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Each year the 50 Best Hotels list is hotly anticipated amongst hotel editors. Not only do the awards offer insight into which brands are leading the charge (Rosewood, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, Peninsula – we’re looking at you), but they can sometimes signal sea changes.
This year’s list was particularly Asia-heavy, with 18 of the top 50 hotels being located across the continent, seven of which were in the top 10. Rosewood Hong Kong claims the top spot for the second year in a row, while positions two and three went to hotels in Bangkok (Capella and Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River).
Four London hotels appear on the list, and overall, city boltholes were represented more than island resorts and remote outposts. Europe as a whole took 21 of the awards.
Now four years old, The 50 Best Hotels is determined by a panel of more than 800 hoteliers, travel journalists, educators and experienced travellers, with Deloitte independently adjudicating the results.
Here are the hotels our editors have personally visited from the list and would return to time and again.
Mandarin Oriental Qianmen
Beijing, China
Integrated into a quiet Beijing neighbourhood, rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Qianmen (number 6 on the 50 Best Hotels 2026 list) are accessed via a network of alleyways called hutongs. These old homes have been transformed into 42 courtyard suites that respect the historical architecture but plump for contemporary design with a Chinese flair.
Your neighbours are the locals, playing mahjong on the street, selling fruit, bustling around on mopeds. Buggies cart guests back to rooms after a few cocktails at TIAO bar or for transformative Chaozhou/Cantonese food at the Michelin-starred Yan Garden restaurant – but exploring on foot is the best way to experience this unique gem. Samuel Mathewson
Read Sam’s full review of Mandarin Oriental Qianmen here
Four Seasons Firenze
Florence, Italy
The word “resplendent” springs to mind when I recall my visit to Four Seasons Firenze, which appears at number 12 on the 50 Best Hotels 2026 list. There’s no quiet luxury here, more in-your-face, all-out decadence, and I’m here for it. Housed in a former Medici palace – the famed family who owned so much of Florence in the 15th century – the property has been meticulously renovated and features original Renaissance frescoes and bas-relief art in the public spaces, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant and 121 rooms decorated with velvet, gold leaf panelling, deeply veined marble and antiques.
The gardens, the largest private gardens in the city, are a work of art, with pristine lawns, coiffed hedgerows, and mature trees concealing marble statues, a sun-soaked pool with striped loungers and parasols, and an adjacent spa. And one of the best bits? It’s situated just a 15-minute walk from the city’s beating heart. Assistant travel editor, Emilee Tombs
Read more: I discovered the real Florence through its hidden frescoes
Capella Sydney
Sydney, Australia
Capella felt distinctly different to other places I stayed in Sydney. Its beautifully restored Edwardian Baroque government building stands out among the CBD’s skyscrapers, office blocks and high-rise hotels. The heritage architecture, original marble stairways and floors, Aboriginal artworks and contemporary installations give Capella the feel of a living museum.
The location is unrivalled, but the contemporary, luxurious rooms, along with the Auriga Spa’s tranquil indoor pool and sauna facilities, make it hard to leave. Capella's “culturalists” offer tailored recommendations and memorable experiences, while the hotel's excellent restaurants and drinking holes are the cherries on top. Daisy Lester
Read Daisy’s full review of Capella Sydney here
Read more: 7 of the best hotels in Sydney, according to our travel experts
Royal Mansour
Marrakech, Morocco
Marrakech, a city that has captured the hearts of artists and designers for decades, is also home to number 33 on the 50 Best Hotels 2026 list and quite possibly the only one whose design was overseen by an actual King, Mohammed VI.
Discreet luxury is the name of the game here, with each of the 53 baked-earth riads (the hotel is designed to look like a traditional medina square) boasting a private courtyard and rooftop plunge pool. Call on your personal butler, and they will appear in your courtyard – the riads are served by a series of underground tunnels, allowing staff to ferry around unnoticed – with anything your heart desires, from mint tea served in a traditional hammered silver teapot, to a pair of custom-made leather sliders. The riads sit within six acres of lush gardens of date palms and fragrant honeysuckle, rose and orange blossom, the smell of which I can remember even nine years after I stayed there.
Every inch of the hotel is fit for royalty, with jewel-toned zellige tiles, mirrored mosaics, sumptuous velvet furnishings, and traditional Tazouaqt wood paintings. There’s a decadent marble-clad spa, and for dining, guests can enjoy Massimiliano Alajmo’s Italian fare at Sesamo, while at La Grande Table Marocaine, Hélène Darroze is behind the pass. Make a beeline for the pool bar, where guests can slip on custom-made leather sliders and recline with a glass of Provencal rosé. Assistant travel editor, Emilee Tombs
Nihi Sumba
Sumba, Indonesia
Watching Nihi Sumba’s horses gallop across the golden sands of the resort is a truly remarkable sight – but this spectacle is just one of the elements that make this hotel so special. On the island of Sumba in eastern Indonesia, roughly an hour’s flight from Bali, this resort (number 35 on the list) gets everything just right, yet is wonderfully understated. The location is exquisite, the service flawless, and the villas blend in beautifully with the surroundings, making you feel immersed in Sumba’s wilderness.
The spa is the best I’ve ever visited, reached by a short drive across the island (or preferably by foot or on horseback), with treatments delivered while you look out across the Indian Ocean. Sumba also provided some of the best surfing I’ve ever experienced, with a reef break serving up challenging yet manageable waves that are perfect for amateurs. Global travel editor, Annabel Grossman
Read Annabel’s full review of Nihi Sumba here
