Despite the tumultuous travel landscape of the last few years, the hotel industry has remained resilient, and the pace of openings and renovations hasn't slowed down. That's why we here at T+L have spent the last year obsessively tracking debuts and major overhauls, consulting our trusted network of travel pros and globe-hopping writers, and crossed the world in search of the most memorable, game-changing hotels of the year for our annual It List.

Rusacks St Andrews - Scotland

Blasts of North Sea air. The soft thwack of a golf ball outside your bedroom. The championship wonderland of the Old Course framing the horizon. Rusacks St Andrews is a townhouse hotel that's died and gone to golf heaven. The Georgian-era building has been in the club-and-ball business since 1887, but it has been beautifully reimagined by its new Nashville-based owners, with hat tips to the great game throughout. The golf touches are hardly subtle here: carpets woven with dimpled latex balls; a grandstanding portrait of Old Tom Morris, golf's original Tiger Woods. These are complemented by outstanding views of the first fairway and the 18th green. The past looms, but the real talking points are One Under Bar, a brick-and-tile pub for 19th-hole drama, and 18, the rooftop seafood and steak brasserie. What works best is the one-hole putting green on the terrace, which puts you in the middle of the sporting action whether you're a golfer or not.

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