Every year, the experts at The 50 – previously known as 50 Best – release a major ranking of the planet’s very best places to stay. And, for the second year running, Rosewood Hong Kong has topped the list for 2026.
This ultra-luxury tower-block hotel offers the gold standard in hospitality, according to The 50. The hotel ‘commands an enviable waterfront location on Victoria Harbour’ and comes complete with Michelin-starred dining, a ‘superb’ wellness offering and even sculptures by Damien Hirst.
The runners-up
The silver went to Capella Bangkok, up one place from last year’s ranking. stayed at Capella Bangkok during its reigning year, describing it as feeling like ‘retreating to your own luxury city penthouse’. Read ’s review of Capella Bangkok here.
In third was the hotel right next door, Four Seasons Bangkok, which shares the same private driveway and Chao Phraya River views. Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal – an iconic part of the city’s futuristic skyline – came in fourth, while 2023 winner Passalacqua in Lake Como rounded out the top five.
How is the list decided?
The annual ranking is decided by a panel of over 800 international travel experts, including hoteliers, travel journalists and experienced luxury travellers. This panel, divided into 13 geographic regions, is completely anonymous. Each member casts their votes in order of preference, and the awards are handed out at a lavish ceremony every year; this time, the event took place in Paris’s Les Salles du Carousel.
The world’s 50 best hotels in 2026
Find the full list of this year’s winners below.
1. Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2. Capella Bangkok, Bangkok
3. Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok
4. Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
5. Passalacqua, Lake Como
6. Rosewood São Paulo, São Paulo
7. Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing
8. Upper House Hong Kong, Hong Kong
9. Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá
10. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Bangkok
11. Aman Tokyo, Tokyo
12. Four Seasons Firenze, Florence
13. Claridge’s, London
14. Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
15. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai
16. Capella Sydney, Sydney
17. Raffles Singapore, Singapore
18. Casa Maria Luigia, Modena
19. Le Bristol, Paris
20. Cheval Blanc Paris, Paris
21. Desa Potato Head, Bali
22. San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara
23. One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit
24. Bulgari Tokyo, Tokyo
25. Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Los Cabos
26. Royal Mansour, Marrakech
27. Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens
28. Raffles London at The OWO, London
29. Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro
30. The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
31. The Peninsula Istanbul, Istanbul
32. Bulgari Roma, Rome
33. Patina Osaka, Osaka
34. Mount Nelson, Cape Town
35. Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island
36. Badrutt’s Palace, St. Moritz
37. Park Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto
38. Hôtel du Couvent, Nice
39. Portrait Milano, Milan
40. Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Monaco
41. Plaza Athénée, Paris
42. Hotel Sacher Vienna, Vienna
43. Estelle Manor, Witney
44. Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes
45. Amangiri, Canyon Point
46. The Peninsula Hong Kong, Hong Kong
47. Maroma, Riviera Maya
48. Aman Nai Lert, Bangkok
49. The Connaught, London
50. San Domenico Palace, Taormina
Read the full list on The 50’s website.
Many of the winners, including Cape Town’s Mount Nelson and Paris’s Le Bristol, feature on ’s list of the world’s most beautiful hotels.
ICYMI: This is officially the world’s coolest neighbourhood in 2026, according to .
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