The 2026 Historic Hotels Worldwide® Annual Awards of Excellence Nominee Finalists are Announced
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Historic Hotels Worldwide® today announced its Nominee Finalists for the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence, recognizing the year’s best historic hotels and hospitality leaders from its global collection of historic inns, hotels, and resorts across 46 countries.
A prestigious program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (USA), Historic Hotels Worldwide celebrates the world’s finest historic lodgings and honors the people and practices that preserve these places for future generations. The Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence recognize exemplary achievement in categories including Historic Hotels Worldwide Best Historic Resort, Historic Hotels Worldwide Sustainability Champion, and Historic Hotels Worldwide Best Historic Hotel by region. (Photos)
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
Selected from over 230 nominations submitted by preservation supporters, prior award recipients, historic hotel teams, community leaders, and Historic Hotels Worldwide leadership, the 2026 Nominee Finalists demonstrate exceptional stewardship, innovative leadership, and meaningful contributions to preservation and hospitality. Led by preservationists, historians, and hospitality veterans, Historic Hotels Worldwide affirms to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage, and historic travel market that its member hotels are among the finest historic hotels in the world.
Winners will be revealed on Thursday, October 15, 2026, during the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony & Gala, the culminating event of the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference. The conference is being hosted this year by the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection (1939) in Williamsburg, Virginia (USA). Part of Colonial Williamsburg Resorts, the historic hotel is adjacent to Colonial Williamsburg, the world’s largest American history museum. The gala will gather owners, general managers, senior decision-makers, and guests from many of the world’s most celebrated historic hotels for this occasion.
The awards committee selected the following Historic Hotels Worldwide members as Nominee Finalists for the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence:
Nominee Finalists for Historic Hotels Worldwide New Member of the Year
Donati Luxury Tower Suites (1000) Florence, Italy
Orient Express Venezia (1436) Venice, Italy
Orient Express Minerva (1620) Rome, Italy
Domus Blanc (1870) Chania, Greece
The Porter House Hotel Sydney – MGallery Collection (1876) Sydney, Australia
THE FUJIYA HOTEL (1878) Hakone, Japan
Waldorf Astoria Versailles – Trianon Palace (1910) Versailles, France
SOWAKA, Kyoto (1910s) Kyoto, Japan
The Tokyo Station Hotel (1915) Tokyo, Japan
Sofitel Montevideo Casino Carrasco and Spa (1921) Montevideo, Uruguay
Hotel Palácio do Estoril, Golf & Wellness (1930) Estoril, Portugal
Nominee Finalists for Historic Hotels Worldwide Best Social Media
Hotel Hacienda de Abajo (1493) Tazacorte, Spain
Carton House, a Fairmont Managed Hotel (1739) Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland
Hacienda Xcanatún (1789) Merida, Mexico
Britannia Hotel (1870) Trondheim, Norway
The Fullerton Hotel Sydney (1874) Sydney, Australia
Fairmont Banff Springs (1888) Banff, Alberta, Canada
Omni King Edward (1903) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Fairmont Empress (1908) Victoria, Canada
Fairmont Le Château Montebello (1930) Montebello, Canada
Nominee Finalists for Historic Hotels Worldwide Sustainability Champion
Castlemartyr Resort (1210) Cork, County Cork, Ireland
Nermo Hotell & Apartments (1442) Øyer, Norway
Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam (1578) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hotel Maximilian’s (1722) Augsburg, Germany
Flemings Mayfair (1851) London, England, United Kingdom
The Fullerton Hotel Sydney (1874) Sydney, Australia
Fairmont Banff Springs (1888) Banff, Alberta, Canada
Villa Copenhagen (1912) Copenhagen, Denmark
Fairmont Le Château Montebello (1930) Montebello, Canada
El Fuerte Marbella (1954) Marbella, Spain
Nominee Finalists for Historic Hotels Worldwide Best City Center Historic Hotel
Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam (1578) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (1660s) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Flemings Mayfair (1851) London, England, United Kingdom
The Fullerton Hotel Sydney (1874) Sydney, Australia
Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (1897) Hamburg, Germany
Hotel Regina Louvre (1900) Paris, France
The Waldorf Hilton, London (1908) London, England, United Kingdom
Villa Copenhagen (1912) Copenhagen, Denmark
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (1939) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The Murray Hong Kong (1969) Hong Kong, China
Nominee Finalists for Historic Hotels Worldwide Best Historic Resort
Castello Dal Pozzo Resort Lago Maggiore (1000s) Oleggio Castello, Italy
Kilkea Castle (1180) Castledermot, Ireland
Hacienda Xcanatún (1789) Merida, Mexico
The K Club (1832) Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland
Hamilton Princess & Beach Club - A Fairmont Managed Hotel (1885) Hamilton, Bermuda
Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin (1885) Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands
Fairmont Banff Springs (1888) Banff, Alberta, Canada
Grand Hotel des Sablettes Plage, Curio Collection by Hilton (1888) La Seyne-sur-Mer, France
Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu (1899) Charlevoix, Québec, Canada
Half Moon (1954) Montego Bay, Jamaica
Nominee Finalists for Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Asia-Pacific
The Fullerton Hotel Sydney (1874) Sydney, Australia
Raffles Singapore (1887) Singapore
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi (1901) Hanoi, Vietnam
The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore (1904) Singapore
Beijing Hotel NUO (1917) Beijing, China
The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - Handwritten Collection (1918) Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Raffles Hotel Le Royal (1929) Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Fairmont Peace Hotel (1929) Shanghai, China
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor (1932) Siem Reap, Cambodia
The Murray Hong Kong (1969) Hong Kong, China
Nominee Finalists for Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Europe
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (1660s) Amsterdam, Netherlands
The K Club (1832) Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland
Raffles Europejski Warsaw (1857) Warsaw, Poland
Britannia Hotel (1870) Trondheim, Norway
Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin (1885) Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands
The Savoy London (1889) London, England, United Kingdom
Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (1897) Hamburg, Germany
Grand Hotel Tremezzo (1910) Tremezzina, Italy
Amerikalinjen (1919) Oslo, Norway
Aleph Rome Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton (1930) Rome, Italy
Nominee Finalists for Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in the Americas
Hacienda Jurica by Brisas (1551) Querétaro, Mexico
Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena (1621) Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
Hacienda de los Santos (1710) Alamos, Sonora, Mexico
Hacienda Xcanatún (1789) Merida, Mexico
Hamilton Princess & Beach Club - A Fairmont Managed Hotel (1885) Hamilton, Bermuda
Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu (1899) Charlevoix, Canada
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (1922) Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Hotel Magnolia (1929) Santiago, Chile
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (1939) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Half Moon (1954) Montego Bay, Jamaica
Nominee Finalists for Historic Hotels Worldwide Historic Hotelier of the Year
Jeroen Werdmölder at Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (1660s) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Siv Galligani at Engø Gård (1845) Tjøme, Norway
Henrik Muehle at Flemings Mayfair (1851) London, England, United Kingdom
Sigurd Årskaug at Flatheim Hotel (1870) Flåm, Norway
Arild Sjødin at Britannia Hotel (1870) Trondheim, Norway
Emmanuel More at Hilton Paris Opera (1889) Paris, France
George Koumendakos at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi (1901) Hanoi, Vietnam
András Bíró at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore (1904) Singapore, Singapore
Dan McGowan at Fairmont Empress (1908) Victoria, Canada
Shernette Crichton at Half Moon (1954) Montego Bay, Jamaica
Historic Hotels Worldwide’s sibling program, Historic Hotels of America®, also announced today its Nominee Finalists for the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence. Read the announcement of Historic Hotels of America’s 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence Nominee Finalists here.
“It is an honor to congratulate all of the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence Nominee Finalists,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Vice President, Historic Hotels Worldwide and Historic Hotels of America. “The Nominee Finalists exemplify the finest historic hotels and hoteliers in the world. The historic hotels nominated include historic inns, boutique hotels, lifestyle hotels, and legendary resorts. These historic hotels represent small towns and large cities, as well as national historic districts. We applaud the dedication and passion of the thousands of individuals working at these iconic and legendary historic hotels that keep the stories from the past alive. They make staying or celebrating special occasions at these historic hotels memorable experiences for guests.”
Tickets for the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony & Gala are available. The much-anticipated event will take place at the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection (1939) in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 7 p.m., to close out the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference.
Learn more about the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference, including how to register to participate in the full week of activities or how to purchase gala-only tickets.
About Historic Hotels Worldwide®
Historic Hotels Worldwide® is a prestigious and distinctive collection of historic treasures, including luxury historic hotels built in former castles, chateaus, palaces, academies, haciendas, villas, monasteries, and other historic lodging spanning ten centuries. Historic Hotels Worldwide represents the finest and most distinctive global collection of more than 320 historic hotels in 46 countries. Hotels inducted into Historic Hotels Worldwide are authentic historic treasures, demonstrate historic preservation, and celebrate historic significance. Eligibility for induction into Historic Hotels Worldwide is limited to those distinctive historic hotels that adhere to the following criteria: minimum age for the building is 75 years or older; historically relevant as a significant location within a historic district, historically significant landmark, place of a historic event, former home of a famous person, or historic city center; hotel celebrates its history by showcasing memorabilia, artwork, photography, and other examples of its historic significance; recognized by a national preservation or heritage buildings organization or located within a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and presently used as a historic hotel. For more information, please visit HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Katherine Orr
Director, Marketing Strategy and Communications
Historic Hotels of America │ Historic Hotels Worldwide
KOrr@historichotels.org
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