Truly memorable hotel design isn’t just about seamless check-ins, good sheets, and moody lighting (though we’ll happily take them all). It’s about spaces that linger in your brain long after you’ve hopped on your return flight. Now that summer is in full swing, we’ve found three new spots that hit that sweet spot — a chef-owned escape in the French countryside, a five-star retreat on the Cap d’Antibes waterfront, and a bold newcomer in Houston, steps away from the Museum District.

Hotel Saint Augustine

Bunkhouse Hotels has opened its first Houston outpost, and, as always, there’s a clever story behind the name. Hotel Saint Augustine nods to the city’s co-founder Augustus Chapman Allen, the ever-present St. Augustine grass, and the saint of printing — which feels just right given the hotel’s location around the corner from the Menil Drawing Institute. The petite property, designed by Lake|Flato with landscaping by Ten Eyck, features five low-slung buildings with a residential feel, winding outdoor pathways, mature oaks, and open breezeways. Inside, the look is curator’s private residence meets subtle surrealism thanks to Post Company, the firm behind Inness and The Lake House on Canandaigua. There’s a lounge, listening room, and all-day restaurant with an oh-so-luxe palette. Think deep blue and red lacquer, sage and mustard, ebonized oak, sculptural lighting, marble-wrapped check-in desks, and theatrical drapery — plus a host of “it” chairs, including Ellison Studios’ Chromeo and Josef Hoffmann’s Armloffel, which has practically become de rigueur for new hotels. Photos © Nicole Franzen

Le Doyenné

Just an hour outside Paris, Le Doyenné is a restaurant and 11-room guesthouse set on a medieval estate once owned by the Countess du Barry and later the Borghese family. The owners have lovingly restored the historic site, reimagining it as a minimalist farmhouse retreat with furniture curated by the European design house Project 213A. A 10-seat private dining room features custom oak furniture, while the guest rooms are outfitted with bespoke ceramic side tables and curving headboards. The aesthetic? Warm, elevated, and modern yet somehow the perfect nod to its centuries-old past.

Villa Mirae

Cap d’Antibes has its newest glamorous retreat. Designed by Oscar Lucien Ono of Numéro 20, the 35-room Villa Mirae, which includes eight sunny suites, is awash in sea-inspired blues, Burgundy stone floors, Murano glass fixtures, and hand-painted frescos. Each room looks out to a private terrace, while layered Mediterranean gardens are ideal for morning strolls. There’s Provençal architecture, two restaurants, a seafront solarium, and a pool meant for all-day R&R. It seems like a trip to France may be in order?