotels offer so much more than a place to stay. In this episode of Unpacked, go behind the scenes of our Best New Hotels list to discover the hotels that are helping to redefine a destination, setting a new bar for sustainability and design, and bringing travelers into communities where their dollars can really count. Host Aislyn Greene and senior deputy editor Jennifer Flowers—Afar's resident hotel expert—share inspiration for your next great trip.


In 2025, Hotels are Becoming Local Heroes

On this episode, you’ll learn: 

  • How hotels are uplifting local communities and preserving cultural legacies. 
  • What the future of sustainable stays looks like and how to sniff out the real deal.
  • Immersive cultural experiences you can only have when you stay at a hotel. 

  • “Sustainability Has Never Looked So Beautiful.” 

    Don’t miss these transformative moments: 

    [02:47] This carbon-positive hotel takes sustainability to new heights. 

    [09:59] Would you forgo electricity for this historic stay?

    [17:58] Local Discoveries: How a tea towel led to new travel plans. 


    Resources

    • Read the transcript of this episode.
    • Explore the Best Hotels of 2025 list.
    • Listen to last year's Best New Hotels episode.
    • Listen to our Unpacking ILTM episode.
    • Want more recommendations? Subscribe to Jenn’s newsletter: Stay Here Next
    • Follow Jenn on Instagram or read this story about her childhood in the Plaza Hotel. 
    • Learn more about Populus Hotel in Denver, Dar Tantoura the House Hotel, Kibale Lodge, One and Only One Za’beel and other extraordinary stays on afar.com

    • Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.


      ** New Opportunity: What's one tricky travel topic you want us to unpack? Send us a voice message here, for a chance to weigh in and be featured in an upcoming episode. **

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      Unpacked by AfarBy AFAR Media

      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4

      4.4

      44 ratings


      More shows like Unpacked by Afar

      View all
      Travel with Rick Steves by Rick Steves

      Travel with Rick Steves

      2,446 Listeners

      Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast by Chris Christensen

      Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast

      1,063 Listeners

      The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters by American Public Media

      The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

      3,046 Listeners

      Zero To Travel Podcast by Jason Moore

      Zero To Travel Podcast

      824 Listeners

      Scene on Radio by Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University

      Scene on Radio

      62 Listeners

      The Frommer's Travel Show by Pauline Frommer

      The Frommer's Travel Show

      143 Listeners

      The Daily by The New York Times

      The Daily

      111,917 Listeners

      Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler by Condé Nast Traveler

      Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler

      637 Listeners

      Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast by A Travel Podcast

      Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast

      334 Listeners

      Frequent Miler on the Air by Frequent Miler

      Frequent Miler on the Air

      588 Listeners

      Chasing Life by CNN

      Chasing Life

      8,215 Listeners

      Consider This from NPR by NPR

      Consider This from NPR

      6,070 Listeners

      Travel Tales by Afar by AFAR Media

      Travel Tales by Afar

      227 Listeners

      All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins by Chris Hutchins

      All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins

      1,584 Listeners

      Point Me To First Class by Devon Gimbel MD

      Point Me To First Class

      1,144 Listeners

      View From Afar by Afar Media

      View From Afar

      2 Listeners