Fairmont Empress
Victoria, Canada · Fairmont
Heritage hotels often coast on their postcards; the Empress backs its ivy with cooking and service that still compete.
Independent, First-Hand Reviews
Hotel Reviews
Every hotel on these pages has been slept in, dined in and scored by our editors — 169 in-depth reviews and counting.
Fairmont Udaipur Palace
Udaipur, India · Fairmont
A brand-new palace built at Rajput scale above Udaisagar Lake: theatrical, enormous and already the wedding stage of choice east of Udaipur.
Four Seasons Resort Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates · Four Seasons
The city-beach resort done properly: real sand, adult calm and the Burj Khalifa on the horizon.
Fairmont Orchid
Big Island, United States · Fairmont
The calm, turtle-visited lagoon does more for this resort than any renovation ever could.
Radisson Collection Palazzo Nani
Venice, Italy · Radisson
A proper palazzo conversion in the Venice neighbourhood you actually want to sleep in.
Ritz-Carlton Residences, Vail
Vail, United States · The Ritz-Carlton
Residence-style space and Ritz-Carlton service a short walk from the Eagle Bahn Gondola, best for families and groups who want a kitchen and room to spread out.
Waldorf Astoria Chicago
Chicago, United States · Waldorf Astoria
Chicago's most European luxury hotel, with some of the largest, calmest rooms in the city a step off the Magnificent Mile.
Carton House
Maynooth, Ireland · Fairmont
The rare Irish estate hotel that is as good at golf, spa and dinner as it is at aristocratic theatre, and only 25 minutes from the airport.
Rosewood Little Dix Bay
Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands · Rosewood
Laurance Rockefeller's 1964 original, rebuilt with restraint after Irma into the calmest aristocrat in the British Virgin Islands.
Voaara Madagascar
Madagascar
The most exciting new beach address in the Indian Ocean, precisely because it is not in the Maldives.
Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
Toronto, Canada · Four Seasons
The brand's hometown flagship still sets Toronto's standard, from Cafe Boulud to a 30,000 square foot spa.
The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen
Aspen, United States · The Ritz-Carlton
A ski-in residence club, not a conventional hotel, offering space, a kitchen and Ritz-Carlton service at the foot of Aspen Highlands.
The Post Oak Hotel
Houston, United States
Texas maximalism done properly: the only Forbes double five-star in the state, with the steakhouse, spa and helipad to prove it.
The Caledonian Edinburgh
Edinburgh, United Kingdom · Waldorf Astoria
An Edwardian railway grande dame whose castle-view rooms, spa and Princes Street setting make it Edinburgh's classic luxury stay.
Rosewood Munich
Munich, Germany · Rosewood
Rosewood's 2023 debut, stitched into a former royal bank and a Preysing palais a block from the Frauenkirche.
Fairmont St Andrews
St Andrews, United Kingdom · Fairmont
A cliff-top golf estate with the North Sea for a moat: grand, windswept and far better run than its conference-scale bones suggest.
Waldorf Astoria Berlin
Berlin, Germany · Waldorf Astoria
A polished City West landmark with large rooms, a great bar and one of Berlin's best hotel spas, wrongly sold as Mitte.
Amankora Gangtey
Gangtey, Bhutan · Aman
The smallest Amankora lodge is the one we would plan an entire Bhutan winter around.
Fairmont Windsor Park
Windsor, United Kingdom · Fairmont
The most complete spa operation within reach of London, wrapped in a convincing new-build country house beside Windsor Great Park.
Fairmont Mara Safari Club
Masai Mara, Kenya · Fairmont
The hippos grunting beneath your deck at 3am are the amenity that matters; the heated pool is a bonus.
Waldorf Astoria New York
New York City, United States · Waldorf Astoria
New York's grande dame has come back smaller, calmer and considerably better than the legend it left behind.
Mandarin Oriental Taipei
Taipei, Taiwan · Mandarin Oriental
Old-world grandeur executed without irony, and still the address in Taipei.
Fairmont Austin
Austin, United States · Fairmont
A 1,048-room downtown colossus that actually works, anchored by its rooftop pool deck and a direct line into the convention centre.
Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Israel · Waldorf Astoria
A decorative 1929 landmark whose walk-to-the-Old-City location and grand interiors make it Jerusalem's standout luxury address.