In the past few decades, there has been a huge hotel construction boom around the world. As hotel chains continue to expand in number and geographical distribution, maintaining high quality standards becomes a challenge, and only the best international luxury hotel brands can maintain consistent service excellence and meet the expectations of the luxury traveler. In no particular order, the quality, service and experience of all the hotels listed below remain the same. These brands are not identical, but each brand maintains a certain commonality that customers can trust.
10. PARK HYATT
Park Hyatt Hotels is Hyatt Hotels Corporation’s most luxurious brand and currently manages more than 20 different brands, each designed to provide guests with experiences that match their lifestyle, attitudes, values and aspirations. Located in the world’s major gateway cities and major leisure destinations, Park Hyatt hotels are a symbol of luxury, offering impeccable service, world-class spas and state-of-the-art rooms, all perfectly tailored for those who expect the best. Each Park Hyatt hotel is designed to reflect the unique character of the region in which it is located, the exotic atmosphere of the Maldives or the American style of Chicago. Park Hyatt is known for its acclaimed art, stylish and minimalist interior design, and special dining venues under the guidance of renowned chefs.
9. ST REGIS
The St. Regis is one of two luxury hotel brands owned by Marriott Hotels Corporation (the other being the Ritz-Carlton). Born of a unique and well-designed service to travelers eager for the best experience, the brand established a luxury hotel with the launch of the St. Regis New York Property in 1904. From the moment John Jacob Astor IV opened his artistic masterpiece on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, the St. Regis brand has been associated with uncompromising elegance and bespoke service. Butler service has been a defining feature of the St. Regis experience for more than a century, and St. Regis remains the only luxury hotel brand in the world to offer this personalized service in every hotel. Combining classic sophistication with modern sensibility, more than 30 St. Regis hotels around the world are committed to delivering exceptional experiences.
8. MANDARIN ORIENTAL
Over the past 50 years, Mandarin Oriental has grown from a highly respected Asian hotel company to a global brand with its fan LOGO etched in people’s minds. The group has a rich and proud history, starting with the Mandarin Hotel, the brand’s flagship hotel, which opened in Hong Kong in 1963. The hotel was the tallest building on the island when it opened, and soon earned an enviable reputation for service excellence and immediately became a historic milestone, a status it still holds today. In 1974, the Oriental Hotel Bangkok was recognized as one of the most legendary hotels in the world, and the group partially acquired it, giving the company two flagship hotels whose names represent the best of the hospitality industry. Today, the group has become a truly global luxury hotel group, operating dozens of hotels around the world, each with a distinctive Oriental design (reflecting its heritage) and a distinct sense of place.
7. SIX SENSES
Founded in 1995 by the owners of the Soneva brand (see below) and now managed by intercontinental Hotels, Six Senses is an award-winning and very unique hotel group that offers guests exceptional experiences in remote and exquisite locations, whether in virgin territory or adjacent to UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Luxury Hotel brand is synonymous with unique eco-fashion design – authentic, personal and sustainable – where all hotels are in harmony with the natural or cultural environment. The Six Senses Resort has always seamlessly adapted to the host culture in an environment that evokes happiness and is backed by outstanding service and attention to detail. The Six Perfections experience is always provided by a wealth of experts from diverse backgrounds, from visiting spa practitioners and celebrity chefs, to stargazers, Marine biologists and even their own paragliding professionals. As a key element of all Six Perfections hotels, the concept of Six Perfections Spa is a layered approach to wellness that combines a pioneering spirit with treatments that go beyond the ordinary.
6. BELMOND
Belmond – known as Orient Express before rebranding in 2014 – is a hospitality and leisure company that manages 49 iconic hotels, trains and river cruises in 24 countries, bringing together some of the world’s most sensational trips and destinations. In Belmond, you can stay at the Eternal hotels in Venice, Rio and St. Petersburg, embrace the spirit of adventure at Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat, glide along the rails of the Swiss Alps, fly over the Andes, or explore the mysterious rivers of Myanmar. It all started in 1976, when the company received the keys to Venice’s legendary Belmond Cipriani Hotel. A year later, they began collecting carriages for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which was launched in 1982 to bring intrepid travelers to La Serenissima in style. Since then, Belmond has grown into a collection of carefully curated travel adventures, each with a rich story to tell.
