Certain hotels that we visit over the course of the year deserve special recognition. The properties below all excelled in particular aspects, making them worthy of note, even if they didn’t necessarily have the highest overall scores of the hotels we reviewed. We would be very pleased to return to any of them. In 2021, award-winning hotels ranged from mansions in Texas and the Loire Valley to nature-focused lodges in Costa Rica and Kenya.

Best City Hotel: Commodore Perry Estate

Austin, Texas

New hotels have burgeoned in tandem with Austin’s growth, but I have been waiting for a property of real distinction to arrive on the scene. My wish came true last June. The Perry mansion is a 10,800-square-foot Italianate structure that dates from 1928. It was built for cotton shipping tycoon Edgar Perry, nicknamed “Commodore” by his friends, and sits adjacent to the historic Hyde Park neighborhood across from a nine-hole golf course. The hotel regularly offers wine tastings and live performances by local artists, for those who want to experience the city’s renowned music scene without leaving the comfort of the grounds. The Commodore Perry Estate offers the best of both worlds: an urban resort in a lively capital with the distinct feeling of being a tranquil hideaway.