Rosewood Hong Kong Just Proved Winning World’s Best Hotel Twice Isn’t A Fluke

Photo Credit: Rosewood Hong Kong

Rosewood Hong Kong has done it again — literally. The soaring Victoria Harbour tower just repeated as No. 1 on The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026, making this the second consecutive year the property has been crowned the World’s Best Hotel, ahead of Capella Bangkok at No. 2, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River at No. 3, Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal at No. 4, and Lake Como’s Passalacqua at No. 5. The results were unveiled September 15 in Paris — the first time in the ranking’s history that the ceremony has left London — with this year’s list spanning 22 territories across six continents and welcoming ten new entries.

Here’s the thing about hotel rankings: they get treated like an inevitability the second they’re announced, and nobody stops to appreciate how brutal it actually is to stay on top. New hotels open constantly, glossier and more photogenic by the week. That Rosewood Hong Kong has now held No. 1 for two years running — after climbing there from No. 3 in 2024 — says less about luck and more about a hotel that has simply refused to get complacent.

Why Rosewood Hong Kong Won’t Let Go Of The Top Spot

Spend five minutes at Rosewood Hong Kong and the repeat win stops being a mystery. Rising 65 stories above Victoria Harbour, the hotel has been reshaping Hong Kong’s luxury landscape since it opened in 2019, with interiors from acclaimed Taiwanese designer Tony Chi spread across 413 rooms and suites. Eleven restaurants and bars turn the building into a dining destination in its own right — which, in a city this obsessed with food, is not a small thing to pull off.

Then there’s Asaya, the hotel’s wellness wing, spread across multiple floors with nine treatment rooms and an infinity pool overlooking the harbor. Guests wanting even more privacy can book one of two standalone Asaya Lodges, each with its own spa chamber and sleep-enhancing technology — because apparently ordinary sleep no longer cuts it once you’ve paid this much for the room.

Rosewood also picked up the Ferrari Trento Most Admired Hotel Group Award this year, and sister property Rosewood São Paulo made an 18-place leap to No. 6. Two wins in one family is the kind of flex that makes the rest of the industry a little nervous.

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Photo Credit: Passalacqua

Europe Has A Very Good Year

Europe walked away with the lion’s share of this year’s list — 21 of the 50 spots, with Italy and France tied at six hotels apiece and the UK claiming four. Passalacqua led the continent at No. 5, taking home Best Boutique Hotel for the third year in a row, a title it shows no interest in relinquishing.

Florence’s Four Seasons Firenze landed at No. 12, while Massimo Bottura’s Casa Maria Luigia debuted at No. 18 and immediately claimed the Highest New Entry Award — not a bad way to introduce yourself to the industry. Italy rounded out its showing with Bulgari Roma, Portrait Milano, and Taormina’s San Domenico Palace.

Paris, fittingly, had a moment of its own — hosting the ceremony for the first time while several of its hotels climbed the ranking. Hôtel de Crillon jumped nine places to No. 14, Le Bristol landed at No. 19, Cheval Blanc Paris took No. 20, and newcomer Plaza Athénée debuted at No. 41. Nice’s Hôtel du Couvent picked up the Art of Design Award at No. 38, and the legendary Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc returned to the list at No. 44 — proof that some classics never really go out of style, they just wait for everyone else to catch back up.

Photo Credit: San Ysidro Ranch

The American Standouts

North America claimed six spots overall, with two new American entries making their debut: California’s San Ysidro Ranch at No. 22 and Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah, at No. 45. Mexico had the stronger showing of the two, led by Chablé Yucatán at No. 9 — which also won the Eco Hotel Award — followed by One&Only Mandarina at No. 23, Las Ventanas al Paraíso at No. 25, and Maroma at No. 47.

Las Ventanas earned its own round of applause: the property soared 19 places from last year’s No. 44, taking the Highest Climber Award outright.

And then there’s New York, which — brace yourself — doesn’t have a single hotel in the Top 50 this year. The Fifth Avenue Hotel landed at No. 78 instead, consoling itself with the American Express Travel One To Watch Award. Even the most confident city in the world has an off year, apparently.

Photo Credit: Four Seasons at Chao Phraya River

How This Ranking Actually Gets Decided

Calling anything “the best hotel in the world” invites an obvious question: best according to whom? The World’s 50 Best Hotels list is determined by an Academy of more than 800 voters split across 13 geographical regions, including hoteliers, travel journalists, hotel educators, frequent business travelers, and well-traveled consumers. Each voter names seven hotels they’ve personally stayed at during the three-year voting window, submitted confidentially, with Deloitte serving as independent adjudicator.

Which brings us back to Hong Kong. Four editions into this particular ranking, Rosewood Hong Kong has gone from No. 3 in 2024, to No. 1 in 2025, to No. 1 again in 2026. In an industry where the next great opening is always waiting in the wings, that kind of consistency is the actual headline.

Photo Credit: Atlantis The Royal

Quick Comparison

Photo Credit: Capella Bangkok

The Full List: World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026

For more on the properties actually worth booking, browse Haute Living‘s running guide to the best luxury hotels in the cities we cover, and check back as we update our own city-by-city picks alongside next year’s list.