England beat Italy by one, France by two and Hungary by three. Spain didn’t make the cut.
For its newest study, the rankings-happy outfit (see colleges, used cars, diets, Medicare plans and U.S. hotels, among other subjects) surveyed nearly 2,100 high-end hotels in 40-plus countries. It chose 10 hotels as the overall best, with England nabbing first place with the Lanesborough, recognized as one of the most expensive hotels in Britain. A weekend night, for example, starts at $600, including 24-hour butler service. The country also secured Nos. 7 through 9: Beaumont, in London’s West End; Corinthia Hotel London, near Trafalgar Square; and the Milestone Hotel, which overlooks Kensington Palace and Gardens.
Italy dominated the top half with Hotel Santa Caterina, on the Amalfi Coast (No. 2); J.K. Place Roma, in Rome (No. 3); and Palazzo Avino (No. 4), also on Mediterranean shores. Perhaps the Roman number of the competitor’s king was a good omen for France, which earned fifth place with the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. The country also doubled-down on V for the 10th-place win, Hôtel Plaza Athénée, which reopened in 2014 after a $268 million facelift. Hungary was the sole representative for Central Europe, with its Four Seasons Gresham Palace (No. 6, in case you’ve lost track) in Budapest.
If you’re wondering why your favorite Provençal guesthouse or Irish castle bed-and-breakfast was omitted: The report focuses only on luxury hotels and resorts — defined as properties with a 5-star hotel-class rating — containing at least 20 rooms. The publication based it findings on travel experts and guest reviews provided by TripAdvisor.
Here’s the full overall best hotels in Europe category:
1. The Lanesborough (England)
2. Hotel Santa Caterina (Italy)
3. J.K. Place Roma (Italy)
4. Palazzo Avino (Italy)
5. Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris (France)
6. Four Seasons Gresham Palace (Hungary)
7. The Beaumont (England)
8. Corinthia Hotel London (England)
9. The Milestone Hotel (England)
10. Hôtel Plaza Athénée (France)
For all winners and categories, see travel.usnews.com/Hotels/Europe.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the ranking included properties with a 4-, 4.5- or 5-star hotel-class rating. It is restricted to 5-star ratings.
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