It’s the list that everyone in the hospitality industry keeps an eye out for (secretly or not): The 50 Best Hotels 2026 is out, with Rosewood Hong Kong retaining the No. 1 spot — the only hotel so far to hold its title since the ranking launched in 2023. The announcement was unveiled at a live ceremony on Sep 15 at Les Salles du Carrousel in Paris, marking another milestone: after three editions in London, the awards moved to a new city for the first time.
“This is extremely special. The award helped us a lot in Hong Kong, and something we’re particularly proud of is that it has helped not just the hotel but the destination of Hong Kong. It put it back on the map, if I may say, after the pandemic,” said Hugo Montanari, managing director of Rosewood Hong Kong who brought his colleagues from the finance, engineering and culinary teams to accept the award.As in previous years, Asia dominated the top five. Capella Bangkok climbed one place to No 2, while Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River took third.
Atlantis The Royal in Dubai made a significant leap to fourth place, while Passalacqua on Lake Como — the inaugural No 1 in 2023 — rounded out the top five. The family-owned hotel continued its winning streak, taking home both The Best Hotel in Europe and The Best Boutique Hotel awards, the latter for the third consecutive year.
ASIA RISING
This year’s list spans 22 territories across six continents, but the lion’s share are located in two continents: Asia and Europe. Two other Bangkok properties made the cut — the legendary Mandarin Oriental Bangkok (No 10) and brand new entry Aman Nai Lert (No 48). Meanwhile, Hong Kong has proven it is a global capital of hospitality with consistent top-notcher Upper House Hong Kong (No 8) remaining in the top 10 and The Peninsula Hong Kong (No 46) joining the ranks. “The past four years have been amazing for us. People know a lot more about the Upper House and how individual we are as a brand. Long may it continue,” said Simon McHendry, general manager of Upper House.
Similar to previous editions, Tokyo is one of the biggest winning cities with four hotels making waves: Aman Tokyo (No 11), Bulgari Tokyo (No 24), Patina Osaka (No 33) — also the recipient of the Nikka Best New Hotel Award — and Park Hyatt Kyoto (No 37).
Singapore’s grande dame, Raffles Singapore, placed 17th this year and remains the Lion City’s only representative, although Capella Singapore broke into the extended list at 97th place.
As a continent, Europe surpassed Asia in this edition with 21 hotels featured in The 50 Best Hotels 2026. The rankings are led by Italy and France, which both have six properties, and followed by the UK with four. Several of the individual awards were given to the finest properties in the region: Hotel du Couvent in Nice (No 38) received the Johnnie Walker Art of Design Award, while the old-world Badrutt’s Palace in St Moritz, Switzerland (No 36) was honoured with the SeiBellissimi Art of Hospitality Award. The Lavazza Highest New Entry Award went to Casa Maria Luigia (No18) in Modena, a 12-room creative bolthole owned by lauded chef Massimo Bottura. “Our hotel is part of our trajectory that was first set out at Osteria Francescana. It is about inviting people to the Emilian countryside to experience the food culture, opera, car culture, and also the amazing contemporary art in our region,” said his wife and owner Lara Gilmore.
A NEW ERA
Now in its fourth year, the hotel list is the newest addition to the 50 Best family created by William Reed. Formerly known as 50 Best, the global authority behind some of hospitality’s most closely watched rankings has unveiled a new name, logo and visual identity just a week ago. It now brings its restaurants, bars, hotels and vineyards under a single banner called The 50.
So what makes a hotel worthy of the top spot? The 50 famously avoids a fixed set of criteria, leaving the selection to the 800-plus-strong Academy. The anonymous voting body spans seasoned travellers, hoteliers, educators and journalists from around the world, selected by regional Academy Chairs to ensure geographic diversity and an equal gender split.
CNA
