WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Historic Hotels Worldwide® is pleased to announce the distinguished winners of the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence. (Photos) Historic Hotels Worldwide is a prestigious program for celebrating the world’s finest luxury historic inns, hotels, and resorts in more than 46 countries and the official global historic hotel program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (United States).
Award recipients were announced and honored at the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony and Gala on the evening of Thursday, October 15. The Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection in Williamsburg, Virginia (USA), hosted the event, which was attended by more than 240 hospitality industry leaders including local dignitaries, special guests, and owners, general managers, senior management, and representatives of the world’s finest historic hotels. The Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection dates to 1939 and is part of Colonial Williamsburg, which is celebrating 100 years in 2026 as the world’s largest American history museum.
Twelve distinct Historic Hotels Worldwide Annual Awards of Excellence were presented to the year’s most exemplary historic hotels and hoteliers, recognizing them as the best of the best among their peers. Winners were selected from nominations by historic hotels, preservation supporters, prior award recipients, community leaders, and leadership from Historic Hotels Worldwide.
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
From more than 200 nominations received for these categories, the awards committee selected the following 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence winners:
Historic Hotels Worldwide New Member of the Year
This award is presented to a new member hotel that best demonstrates immediate engagement, activation, and enthusiastic support of Historic Hotels Worldwide.
Winner: THE FUJIYA HOTEL (1878) Hakone-machi, Japan
Historic Hotels Worldwide Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel
This award is presented to a hotel that actively engages consumers by sharing the best of its history through social media with interesting historical facts and stories.
Winner: The Fullerton Hotel Sydney (1874) Sydney, Australia
Historic Hotels Worldwide Sustainability Champion
This award is presented to a hotel that best implements and practices innovative green initiatives and programs, demonstrating historic preservation is the ultimate green.
Winner: Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam (1578) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Historic Hotels Worldwide Best City Center Historic Hotel
This award is presented to a hotel located in a city center that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Winner: Flemings Mayfair (1851) London, England, United Kingdom
Historic Hotels Worldwide Best Historic Resort
This award is presented to a historic resort that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Winner: Fairmont Banff Springs (1888) Banff, Alberta, Canada
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Asia/Pacific
This award is presented to a historic hotel in Asia/Pacific that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Winner: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi (1901) Hanoi, Vietnam
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Europe
This award is presented to a historic hotel in Europe that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Winner: Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (1660s) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in the Americas
This award is presented to a historic hotel in the Americas that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Winner: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (1922) Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Winner: Half Moon (1954) Montego Bay, Jamaica
Historic Hotels Worldwide Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year
This award is presented to a multi-generational family ownership entity or management company which has served as an exemplary role model in the operation of the historic hotels entrusted to its stewardship, has demonstrated a long-term legacy of commitment to historic preservation, and has been an active champion of Historic Hotels Worldwide.
Winner: The Dal Pozzo Family at Castello Dal Pozzo Resort Lago Maggiore (11th century) Oleggio Castello, Italy
Historic Hotels Worldwide Historic Hotelier of the Year
This award is presented to an individual demonstrating the highest contribution to furthering the celebration of history at historic hotels as well as leadership, innovation, and stewardship of the stories of an iconic and legendary historic hotel.
Winner: Arild Sjødin at Britannia Hotel (1870) Trondheim, Norway
Historic Hotels Worldwide Historian of the Year
The 2026 Historic Hotels Worldwide Historian of the Year Award is presented to a historian whose distinguished career has significantly advanced the preservation, interpretation, scholarship, and public understanding of history—and whose work has deepened appreciation for our shared heritage and inspired others to engage with the past.
Winner: Arthur Mettetal, Ph.D., Director of Culture, Art & Heritage at Orient Express
Historic Hotels Worldwide Steward of History and Historic Preservation Award
This award is presented to an individual whose extraordinary commitment has rescued, restored, preserved, and reimagined historic places of international significance. This award honors exceptional stewardship that safeguards architectural heritage, cultural identity, and authentic hospitality experiences while ensuring these irreplaceable landmarks continue to inspire future generations.
Winner: Paolo Barletta, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arsenale Group (see earlier announcement)
“The 2026 Historic Hotels Worldwide Awards of Excellence celebrate the world’s most distinguished historic hotels and hoteliers,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Vice President of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “These awards honor the exceptional achievements in preservation, cultural stewardship, and hospitality that keep the stories, character, and spirit of these remarkable places alive. Within their storied walls, extraordinary service meets living history, inviting today’s guests to experience the echoes of generations’ past while safeguarding these treasured landmarks for generations to come. We celebrate the visionary leaders and resolute teams whose devotion breathes new life into irreplaceable hotels, ensuring they continue to welcome travelers, inspire wonder, and forge a lasting connection to the past far into the future.”
To be nominated for the Historic Hotels Worldwide Annual Awards of Excellence, the hotel must be a member of Historic Hotels Worldwide, demonstrate how the hotel increased the recognition and celebration of the hotel’s history, heritage, historic preservation, and its membership, as well as how the hotel (through its ownership, leadership, and employees) contributes significantly as an industry leader in the designated award category.
Historic Hotels of America, an affiliated program of Historic Hotels Worldwide, announced its own winners of the 2026 Historic Hotels of America Awards of Excellence this week.
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
