The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026 is hot off the press – and Australia has once again made the cut.
The world doesn’t want for excellent hotels. Boundary-pushing design is rife, and impeccable service is now the benchmark, with new stays cropping up globally faster than we present our passports at check-in. Safe to say it makes earning a place on the annual World’s 50 Best Hotels list – the world’s foremost gauge for hotel excellence – all the more prestigious.
The rankings for 2026have just been announced at an awards ceremony in Paris, where travel industry leaders and enthusiasts convened to celebrate groundbreaking hospitality feats. The list features 38 destinations across six continents, along with several special award categories. Here are the highlights.
The Aussie hotel that made the list
Last year, two Aussie properties made the World’s 50 Best list, truly cementing our reputation for world-class hospitality. In 2026 that number has halved, with just one Australian hotel making the cut – but it’s a worthy representative indeed.
Capella Sydney is the only Australian property to make the 2026 World’s Best 50 Hotels list. (Credit: Timothy Kaye)
Ranking 16th out of 50, Capella Sydney has not only retained its place on the list for another year, but held its position among the top 20.
Housed in an Edwardian sandstone building once home to the Department of Education, the heritage-listed icon exudes contemporary opulence with its grand architectural bones and curated local artwork. Guests return time and again for its personalised touches, five-star service, sweeping harbour views and intimate elegance across 192 rooms and suites.
Guests are treated to opulent amenities and sweeping harbour views. (Credit: Timothy Kaye)
Capella Sydney opened its doors to the public in March 2023. (Credit: Timothy Kaye)
The luxury stay combines timeless elegance with contemporary flair. (Credit: Timothy Kaye)
Since opening in March 2023, the luxury address on Loftus Street has become one of Sydney’s best hotels, amassing an impressive collection of accolades along the way.
Among its many titles are Travel + Leisure‘s Best City Hotel in Australia 2025, Property Council of Australia’s Best Heritage Development 2024 and AHEAD Global Awards’ Ultimate Accolade – Global Hotel of the Year 2023, as well as Best Hotel in Oceania for World’s 50 Best last year.
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The rest of the results
The view from the top remains unchanged in 2026, with the Rosewood Hong Kong once again claiming the title of world’s best hotel. Rising 270 metres above Victoria Harbour, the coveted 413-key address is a shining beacon of art, design and swoon-worthy water views. It has attracted Hong Kong’s elite and a continuous stream of well-heeled travellers since its grand opening in 2019.
Taking out the top spot for the second year running is Rosewood Hong Kong.
Asia continued its winning streak, with Thailand’s Capella Bangkok and Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River coming in second and third place respectively. Rounding out the top five is Dubai’s Atlantis the Royal in fourth place and Passalacqua on the shores of Lake Como in Italy at fifth.
While it only got a shoe in amongst the top five, Europe was the most represented continent on the list – with 22 hotels in the top 50. Asia was close on its heels with 15 rankings, and North America followed with six.
The Calile Hotel has featured on the World’s Best Hotels list every year since its inception. (Credit: Tourism & Events Queensland)
Although its ranking dropped from 34th in 2025 to 83rd in 2026, The Calile Hotel in Brisbane has still managed to make Aussie history this year. Its inclusion among the top 100 makes the only hotel in Oceania to feature on the World’s Best list every year since the awards launched in 2023.
The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026 list
Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Capella Bangkok, Bangkok
Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok
Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
Passalacqua, Lake Como
Rosewood São Paulo, São Paulo
Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing
Upper House Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Bangkok
Aman Tokyo, Tokyo
Four Seasons Firenze, Florence
Claridge’s, London
Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai
Capella Sydney, Sydney
Raffles Singapore, Singapore
Casa Maria Luigia, Modena
Le Bristol, Paris
Cheval Blanc Paris, Paris
Desa Potato Head, Bali
San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara
One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit
Bulgari Tokyo, Tokyo
Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Los Cabos
Royal Mansour, Marrakech
Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens
Raffles London at The OWO, London
Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
The Peninsula Istanbul, Istanbul
Bulgari Roma, Rome
Patina Osaka, Osaka
Mount Nelson, Cape Town
Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island
Badrutt’s Palace, St. Moritz
Park Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto
Hôtel du Couvent, Nice
Portrait Milano, Milan
Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Plaza Athénée, Paris
Hotel Sacher Vienna, Vienna
Estelle Manor, Witney
Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes
Amangiri, Canyon Point
The Peninsula Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Maroma, Riviera Maya
Aman Nai Lert, Bangkok
The Connaught, London
San Domenico Palace, Taormina
How the 50 Best voting works
The World’s 50 Best Hotels is an annual ranking of the top hotel venues across the globe, as voted for by a panel of more than 800 global industry experts.
To ensure the panel provides a fair representation, the Academy Chairs are split across 13 geographical regions, with each chair selected as a travel and hotel expert in their region. The 13 Academy Chairs each select a voting panel from their region comprising a balance of hoteliers, travel journalists, hotel educators and consumer travel connoisseurs.
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Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and...
Taylah Darnell is Australian Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, spending many hours either lost in the pages of books or attempting to write her own. This life-long love of words...
Winding down in the Yarra Valley, where ‘work from home’ becomes ‘work from wine country’.
Steam from my morning coffee curls gently into the cool valley air, mist-veiled vineyards stretch out in neat rows below me. Magpies warble from trees, and the morning’s quiet carries the soft bleating of lambs from a nearby paddock. Midweek in the Yarra Valley has its own rhythm. It’s slower, quieter, with more empty tables at cafes and cellar doors, and walking trails I can claim all to myself. It’s as if the entire region takes a deep breath once the weekend crowd leaves.
You’ll find walking trails are less crowded during the week. (Image: Visit Victoria)
I haven’t come here for a holiday, but to do a little work somewhere other than my home office, where I spend too much time hunched over my desk. Deadlines still loom, meetings still happen, but with flexible work evolving from ‘work from home’ to ‘work from anywhere’, I’m swapping the view of my front yard to the vineyards.
A quiet afternoon at Yarra Valley Dairy
Wine time at Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can enjoy a toastie or bagel in the cafe. (Image: Visit Victoria)
With the Yarra Valley just over an hour from the CBD, many Melburnians could drive here in their lunch break. I arrive late in the afternoon and am delighted to discover the Yarra Valley Dairy still open. On weekends, I’ve seen queues spilling out the door, but today there’s only one other couple inside. There’s no need to rush to secure a table; instead I browse the little store, shelves stacked with chutneys, spices, artisan biscuits and gorgeous crockery that would look right at home in my kitchen. It’s hard not to buy the lot.
A cheese tasting plate at Yarra Valley Dairy.
I order a coffee and a small cheese platter, though the dairy has a full menu, and choose a wooden table with bentwood chairs by a wide window. The space feels part farm shed, part cosy café: corrugated iron ceiling, walls painted in muted tones and rustic furniture.
Outside, cows meander toward milking sheds. If pressed for time, there’s the option of quick cheese tastings – four samples for five dollars in five minutes – but today, I’m in no rush. I sip slowly, watching a grey sky settle over the paddock. Less than an hour ago I was hunched over my home-office desk, and now my racing mind has slowed to match the valley’s pace.
Checking in for vineyard views at Balgownie Estate
Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate has views across the vines.
As my car rolls to a stop at Balgownie Estate, I’m quietly excited, and curious to see if my plan to work and play comes off. I’ve chosen a suite with a spacious living area and a separate bedroom so I can keep work away from a good night’s sleep. I could have booked a cosy cottage, complete with open fireplace, a comfy couch and a kettle for endless cups of tea, but as I am still here to get some work done, I opt for a place that takes care of everything. Dinner is served in Restaurant 1309, as is breakfast.
Oysters pair perfectly with a crisp white at Restaurant 1309.
On my first evening, instead of the usual walk about my neighbourhood, I stroll through the estate at an unhurried pace. There’s no need to rush – someone else is preparing my dinner after all. The walking trails offer beautiful sunsets, and it seems mobs of kangaroos enjoy the view, too. Many appear, grazing lazily on the hillside.
I wake to the call of birds and, after breakfast, with the mist still lingering over the vineyards, I watch two hot-air balloons silently drift above clouds. Perched on a hill, Balgownie Estate sits above the mist, leaving the valley below veiled white.
Spotting the locals on an evening walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Exploring the Yarra Valley on two wheels
Swap your home office for a view of the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria/Cormac Hanrahan)
Perhaps because the Yarra Valley is relatively close to where I live, I’ve never considered exploring the area any way other than by car or on foot. And with a fear of heights, a hot-air balloon is firmly off the table. But when I discover I can hop on two wheels from the estate and cycle into Yarra Glen, I quickly realise it’s the perfect way to step away from my laptop and experience a different side of the region.
COG Bike offers pedal-assist e-bikes, and while the bike trail and paths into town aren’t particularly hilly, having an extra bit of ‘oomph’ means I can soak up the surroundings. Those lambs I heard calling early in the morning? I now find them at the paddock fence, sniffing my hands, perhaps hoping for food. Cows idle nearby, and at a fork in the bike path I turn left toward town.
It’s still morning, and the perfect time for a coffee break at The Vallie Store. If it were the afternoon, I’d likely turn right, in the direction of four wineries with cellar doors. The ride is about 15 kilometres return, but don’t let that put you off. Staying off the highway, the route takes you along quiet backroads where you catch glimpses of local life – farmers on tractors, weathered sheds, rows of vines and the kind of peaceful countryside you don’t see from the main road.
A detour to the Dandenong Ranges
The iconic Puffing Billy runs every day except Christmas Day.
The beauty of basing myself in the Yarra Valley is how close everything feels. In barely half an hour I’m in the Dandenong Ranges, swapping vineyards for towering mountain ash and fern-filled gullies. The small villages of Olinda and Sassafras burst with cosy teahouses, antique stores and boutiques selling clothing and handmade body care items.
I’m drawn to RJ Hamer Arboretum – Latin for ‘a place for trees’. Having grown up among tall trees, I’ve always taken comfort in their presence, so this visit feels like a return of sorts. A stroll along the trails offers a choice: wide open views across patchwork paddocks below, or shaded paths that lead you deeper into the quiet hush of the peaceful forest.
The following day, I settle into a quiet corner on the balcony of Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis and soon hear Puffing Billy’s whistle and steady chuff as the steam train climbs towards town. Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most beloved steam trains, running through the Dandenong Ranges on a narrow-gauge track. It’s famous for its open carriages where passengers can sit with their legs hanging over the sides as the train chugs through the forest. This is the perfect spot to wave to those on the train.
After my midweek break, I find my inbox still full and my to-do list not in the least shrunken, just shifted from one task to another. But I return to my home office feeling lighter, clearer and with a smug satisfaction I’d stolen back a little time for myself. A midweek wind-down made all the difference.
A traveller’s checklist
Staying there
Balgownie Estate offers everything from cellar door tastings to spa treatments and fine dining – all without leaving the property.
Playing there
Visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Wander through Alowyn Gardens, including a stunning wisteria tunnel, then explore the collection of contemporary artworks at TarraWarra Museum of Art. Cycle the Yarra Valley with COG Bike to visit local wineries and cellar doors.
