Gold Stay 2026
Aman Venice
Venice, Italy · Aman
The rare Venice hotel that feels like being lent a palazzo rather than sold a room.
The Collection
City
Skyline suites, concierge access and the best tables in town.
Fairmont Peace Hotel
Shanghai, China · Fairmont
Shanghai's most storied address still earns the legend nightly, in the Jazz Bar.
Editors Pick
Bulgari Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan · Bulgari
Proof a fashion-house hotel can be serious: Milanese polish, Japanese precision and Tokyo arranged at your feet.
Bulgari Hotel Roma
Rome, Italy · Bulgari
Rome's most assured new grand hotel: jeweller's polish applied to a rationalist palazzo, with the Mausoleum of Augustus as the front garden.
Rome Cavalieri
Rome, Italy · Waldorf Astoria
A hilltop grande dame above Rome whose museum-grade art and three-Michelin-starred La Pergola justify the trek up Monte Mario.
The Dolder Grand
Zurich, Switzerland
A genuine city resort: Alpine views, museum-grade art and Zurich's best spa, ten minutes above the Bahnhofstrasse.
Hilton Molino Stucky Venice
Venice, Italy · Hilton
A Victorian flour mill reborn with Venice's only rooftop pool and the lagoon's best sunset bar.
Four Seasons Hotel Osaka
Osaka, Japan · Four Seasons
Osaka's new benchmark: a serene tower hotel with a genuine modern ryokan hidden on the 28th floor.
Fairmont San Francisco
San Francisco, United States · Fairmont
The grande dame of Nob Hill still earns the climb: real history in the lobby, bay views from the tower and a tiki bar no one has ever improved on.
Rosewood Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo, Brazil · Rosewood
Jean Nouvel's vertical forest over Philippe Starck interiors, the boldest luxury hotel in Sao Paulo.
Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia · Mandarin Oriental
The definitive KLCC address: park, towers and mall on the doorstep, and five-star polish at rates most cities cannot touch.
Hotel Phillips Kansas City
Kansas City, United States · Hilton
Kansas City's art deco landmark, polished by Curio into the most characterful stay downtown.
Fairmont Empress
Victoria, Canada · Fairmont
Heritage hotels often coast on their postcards; the Empress backs its ivy with cooking and service that still compete.
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.
Radisson Collection Palazzo Nani
Venice, Italy · Radisson
A proper palazzo conversion in the Venice neighbourhood you actually want to sleep in.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.