The World's 50 Best Hotels travels to the city of light and love for its fourth edition. Here's what you need to know about this year's event.
For decades, travellers and pleasure-seekers alike have been captivated by Paris, drawn to its intoxicating mix of centuries-old architecture, world-class museums and vibrant café culture, all with just enough urban edge to keep the city feeling fresh.
From historic guest rooms to palatial landmarks, its hotels have long been home to writers, fashion icons, kings, statesmen and stars of the stage and screen. More than mere places to stay, they stand as living testaments to Paris's timeless elegance and enduring allure.
The World's 50 Best Hotels awards ceremony will take place in September in Paris
So, what better place to travel to for the reveal of fourth edition of The World's 50 Best Hotels? Marking the event programme's first foray outside of London, the renowned ranking will celebrate the finest stays across the world, gathering a global community of leading hoteliers together in person for a multi-day series of events, culminating in a glittering awards ceremony in mid-September at a soon-to-be-announced venue in Paris.
The celebrations begin with the lavish Opening Banquet, welcoming the 2026 roster of ranked hotels with a dining experience showcasing the very best food and drink the French capital can offer. This will be followed by 50 Best's global thought leadership programme #50BestTalks: Unpacked. With the aim of once again shaping the aspirations of consumers and hoteliers alike and sparking conversation on the most pressing topics of today's travel sector, this event will see pioneers of the hospitality world take to the stage to share their wisdom and insight through a series of seminars and panel discussions.
The 2026 event programme will see the return of the Opening Banquet and #50BestTalks: Unpacked
Following its introduction in 2025, the upcoming edition will once again recognise even more leading properties with the announcement of extended ranking of hotels ranked between 51st and 100th. This list will be revealed a few weeks before the live awards ceremony, shining the spotlight on even more destinations and hotels at the vanguard of the global hospitality scene.
The voting Academy
The list of The World's 50 Best Hotels remains an egalitarian and transparent process for 2026, with any style of hotel in the world eligible to be ranked. The list is a simple computation of the votes of more than 800 expert voters from around the world. These 800-plus, gender-balanced voters are recruited by the 13 Academy Chairs of The World's 50 Best Hotels, each of whom has been selected as an expert on the travel scene in their region.
The 2025 awards programme brought together the global hotelier community in London
There are no set criteria for voting – each panellist is simply asked to name their seven best stays from the previous three years in order of preference. There is no 'pay to play' element, and hotels cannot apply to be featured on the list. Read more about the voting process and discover more about the Academy Chairs here.
The list of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026 will be revealed at a live awards ceremony in Paris in September Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube for the latest content on the best hotels in the world.
