There is an Italian hotel among the world’s top five: the Boot secures a prominent place in the new ranking dedicated to the planet’s best hotel properties. The protagonists of international hospitality are crowned by The 50 Best Hotels 2026, unveiled on the evening of September 15 in Paris.
What decides who earns a spot on the list isn’t just any jury: there are over 800 experts from around the world, including travel journalists, hoteliers and seasoned luxury travelers. To express their judgments they must have stayed at the hotels voted on in the last three years, and each person can indicate seven preferences, in order of preference. A system based on direct experience, with anonymous voting and a process independently verified by Deloitte.
The crown is primarily won by Asia, but the ranking also delivers great satisfaction to Europe (leading with 21 hotels awarded) and to the Bel Paese: 6 Italian hotels enter the world’s top 50 of the best hotels in the world (and a further 9 have already placed in positions 51-100), tied with France.
The world’s best hotel is in Hong Kong
To claim the title of World’s Best Hotel 2026 is the Rosewood Hong Kong, which also earns the distinction of Best Hotel in Asia. The property thus confirms its excellence. It was already first in 2025, but its history in the rankings is even more interesting: it was second in 2023 and third in 2024, before reaching the top last year.
Overlooking Victoria Harbour, the Rosewood Hong Kong rises across 43 floors with 413 rooms and suites. It also hosts 12 restaurants and lounges, the wellness concept Asaya, and the Manor Club, in a complex designed to fuse contemporary luxury, art and the city’s identity.
Behind it, positions shift: Capella Bangkok rises from third to second, overtaking Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, which slides from second to third. A small podium revolution, then, but with the same three protagonists as last year.
The 6 Italian hotels among the world’s best
There are as many as six Italian properties in the top 50 of 2026, spread across some of the country’s most prestigious destinations. Italy sits alongside France as the country with the most hotels on this distinguished annual ranking.
The best result belongs to Passalacqua: fifth overall and first in Europe, also earning the Best Boutique Hotel prize. It is located in Moltrasio, a romantic village on Lake Como, in a sumptuous 18th-century aristocratic villa transformed into a hotel with just 24 rooms and suites distributed between the main villa, the Palazzo and the Casa al Lago. What makes it special are particularly the terraced gardens that slope down to the water, the private pier, and interiors rich with frescoes, marbles and antique details.
In the 12th place we find the Four Seasons Firenze, in the heart of the Tuscan capital. Its standout feature? It is housed in two Renaissance palaces and surrounded by the Giardino della Gherardesca, one of the city’s largest private gardens, with ancient trees, statues, fountains and even a swimming pool immersed in greenery. A surprisingly quiet corner just a short walk from the Cathedral.
The great Italian surprise is Casa Maria Luigia in Modena, which enters directly at the 18th place and also earns the Lavazza Highest New Entry prize, awarded to the highest new entry in the ranking. It is located in the countryside of San Damaso, on the outskirts of Modena, and represents the intimate home created by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore: an eighteenth-century countryside house transformed into a secluded retreat where contemporary art, vinyl records, Emilian products and haute cuisine live under the same roof.
It sits at the 32nd place, Bulgari Roma, which slips ten positions from its 22nd place last year. At 39th appears Portrait Milano, making its first appearance in the ranking. This latter, in particular, is a former 16th-century seminary in the Quadrilatero della Moda, transformed into a contemporary hotel with 73 rooms and suites and a large internal square that for decades had remained hidden from the city.
And the Italian top 50 closes with San Domenico Palace in Taormina, also a new entry in The 50 Best Hotels. Overlooking the Ionian Sea from the top of a cliff, it originated from the transformation of a 14th-century Dominican convent and still preserves cloisters, frescoes and Italianate gardens. Its most iconic image, however, is the 21-meter infinity pool suspended on the cliff, with the sea seemingly continuing to infinity beyond the edge.
But Italy’s presence does not stop at the top 50: there are 15 Italian hotels in total in the world’s top 100. In addition to the six already mentioned, another 9 appear between ranks 51 and 100, with five being new entries entirely: San Pietro in Positano at 58%, Splendido in Portofino at 60%, Castiglion del Bosco (Montalcino) at 62%, Orient Express La Minerva in Rome at 66%, Forestis Dolomites (Bressanone) at 68%, Borgo Santandrea (Amalfi) at 84%, Borgo Egnazia (Savelletri) at 88%, Villa Treville (Positano) at 91% and Reschio (Lisciano Niccone) at 95%.
The complete ranking of the 50 best hotels
Beyond the podium lie other world-class hospitality exemplars: in fourth place rises Atlantis The Royal in Dubai, which is also recognized as the best hotel in the Middle East and best beachfront hotel.
After the top five, the ranking continues with a strong Asian and European presence. Among other special recognitions stand out Chablé Yucatán, ninth and best hotel in North America, Capella Sydney, 16th and best hotel in Oceania, and Royal Mansour Marrakech, 26th and best hotel in Africa.
Here is the complete top 50 of the best hotels in the world 2026:
- Rosewood Hong Kong – Hong Kong;
- Capella Bangkok – Bangkok;
- Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – Bangkok;
- Atlantis The Royal – Dubai;
- Passalacqua – Lake Como, Italy;
- Rosewood São Paulo – São Paulo, Brazil;
- Mandarin Oriental Qianmen – Beijing;
- Upper House Hong Kong – Hong Kong;
- Chablé Yucatán – Chocholá, Mexico;
- Mandarin Oriental Bangkok – Bangkok;
- Aman Tokyo – Tokyo;
- Four Seasons Firenze – Florence, Italy;
- Claridge’s – London;
- Hôtel de Crillon – Paris;
- Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab – Dubai;
- Capella Sydney – Sydney;
- Raffles Singapore – Singapore;
- Casa Maria Luigia – Modena, Italy;
- Le Bristol – Paris;
- Cheval Blanc Paris – Paris;
- Desa Potato Head – Bali;
- San Ysidro Ranch – Santa Barbara, United States;
- One&Only Mandarina – Riviera Nayarit, Mexico;
- Bulgari Tokyo – Tokyo;
- Las Ventanas al Paraíso – Los Cabos, Mexico;
- Royal Mansour – Marrakech, Morocco;
- Four Seasons Astir Palace – Athens;
- Raffles London at The OWO – London;
- Copacabana Palace – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
- The Taj Mahal Palace – Mumbai;
- The Peninsula Istanbul – Istanbul;
- Bulgari Roma – Rome, Italy;
- Patina Osaka – Osaka, Japan;
- Mount Nelson – Cape Town, South Africa;
- Nihi Sumba – Sumba Island, Indonesia;
- Badrutt’s Palace – St. Moritz, Switzerland;
- Park Hyatt Kyoto – Kyoto, Japan;
- Hôtel du Couvent – Nice, France;
- Portrait Milano – Milan, Italy;
- Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo – Monaco;
- Plaza Athénée – Paris;
- Hotel Sacher Vienna – Vienna, Austria;
- Estelle Manor – Witney, United Kingdom;
- Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc – Antibes, France;
- Amangiri – Canyon Point, United States;
- The Peninsula Hong Kong – Hong Kong;
- Maroma – Riviera Maya, Mexico;
- Aman Nai Lert – Bangkok;
- The Connaught – London;
- San Domenico Palace – Taormina, Italy.
