Pack your Hermès Birkin and book first class. Here are the world’s best luxury hotels to visit in 2026, curated for travelers who collect hotels like works of art.
This is not a ranking driven by algorithms or awards alone, but a deliberately curated, subjective Pursuitist list shaped by the perspectives of seasoned travel insiders who visit the world’s best hotels.
This list is intentionally selective and unapologetically subjective. It reflects the collective judgment of travel editors and contributors who spend much of the year inside the world’s most exceptional hotels, observing how they evolve, where they excel, and which ones continue to set the hospitality standard rather than chase it.
How This List Works
Every year, hundreds of “world’s best” rankings appear and the noise can be deafening. For this Pursuitist spotlight, we treated those lists as raw material and then relied on what truly matters: timeless design, confident service, destination-worthy dining, and the kind of atmosphere that lingers long after checkout.
We asked one simple question:
If you could check into only ten hotels on earth in 2026, where would you go?
Here’s the answer: ten amazing properties that define contemporary luxury right now—places where the setting, the experiences, and the hospitality are all in rare alignment.
1. Rosewood Hong Kong – Hong Kong
The sky palace on Victoria Harbour.
Rosewood Hong Kong rises above the Victoria Dockside arts district in Tsim Sha Tsui, a sculpted tower that feels like the capital city of luxury travel. Inside, 413 rooms and suites frame sweeping views of the skyline and harbor through floor-to-ceiling windows. Marble baths, walk-in closets, curated art and residential-style furnishings make each space feel like a high-rise private estate rather than a standard hotel room.
The hotel’s restaurants and bars form a self-contained culinary neighborhood: refined Cantonese dining with harbor views, an Italian trattoria with an almost seaside ease, jewel-box patisserie salons, a smoke-kissed steakhouse, and DarkSide, the sultry cocktail bar where live jazz and rare spirits carry the night. Asaya, the vast wellness floor, brings together serious fitness, restorative spa rituals, and a palm-framed pool terrace that stares straight at Hong Kong Island.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- Suites that function as sky-high city residences, complete with dressing rooms and deep soaking tubs.
- A museum-level art collection and cultural programming that plug guests directly into Hong Kong’s creative energy.
- A constant sense of theater: from the harbor-view lobby to the last nightcap, every moment feels like a scene.
Pursuitist moment: Sliding into a velvet seat at DarkSide for a time-themed cocktail while the skyline glows outside the windows.
2. Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok’s riverside playground.
Bangkok has become luxury hospitality’s favorite laboratory, and Four Seasons is its grand riverside showpiece. The property stretches along the Chao Phraya in the city’s creative district, a sequence of reflecting pools, sculpted courtyards and palm-lined walkways that pull you toward the water. Interiors by Jean-Michel Gathy and Denniston give the hotel a gallery-like calm, animated by the river just beyond the glass.
Inside, 299 rooms and suites float above the gardens or river, with big windows, sculptural tubs and a sleek, contemporary palette. Terraced pools step down toward the water, creating an urban resort where you can spend an entire day moving between cabana, pool and bar without a hint of city stress.
The hotel is a culinary and cocktail hub: a jewel-box Cantonese restaurant, a breezy Thai terrace directly on the river, a confident Italian dining room and BKK Social Club—Bangkok’s answer to a glamorous Latin speakeasy—for serious drinks in a Deco-inspired setting. The spa and wellness complex, with hydrotherapy and strong movement programming, quietly undoes whatever damage the night before may have caused.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- Effortless pivot between resort calm and Bangkok’s electric nightlife with a short boat or car ride.
- Architecture and landscaping built around water and light; the entire property turns golden at dusk.
- Four Seasons service at its smoothest—polished, intuitive and relaxed.
Pursuitist moment: Watching long-tail boats drift past as you float in the riverfront pool, then dressing up for martinis and jazz at BKK Social Club before a late Thai supper.
3. Capella Bangkok – Bangkok, Thailand
Boutique soul on the River of Kings.
A short stroll along the river from Four Seasons, Capella is its more intimate, romantic cousin. The low-rise resort sits directly on the Chao Phraya with just 101 suites and villas, each one angled toward the water. Floor-to-ceiling windows, private verandas, soft silks and bespoke furniture lend the rooms a cocooning, residential feel. Several riverside villas offer plunge pools hidden behind lush foliage, so you get full-blown island fantasy without leaving the city.
Auriga Wellness, the spa, wraps treatment rooms around river views and leans into traditional healing—from herbal compress massages to sound baths and meditation. The pool curves along the riverbank, framed by tropical gardens and daybeds that tend to swallow entire afternoons.
Capella’s secret ingredient is its team of “Culturists,” the in-house insiders who design tailored experiences: hidden-shophouse food crawls, private long-tail explorations of old canals, gallery visits, temple tours at the quietest hours.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- True small-scale intimacy in a megacity: with only 101 keys, staff quickly know your rhythms and preferences.
- Riverside villas that deliver resort-style seclusion right in Bangkok.
- A wellness and cultural program that feels deeply rooted in place.
Pursuitist moment: Breakfast in your pool villa while the city hums beyond the garden and long-tail boats stitch across the river.
4. Passalacqua – Lake Como, Italy
Lake Como’s dream villa.
On the Moltrasio hillside, looking across to the lights of Como, Passalacqua occupies an 18th-century villa that once hosted composer Vincenzo Bellini. Today, it’s a 24-key retreat that feels less like a hotel and more like a lakeside palazzo lent to you by impossibly stylish friends.
Suites are scattered between the main villa, converted stables and a lakeside house. Expect frescoed ceilings, Murano chandeliers, antique portraits, claw-foot tubs and French windows that swing open to the water. Outside, terraced gardens cascade toward the lake: roses, olive trees, stone staircases, a pool, an orchard and little seating nooks for early-evening Negronis. At the bottom sits a private dock and vintage wooden boats waiting for Bellagio and Torno runs.
Dining feels like being folded into an Italian family. Breakfast is a riot of pastries, cakes and fresh fruit. Lunch happens al fresco in the gardens. Dinner is candlelit, with generous pastas, just-caught lake fish and desserts that practically demand a walk through the olive grove afterward.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- Tiny key count and a deeply residential atmosphere—you start greeting other guests the way you’d greet neighbors.
- Exquisite sense of place: church bells, motorino hum, Aperol at golden hour and mist on the water at dawn.
- Hands-on, family-driven hospitality that feels genuinely affectionate.
Pursuitist moment: Stepping from a frescoed suite onto a stone terrace at sunrise with espresso in hand while the lake lies completely still below.
5. Raffles Singapore – Singapore
The grande dame reborn.
Raffles is Singapore’s grand old soul, opened in 1887 and gently refreshed into the 21st century without losing its sense of occasion. The hotel is now an all-suite property, arranged around tropical courtyards and wide verandas. High ceilings, polished wooden floors, period details and discreet technology blend old-world charm with current-day comfort.
Every suite includes 24-hour butler service, so bags unpack themselves, coffee appears on cue and dinner reservations materialize with a smile. Downstairs, a collection of bars and dining rooms keeps the social calendar full: classic afternoon tea in the atrium, inventive tasting menus, and of course the Long Bar, where the original Singapore Sling still flows beneath the whirring ceiling fans.
The hotel’s location in the civic district puts you within easy reach of Orchard Road, Marina Bay and the city’s food halls, but stepping back through the gates at night feels like returning to a private enclave from another era.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- A grande dame that feels fresh and highly livable, not stuck in the past.
- All-suite inventory, many with balconies overlooking frangipani-filled courtyards.
- That uniquely Singaporean blend of precision and warmth in the service.
Pursuitist moment: Sipping a Sling in the Long Bar, peanut shells underfoot, before wandering back to your veranda as the city glows beyond the palms.
6. Royal Mansour – Marrakech, Morocco
Your own private medina.
Royal Mansour is fantasy Marrakech built to perfection. Instead of corridors and elevators, the “hotel” is made up of 53 private riads connected by winding lanes and tiny squares. Each riad has its own front door, courtyard, salon, bedrooms, roof terrace and plunge pool.
Inside, craftsmanship takes center stage: hand-carved cedar, painted ceilings, intricate zellige tiles, heavy doors and carved plasterwork. Staff move through hidden service tunnels, so room service simply appears—mint tea on a silver tray, a tagine still bubbling, breakfast laid out on the rooftop without anyone ever knocking.
The spa is a fairy tale of white marble, filigreed ironwork and soft light, with hammam rituals that leave you floating. Add palm-shaded pools, manicured gardens, and restaurants that swing between high Moroccan gastronomy and Mediterranean ease, and it becomes very tempting to cancel your city excursions entirely.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- A private-city concept that turns each stay into a fully immersive Marrakech story.
- Riads that offer complete seclusion while still sitting steps from the real medina.
- Design that makes every doorway, staircase and courtyard feel cinematic.
Pursuitist moment: Standing on your rooftop at dusk as the call to prayer rolls over the city and the Atlas Mountains fade into lavender haze.
7. Aman Tokyo – Tokyo, Japan
Zen in the clouds.
High above the Otemachi business district, Aman Tokyo is a modern ryokan in the sky. You enter into a soaring lobby that feels like a glowing paper lantern: stone, water, ikebana arrangements and huge windows framing the Imperial Palace gardens and the city beyond.
Rooms and suites are some of Tokyo’s largest. Tatami-inspired platforms, washi screens, cypress wood, low furniture and deep furo soaking tubs bring traditional Japanese elements into a contemporary frame. From certain rooms, Mount Fuji appears on clear days; from others, Tokyo Tower and the endless city grid become your living artwork.
The spa stretches across two floors with a dramatic swimming pool facing the skyline, Japanese bathing rituals, and treatment rooms that feel carved from stone. Dining ranges from a sleek Italian restaurant to an intimate sushi counter and a lounge that’s equally good for afternoon tea or late-night cocktails.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- Enormous, quietly luxurious rooms that actually invite lingering in a city obsessed with going out.
- A sanctuary mood—once the elevator doors close, the sensory chaos of Tokyo stays outside.
- Subtle, intuitive service that anticipates what you need before you ask.
Pursuitist moment: Soaking in a window-side tub after midnight, Tokyo glowing below, city lights reflected in the bathwater.
8. Soneva Fushi – Baa Atoll, Maldives
Barefoot luxury perfected.
On Kunfunadhoo Island in the Baa Atoll, Soneva Fushi has been setting the barefoot-luxury standard for decades. Guests step off the seaplane, remove their shoes and rarely put them back on until departure. Sandy paths wind through thick jungle; the soundtrack is birds, waves and the occasional bicycle bell.
The villas are enormous, whimsical hideaways tucked into the foliage or poised above the lagoon: multiple bedrooms, open-air bathrooms, outdoor showers, viewing decks, and in some cases spiraling waterslides that drop straight into the Indian Ocean. Each comes with a private butler to coordinate everything from snorkeling trips to stargazing sessions.
Days drift by happily: snorkeling with turtles on the house reef, cinema under the stars, visits to the observatory, tastings in the cheese and chocolate rooms. The resort’s sustainability work is serious and visible, from glass recycling and waste-to-wealth projects to hands-on coral-restoration programs where guests can actively contribute.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- An authentic desert-island atmosphere on one of the Maldives’ largest and lushest private islands.
- Villas that feel like grown-up treehouses built by someone with an architect’s eye and a child’s imagination.
- A real commitment to sustainability that goes well beyond marketing slogans.
Pursuitist moment: Cycling barefoot along a lantern-lit path at night, the Milky Way blazing overhead and your villa glowing softly through the palms.
9. Singita Kruger National Park – South Africa (Lebombo & Sweni Lodges)
High design in big-sky Africa.
On a vast private concession on Kruger’s remote eastern edge, Singita Lebombo and Sweni Lodges deliver one of the most artfully designed safari experiences on the continent. Lebombo’s 13 glass-and-steel suites cling to a cliff above the N’wanetsi River, almost like modernist bird nests. Sweni’s seven suites sit low among trees on the riverbank, wrapped in dappled light and birdsong.
Suites at both lodges open almost completely to the bush, with wide decks, outdoor showers and daybeds that invite afternoon naps in the breeze. Interiors are all polished concrete, warm woods, cleverly layered textiles and contemporary African art—this is safari through a design-gallery lens.
Game viewing is as strong as the aesthetics: this is classic Big Five country, explored with some of the best guides and trackers in the business. Between drives, guests drift between pool, spa, wine cellar and long, lazy lunches on the deck. Singita’s philanthropic work in conservation, education and anti-poaching adds gravitas to the stay; your visit directly supports the ecosystem you’ve come to admire.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- A benchmark for modern safari design—bold architecture, no clichés.
- Intimate scale, with just 13 suites at Lebombo and seven suites at Sweni spread across a huge private wilderness.
- Conservation and community investment are inseparable from the guest experience.
Pursuitist moment: Dozing on your deck daybed after lunch and waking to the sound of elephants splashing in the river below.
10. Le Bristol Paris – Paris, France
Parisian palace with a pulse.
On Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, a short walk from the city’s most storied boutiques and galleries, Le Bristol embodies the idea of the Parisian palace hotel. Opened in 1925, it has the good bones and confidence that only a century of hosting the world’s most demanding guests can create.
Rooms and suites follow a luminous Louis XVI script: silk draperies, antiques, parquet floors, carved moldings and tall windows that frame rooftop views. Some suites come with wrought-iron balconies perfect for coffee and croissant stakeouts. At the heart of the building lies a large private garden, a rare inner-city refuge filled with roses and clipped hedges.
Up top, the rooftop pool feels like a private yacht floating above Paris, with views toward the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur. Dining is its own universe: three-Michelin-star Epicure for high ceremony, the one-star brasserie 114 Faubourg for a more relaxed but still polished mood, a chic bar and an afternoon tea scene that lures the fashion set.
Why it’s Pursuitist-worthy
- Flawless palace-hotel service delivered with genuine warmth.
- A rare combination of gastronomic firepower and comfortable, lived-in charm.
- That garden and rooftop pool—a resort-like buffer in the center of Paris.
Pursuitist moment: A long lunch on Epicure’s terrace, a glass of champagne in the garden and then an early-evening swim on the roof as the city slips into golden hour.
How to Use This List
Think of these ten hotels as anchors—places worth planning entire journeys around. Some pair naturally: Hong Kong and Tokyo, Bangkok and the Maldives, Paris and Lake Como, Marrakech and a South African safari. Others deserve to stand alone as a single, spectacular celebration.
Whichever route you choose, these are the addresses that will still be talked about years from now, the stays that quietly reset your definition of what a hotel can be.
This list reflects a point of view, not a formula—an insider’s edit shaped by experience, access, and countless nights spent inside the world’s most exceptional hotels.
FAQ
How was this list of the best luxury hotels for 2026 selected?
This list was curated by experienced travel editors and contributors who regularly stay at the world’s top hotels. It blends firsthand experience with ongoing industry observation, prioritizing design, service, dining, and a strong sense of place rather than awards alone.
Is this a ranked list of the best luxury hotels in the world?
No. The hotels are presented as a curated edit rather than a numerical ranking. Each property earns its place based on how compelling it is to visit right now, not its position relative to the others.
Are these hotels suitable for planning an entire trip around?
Yes. Each hotel on this list is destination-worthy in its own right, offering enough atmosphere, dining, and experience to anchor a journey or serve as the focal point of a longer itinerary.
Are these hotels new for 2026?
Some are recent standouts, while others are established icons that continue to evolve and set the standard for contemporary luxury travel in 2026.
Will this list be updated annually?
Yes. This list is revisited regularly to reflect shifts in luxury travel, new openings, renovations, and changes in hospitality standards.
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