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Cape Town’s Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, has returned to The World’s 50 Best Hotels at No.34, while South African-born hotelier James McBride has been named the recipient of the SevenRooms Icon Award.

The 2026 ranking was announced at an awards ceremony at Les Salles du Carrousel in Paris on 15 September, marking the first time the event has been held outside London. The list recognises 50 hotels across 22 destinations and six continents.

At the top of the ranking, Rosewood Hong Kong retains the No.1 position for the second consecutive year.

Mount Nelson returns to the Top 50

Cape Town’s historic Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, returns to the ranking at No.34, making it one of only two African hotels included in the 2026 Top 50.

Opened in 1899, the hotel is located beneath Table Mountain and is known for its historic architecture, extensive gardens and long association with Cape Town’s luxury hospitality scene.

Mount Nelson previously ranked No.28 in the 2024 edition of The World’s 50 Best Hotels.

South African-born hotelier James McBride honoured

A second South African connection comes through James McBride, the South African-born Co-Founder and CEO of Nihi Hotels, who has received the SevenRooms Icon Award.

McBride has more than 35 years of experience in the international luxury hotel industry. He began his career with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company before holding senior leadership positions at a number of international luxury properties.

In 2012, McBride partnered with entrepreneur Christopher Burch to acquire Nihiwatu on Indonesia’s Sumba Island. The property was subsequently transformed into Nihi Sumba, centred on an “Edge of Wildness” philosophy combining luxury hospitality with the island’s natural environment and culture.
Nihi Sumba ranks No.35 in the 2026 list, having re-entered the Top 50. Its sister property, Nihi Rote, opened in southeastern Indonesia in 2026.

Rosewood Hong Kong retains No.1

At No.1, Rosewood Hong Kong has once again been named The World’s Best Hotel, following its No.1 position in 2025 and No.3 ranking in 2024.

The 65-storey hotel opened in 2019 and was designed by Taiwanese designer Tony Chi. It has 413 rooms and suites, 11 restaurants and bars, and the multi-level Asaya wellness centre.
Rosewood Hong Kong is also named The Best Hotel in Asia.

According to The 50, the 2026 ranking reflects a diverse global hotel landscape, with Asia retaining a strong presence towards the top of the list while Europe accounts for the largest number of ranked properties.

Asia

Asia accounts for 18 hotels in the 2026 Top 50, with Bangkok particularly well represented.

Capella Bangkok ranks No.2, followed by Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River at No.3. The Thai capital also features Mandarin Oriental Bangkok at No.10 and new entry Aman Nai Lert at No.48.

Hong Kong has three hotels in the ranking: Rosewood Hong Kong at No.1, Upper House Hong Kong at No.8 and The Peninsula Hong Kong at No.46.

Japan contributes four properties: Aman Tokyo at No.11, Bulgari Tokyo at No.24, Patina Osaka at No.33 and Park Hyatt Kyoto at No.37.

Patina Osaka also receives the Nikka Best New Hotel Award.

Elsewhere in Asia, Raffles Singapore ranks No.17, while The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai rises eight places to No.30. Indonesia is represented by Desa Potato Head at No.21 and Nihi Sumba at No.35.

Middle East

Atlantis The Royal in Dubai ranks No.4 and receives both the Best Hotel in the Middle East and Best Beach Hotel awards.

Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is ranked No.15.

Europe

Europe is the most represented region in the 2026 ranking, with 21 hotels in the Top 50.

Italy and France each contribute six properties, while the United Kingdom has four. Austria, Greece, Monaco, Switzerland and Türkiye each have one.

Italy’s Passalacqua, overlooking Lake Como, is the highest-ranked European hotel at No.5 and receives the Best Boutique Hotel Award for the third consecutive year.

Other Italian entries are Four Seasons Firenze at No.12, Casa Maria Luigia at No.18, Bulgari Roma at No.32, Portrait Milano at No.39 and San Domenico Palace at No.50.

In France, Hôtel de Crillon rises nine places to No.14, while Le Bristol ranks No.19, Cheval Blanc Paris No.20 and new entry Plaza Athénée No.41. Hôtel du Couvent in Nice ranks No.38 and receives the Johnnie Walker Art of Design Award.

The United Kingdom is represented by Claridge’s at No.13, Raffles London at The OWO at No.28, Estelle Manor at No.43 and The Connaught at No.49.

Africa

Africa has two hotels in the 2026 Top 50: Royal Mansour in Marrakech at No.26, named The Best Hotel in Africa, and Cape Town’s Mount Nelson at No.34.

The Americas and Oceania

North America has six hotels in the ranking, with Mexico contributing four: Chablé Yucatán at No.9, One&Only Mandarina at No.23, Las Ventanas al Paraíso at No.25 and Maroma at No.47.

Chablé Yucatán also receives the Bombay Sapphire Eco Hotel Award, following an assessment of its sustainability initiatives conducted in partnership with the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
The United States has two new entries: San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara at No.22 and Amangiri at No.45.

South America is represented by two Brazilian properties. Rosewood São Paulo rises 18 places to No.6 and is named The Best Hotel in South America, while Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro ranks No.29.

Australia’s Capella Sydney, at No.16, is the sole representative from Oceania and is named The Best Hotel in Oceania.

Special awards

Alongside the main ranking, The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026 presented a series of awards recognising hotels, hotel groups and individuals.

Nikka Best New Hotel Award: Patina Osaka Osaka, Japan
SevenRooms Icon Award: James McBride Nihi Hotels
Bombay Sapphire Eco Hotel Award: Chablé Yucatán Chocholá, Mexico
Best Beach Hotel Award: Atlantis The Royal Dubai, UAE
Best Boutique Hotel Award: Passalacqua Lake Como, Italy
Ferrari Trento Most Admired Hotel Group Award: Rosewood International
WhistlePig Highest Climber Award: Las Ventanas al Paraíso Los Cabos, Mexico
Lavazza Highest New Entry Award: Casa Maria Luigia Modena, Italy
Johnnie Walker Art of Design Award: Hôtel du Couvent Nice, France
SeiBellissimi Art of Hospitality Award: Badrutt’s Palace St. Moritz, Switzerland
American Express Travel One to Watch Award: The Fifth Avenue Hotel New York, USA

The Ferrari Trento Most Admired Hotel Group Award: went to Rosewood, recognising initiatives and innovations introduced by the group over the previous three years.

Chablé Yucatán’s sustainability programme includes solar energy generation, efforts to eliminate plastic water bottles, produce cultivated in traditional Mayan ka’anche gardens and initiatives supporting local biodiversity.

How the ranking works

The World’s 50 Best Hotels ranking is determined by an Academy of more than 800 anonymous experts from the global travel and hospitality community.

Academy members include hoteliers, travel journalists, hotel educators, business travellers and experienced luxury travellers. The Academy is divided into 13 geographical regions, with Academy Chairs selecting voting panels for their respective regions.

Each voter selects seven hotels they have personally stayed at during the three-year voting period and ranks them in order of preference. Voters may choose hotels anywhere in the world, regardless of their home region.

The voting process is confidential and conducted through a secure platform. At least 25% of the Academy panel is renewed each year, while voters other than Academy Chairs remain anonymous.

Deloitte acts as the official independent adjudicator, with access to the voting process and data to perform procedures designed to verify the integrity and authenticity of the process and resulting list.

The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026: Full List

1 Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2 Capella Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand
3 Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River Bangkok, Thailand
4 Atlantis The Royal Dubai, UAE
5 Passalacqua Lake Como, Italy
6 Rosewood São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
7 Mandarin Oriental Qianmen Beijing, China
8 Upper House Hong Kong Hong Kong
9 Chablé Yucatán Chocholá, Mexico
10 Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand
11 Aman Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
12 Four Seasons Firenze Florence, Italy
13 Claridge’s London, UK
14 Hôtel de Crillon Paris, France
15 Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab Dubai, UAE
16 Capella Sydney Sydney, Australia
17 Raffles Singapore Singapore
18 Casa Maria Luigia Modena, Italy
19 Le Bristol Paris, France
20 Cheval Blanc Paris Paris, France
21 Desa Potato Head Bali, Indonesia
22 San Ysidro Ranch Santa Barbara, USA
23 One&Only Mandarina Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
24 Bulgari Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
25 Las Ventanas al Paraíso Los Cabos, Mexico
26 Royal Mansour Marrakech, Morocco
27 Four Seasons Astir Palace Athens, Greece
28 Raffles London at The OWO London, UK
29 Copacabana Palace Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
30 The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai, India
31 The Peninsula Istanbul Istanbul, Türkiye
32 Bulgari Roma Rome, Italy
33 Patina Osaka Osaka, Japan
34 Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel Cape Town, South Africa
35 Nihi Sumba Sumba Island, Indonesia
36 Badrutt’s Palace St. Moritz, Switzerland
37 Park Hyatt Kyoto Kyoto, Japan
38 Hôtel du Couvent Nice, France
39 Portrait Milano Milan, Italy
40 Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo Monaco
41 Plaza Athénée Paris, France
42 Hotel Sacher Vienna Vienna, Austria
43 Estelle Manor Witney, UK
44 Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc Antibes, France
45 Amangiri Canyon Point, USA
46 The Peninsula Hong Kong Hong Kong
47 Maroma Riviera Maya, Mexico
48 Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, Thailand
49 The Connaught London, UK
50 San Domenico Palace Taormina, Italy

Source: The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026, announced at the awards ceremony in Paris on 15 September 2026. The World’s 50 Best Hotels