World’s most beautiful hotels of 2026 honored by Prix Versailles

The Prix Versailles has unveiled its list of the world’s most beautiful hotels for 2026. The sixteen hotels “embrace a lifestyle based on enchantment and innovation, and fits perfectly into their local scene,” according to Prix Versailles Secretary General Jérôme Gouadain.

In December, three projects from the list will be given additional titles of a World Title – Prix Versailles, Interior, or Exterior. Stay tuned for further upcoming categories, including restaurants and airports, and review the selection of museums published earlier this month.

Below, we have published the sixteen projects comprising the World's Most Beautiful Hotels list 2026. You can compare the projects with those of previous years by following our ongoing coverage of the series here.

The ArcadiaPlace, Lugu Lake, Yanyuan, China by Lu Yang

Project excerpt: Perched at an altitude of 2,690 metres along the Sichuan lakeshore, The ArcadiaPlace, Lugu Lake is set beside two ancient Mosuo villages, offering guests an immersion into one of the world’s last matriarchal societies. Its organic curves echo the surrounding terrain, evoking a gestating foetus, a quiet symbol of harmony between humanity and nature.

The Silk Lakehouse, Shangri-La Hangzhou, Hangzhou, China by Kokaistudios

Project excerpt: The magic of West Lake, in Hangzhou’s historic city centre, has been lauded by poets for more than a thousand years. On this superlative site, The Silk Lakehouse is a reinterpretation of the former East Wing of Shangri-La Hangzhou. Under the guidance of Kokaistudios, the original top two floors of the hotel were intentionally removed to serve the conservation of the UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape and protect the skyline of West Lake. The façade was reworked, and the building’s various openings were carefully framed so as to enhance the views they afforded.

Sir Prague, Prague, Czech Republic by Linda Boronkay

Project excerpt: Just steps from the Vltava River, within the limits of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Historic Centre of Prague), the hotel is right near the National Theatre and Frank Gehry’s Dancing House, proof of a successful intermingling of historical style and bold ingenuity. The restored stone façades, iron railings, timber parquet floors and a sculptural wooden staircase all feel comfortably familiar. In contrast, the bold interior renovation by Linda Boronkay was inspired by the legacy of Czech Cubism, as evidenced by a curated selection of vintage furniture with angular silhouettes.

Chiemgauhof Lakeside Retreat, Übersee, Germany by Matteo Thun

Project excerpt: With panoramic views of Lake Chiemsee and the Alpine arc on the horizon, Chiemgauhof Lakeside Retreat was designed according to the vision of hotel entrepreneurs Ursula and Dieter Müller, in which atmosphere and integrity reign supreme. Matteo Thun’s Milan-based studio revisited the spirit of the region’s barns: architecture that takes a step back to heighten the presence of the nature that was so dear to the German Romantics. Immersed in its environment, the building becomes a visual landmark at night, recalling the theme of Japanese lanterns and limiting light pollution in the natural landscape.

La Fondation, Paris, France by PCA-Stream

Project excerpt: In the heart of the 17th arrondissement, in the former village of Batignolles (a creative and residential district undergoing profound changes), La Fondation offers a novel vision of Parisian hospitality: lively, multi-faceted and deeply rooted in its neighbourhood. The hotel, designed by PCA-Stream, is part of a broader, hybrid project combining fine dining, wellness and cultural programming. It makes the most of the building’s original layout, mineral materiality and structural force. As a counterpoint to rougher materials, nature is everywhere here – on green walls, terraces, patios and in hanging gardens – creating verdant refuges set apart from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Les Roches, Le Lavandou, France by Jean-Baptiste Pietri

Project excerpt: Built in the 1930s facing out towards the Îles d’Or and the Mediterranean, Les Roches brilliantly exemplifies the revival of a legendary location on the French Riviera. Reimagined by architect Jean-Baptiste Pietri, the hotel hugs the natural lines of the rocky inlets of Peire Gouerbe. The structure, with its thick walls, controlled openings, sustainable materials and sun-cast shadows, gives off the impression of a ship floating on the water. The spaces embedded in the slope, the metal footbridges, and the stairs that meld with the scenery all help to establish an ongoing, fluid dialogue between the massive minerality of the locally mined Bormes stone and the light weight of fibre-reinforced concrete.

The Telegraph Hotel, Tbilisi, Georgia by Neri&Hu

Project excerpt: The Telegraph is a tour de force from the Shanghai-based architectural design firm Neri&Hu. The building, originally designed in 1964 by Georgian architects Lado Alexi Meskhishvili and Teimuraz Mikashavidze, is a monument to the conquering glory of Soviet architecture, with its architectonic façade, imposing cornices, double atriums and coffered ceilings. This legacy – whose anachronistic name is still full of poetry – has become a shining symbol of the city’s future. A former nerve centre for communication, The Telegraph has been reinterpreted, at the impetus of George Ramishvili and Silk Road Group, as an architectural gem where industrial history is brought into dialogue with contemporary design.

Villa Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia by Studio Arthur Casas

Project excerpt: Perched above the emerald waters of the Adriatic Sea, Villa Dubrovnik sits inside a protected heritage building, originally designed by the architect Mladen Frka in 1961. Its outer shell hugs the coastal topography across from Lokrum Island and the old town. Some 65 years later, Studio Arthur Casas was tasked with profoundly remodelling the interiors. The decision to opt for simplicity, clean lines and local materials, in a style specific to the Brazilian architect, was a tribute to the cosmopolitan soul of Dubrovnik.

The Oberoi Rajgarh Palace, Khajuraho, India by Ravi KumarGupta

Project excerpt: At the gateway to Panna National Park, a biosphere reserve populated with tigers, The Oberoi Rajgarh Palace was originally a fortress before being converted into a palace. At 350 years old, it was painstakingly restored under the supervision of the architect Ravi Kumar Gupta. This wonder of Madhya Pradesh is now home to one of the most beautiful examples of Indian hospitality, with its 65 guest rooms and suites, not to mention elegant villas, and an unbeatable view of hills, forests and a sparkling lake.

Orient Express La Minerva, Rome, Italy by Hugo Toro

Project excerpt: Located in the historic centre of Rome, Orient Express La Minerva is the embodiment of  a subtle mix of Roman heritage and contemporary refinement. Inside a 17th century palazzo, the establishment has retained its remarkable architecture, dominated by elegant façades, generous spaces and genuine, period sculptural details. The legend continues in this revisited building, where illustrious authors the likes of Stendhal and Melville once laid their heads. Inside, the artist and architect Hugo Toro celebrates the spirit of travel. The different areas blend the finest materials, like marble and precious wood, with decorative touches inspired by the world’s great railway lines. Each guest room and suite promises its own unique adventure, in a hushed atmosphere where each object, from the bespoke furniture to the delicate light fixtures, is the epitome of timeless, understated luxury.

Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino, Italy by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio

Project excerpt: Looking out onto the Ligurian Sea, Splendido embodies all the radiance of the Italian Riviera. Set in a former 16th century Benedictine monastery, the building underwent a major restoration orchestrated by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, who tactfully met the challenge of achieving the perfect blend of Ligurian heritage and contemporary elegance. A haven of peace nestled on the hillside, the hotel exudes palatial grandeur, as exemplified by its Baronessa Suite, which mimics the drawing room of an Italian aristocrat.

Kasbah d’If, Marrakesh, Morocco

Project excerpt: Thirty kilometres outside Marrakesh, on the mineral highlands of the Agafay Desert, Kasbah d’If stands out like a citadel. Spanning more than 6,000 m² on an 80,000 m² property, the fortress-like hotel symbolises the revival of a contemporary kasbah, built in the early 2000s using ancestral raw earth techniques, in the best tradition of the great architecture of southern Morocco. Power and refinement come together in this oasis hotel, with its corner towers, controlled openings and façades sculpted into Amazigh motifs. When construction resumed in 2020, it utilised the full range of age-old know-how and craftsmanship, in an extension of the original intention of engaging in an act of preservation.

Naboa, Tulum, Mexico by Jaque Studio

Project excerpt: In the heart of Mexico’s Riviera Maya, Naboa Tulum is an extraordinary retreat whose contemporary architecture seems to have sprung straight out of its exuberant nature setting. Designed by Jaque Studio, in collaboration with Studio Wenden, the project reflects a commitment to material authenticity and environmental preservation. Built on a 2,500 m² site, its composition is intentionally fragmented into multiple freestanding buildings, laid out seemingly haphazardly, recalling the organic ways that traditional Mayan settlements would develop. This configuration allowed for the creation of transitional zones – courtyards, shaded pasages and terraces – while preserving 60% of the existing plantlife, which defines how guests move around and use the space.

Soori Penang, George Town, Malaysia by Soo K. Chan

Project excerpt: Long before George Town became a UNESCO World Heritage city, Soo K. Chan, the architect behind this project, spent his childhood in Khoo Kongsi, an important, ancient Chinese temple. And so it was with sensitivity, and a subtle balance between heritage conservation and contemporary hospitality, that a row of 15 historic shophouses adjacent to the sanctuary were transformed into Soori Penang. The restoration successfully preserved the scale, rhythm and spatial character of the street. The interior is a refuge protected from the heat.

Desert Rock, Ḩanak, Saudi Arabia by Oppenheim Architecture (architecture) and Studio Paolo Ferrari (interior design)

Project excerpt: Melting into the tectonic landscape, to the point of causing imposing structures to appear and disappear in an echo to ancient Nabatean civilisations: this was the mission accomplished by Oppenheim Architecture on this mythical site, by taking an immersive approach that favoured effacement over domination. Except that here, amongst the ancient folds of the Hijaz Mountains, Desert Rock’s 54 villas and 10 suites were designed along futuristic lines. Its facilities located within crevices and caves, or on shaded slopes, make the most of cooler microclimates and minimise solar heat gain

Maison Mystique, Khao Yai, Thailand by Katechanok “Fearn” Dhadasih

Project excerpt: Maison Mystique creates an imaginary realm through its architecture designed by Katechanok “Fearn” Dhadasih, the brains behind this breathtaking site. The philosophy underpinning the project viewed aesthetics not as an object of contemplation but rather as an experience for the senses. Drawing from literary traditions and old-world influences, the hotel’s design prioritises intimacy, layered composition and quiet elegance. Set within a 70,000 m² mountainous, landscaped park, the property is a narrative in and of itself, leading to spaces with their own individual characters.