“The World’s 50 Best” has historically published rankings of the world’s best restaurants and the world’s best bars, and the rankings have always been highly respected by their respective industries and the public.

In 2023, the organization started publishing annual rankings of the world’s best hotels. While it’s not worth putting too much weight into these kinds of rankings, it’s still always interesting to take a look, and the latest list has just been published.

”The World’s 50 Best Hotels” List for 2026

The World’s 50 Best Hotels list has just been released for 2026. Here’s the full list, with each property’s 2025 ranking noted where applicable:

  1. Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong (2025: #1)
  2. Capella Bangkok, Thailand (2025: #3)
  3. Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Thailand (2025: #2)
  4. Atlantis The Royal Dubai, UAE (2025: #6)
  5. Passalacqua Lake Como, Italy (2025: #4)
  6. Rosewood São Paulo, Brazil (2025: #24)
  7. Mandarin Oriental Qianmen Beijing, China (2025: #14)
  8. Upper House Hong Kong, Hong Kong (2025: #10)
  9. Chablé Yucatán Chocholá, Mexico (2025: #8)
  10. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Thailand (2025: #7)
  11. Aman Tokyo, Japan (2025: #25)
  12. Four Seasons Florence, Italy (2025: #9)
  13. Claridge’s London, United Kingdom (2025: #16)
  14. Hôtel de Crillon Paris, France (2025: #23)
  15. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab Dubai, UAE (2025: #20)
  16. Capella Sydney, Australia (2025: #12)
  17. Raffles Singapore, Singapore (2025: #5)
  18. Casa Maria Luigia Modena, Italy (2025: #18)
  19. Le Bristol Paris, France (2025: #19)
  20. Cheval Blanc Paris, France (2025: #21)
  21. Desa Potato Head Bali, Indonesia (2025: #18)
  22. San Ysidro Ranch Santa Barbara, United States (2025: not ranked)
  23. One&Only Mandarina Riviera Nayarit, Mexico (2025: #39)
  24. Bulgari Tokyo, Japan (2025: #15)
  25. Las Ventanas al Paraíso Los Cabos, Mexico (2025: #44)
  26. Royal Mansour Marrakech, Morocco (2025: #13)
  27. Four Seasons Astir Palace Athens, Greece (2025: #17)
  28. Raffles London at The OWO, United Kingdom (2025: #31)
  29. Copacabana Palace Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2025: #11)
  30. The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai, India (2025: #38)
  31. The Peninsula Istanbul, Türkiye (2025: not ranked)
  32. Bulgari Rome, Italy (2025: #22)
  33. Patina Osaka, Japan (2025: not ranked)
  34. Mount Nelson Cape Town, South Africa (2025: not ranked)
  35. Nihi Sumba, Indonesia (2025: not ranked)
  36. Badrutt’s Palace St. Moritz, Switzerland (2025: not ranked)
  37. Park Hyatt Kyoto, Japan (2025: not ranked)
  38. Hôtel du Couvent Nice, France (2025: #27)
  39. Portrait Milano, Italy (2025: not ranked)
  40. Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Monaco (2025: #36)
  41. Plaza Athénée Paris, France (2025: not ranked)
  42. Hotel Sacher Vienna, Austria (2025: #49)
  43. Estelle Manor Witney, United Kingdom (2025: #47)
  44. Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc Antibes, France (2025: not ranked)
  45. Amangiri Canyon Point, United States (2025: not ranked)
  46. The Peninsula Hong Kong, Hong Kong (2025: not ranked)
  47. Maroma Riviera Maya, Mexico (2025: #33)
  48. Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, Thailand (2025: not ranked)
  49. The Connaught London, United Kingdom (2025: #29)
  50. San Domenico Palace Taormina, Italy (2025: not ranked)

Exterior of Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River along the waterfront Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

14 properties on the list weren’t ranked in 2025, which means 14 properties fell off the list this year. Here are the hotels that dropped out, along with their 2025 rankings:

  • Hotel Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole, Italy (2025: #26)
  • Soneva Fushi, Maldives (2025: #28)
  • La Mamounia, Marrakech, Morocco (2025: #30)
  • The Emory, London, United Kingdom (2025: #32)
  • The Calile, Brisbane, Australia (2025: #34)
  • The Lana, Dubai, UAE (2025: #35)
  • Singita Kruger National Park, South Africa (2025: #40)
  • Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Hong Kong (2025: #41)
  • Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, United States (2025: #42)
  • The Mark, New York, United States (2025: #43)
  • The Tokyo EDITION Toranomon, Japan (2025: #45)
  • Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, Japan (2025: #46)
  • Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, Croatia (2025: #48)
  • Mandapa, Bali, Indonesia (2025: #50)

Interior view of the Tokyo EDITION Toranomon hotel The Tokyo EDITION Toranomon

It’s also worth noting the top-ranked hotel in each continent:

  • Asia: Rosewood Hong Kong (#1)
  • Europe: Passalacqua (#5)
  • South America: Rosewood São Paulo (#6)
  • North America: Chablé Yucatán Chocholá (#9)
  • Oceania: Capella Sydney (#16)
  • Africa: Royal Mansour Marrakech (#26)

Rosewood Hong Kong hotel exterior overlooking Victoria Harbour Rosewood Hong Kong

Asia and Europe clearly dominate, accounting for the vast majority of the top-ranked properties.

How the Top Hotel Rankings Are Decided

Whenever you see a list like this, a logical question is what methodology is used. There’s no perfect way to rank hotels, but the organization deserves credit for putting serious thought into how it goes about this and being transparent about it.

The list is created by The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy, which comprises more than 800 members, each selected for their expert opinion of the international hotel scene, with a 50/50 gender balance. The panel consists of 40% travel journalists, 30% hoteliers, and 30% seasoned luxury travelers. A minimum of 25% of the panel is renewed every year.

The globe is divided into 13 geographical regions, each with a chairperson appointed for their knowledge of that area’s hotel landscape. These chairs select a voting panel consisting of hoteliers, journalists, and experienced luxury travelers.

Each member has seven votes and must list the top seven hotels they have stayed at in the past two years, in order of preference. They must have spent at least one night at each property. Press trips, complimentary room nights, and stays achieved through loyalty schemes are all valid for consideration. Each voter can only list up to three hotels within the same hotel group. Beyond that, the criteria for what makes a hotel worthy is entirely open-ended — voters can choose whatever properties they deem best.

Graphic outlining the voting criteria for The World's 50 Best Hotels list The voting methodology used for hotels

Thoughts on the World’s Top Hotel Rankings

These kinds of lists are always enjoyable to browse, though they’re best treated as a collection of 50 great hotels rather than a definitive ranked order of the world’s best. Comparing Passalacqua to Atlantis The Royal, for instance, is not a reasonable exercise — they offer completely different experiences.

It is somewhat surprising that the top four hotels are all city properties, given that many travelers find world-class resorts more compelling than even the finest urban hotels.

There are some inherent limitations worth keeping in mind:

  • Voters are limited to hotels they’ve stayed at within the past two years, which naturally caps how many properties any one person can meaningfully evaluate
  • Hotels often make deliberate pushes to invite travel journalists, partly in hopes of appearing on lists like this, which can skew which properties get attention
  • Luxury hotels with hundreds of rooms can accommodate far more media guests than small boutique properties with a dozen rooms, giving larger hotels a structural advantage

The sheer range of properties on this list — from the 24-room Passalacqua to the 795-room Atlantis The Royal — does highlight just how difficult direct comparisons really are.

One notable absence: there isn’t a single Airelles property on the list. The brand operates small, high-demand properties, many of which are open only seasonally, making it difficult for the voting committee to accumulate enough stays there to give the brand fair consideration.

Exterior view of the Four Seasons Hotel Florence Four Seasons Florence

One real downside of rankings like this is their effect on pricing and availability. When a hotel is crowned “the best in the world,” demand spikes accordingly, and rates tend to follow. For cost-conscious travelers, that’s worth keeping in mind before booking a stay at any property near the top of this list — the ranking comes with a premium that may have little to do with the actual value on offer.