In Europe we’re a bit spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing somewhere nice to stay – especially when it’s a shiny new hotel.
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Just look at this year, for example, where we have already seen the opening of many standout properties, including the Orient Express Venezia, the Six Senses in London, and the Four Seasons Hotel Mykonos, to name just three.
While the newest hotels will always grab the headlines and attract the trendy crowd, what about those properties which have continued to stand “the test of time”? That’s the question posed by the editors at Esquire when compiling their new Hall of Fame list, which includes 21 hotels around the world.
Rather than focusing on the newest openings, the magazine's editors have turned their attention to the hotels that have become destinations in their own right.
To qualify, properties had to be open for at least five years and demonstrate a lasting impact on their local community, helping define the identity of their city or region.
Which European hotels make the cut?
Europe dominates the inaugural list, with nine properties spanning France, Italy, Monaco, Switzerland, the UK and Ireland. Together they represent more than a century of hospitality history, from grand Belle Époque palaces to elegant country estates.
The selection includes two Parisian landmarks – Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel and Le Meurice – and two celebrated hotels overlooking Lake Como, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and Grand Hotel Tremezzo. A third Italian property, Hotel Eden in Rome, is also included.
Monaco's legendary Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo also makes the cut, alongside Switzerland's iconic alpine retreat, Badrutt's Palace in St. Moritz. Meanwhile, in the UK and Ireland, London’s Hotel Café Royal and Ballyfin Demesne in County Laois get the nod of approval from the magazine.
“Being great for any span of time is hard work; doing so for years on end is downright remarkable,” said Madison Vain, Executive Editor at Esquire. “But the thing is, for these 21 hotels, there’s no end to their reign in sight.”
Esquire’s Hotel Hall of Fame
- Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, US
- Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel, Paris, France
- The Setai, Miami Beach, Miami, US
- The Colony, Palm Beach, US
- The Perry Lane Hotel, Savannah, US
- Hotel Eden, Rome, Italy
- Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Monaco
- The Mark, New York, US
- Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco, US
- Badrutt’s Palace, St. Moritz, Switzerland
- Hotel Bennett, Charleston, US
- Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, Philadelphia, US
- Rosewood Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- Le Meurice, Paris, France
- Hotel Café Royal, London, UK
- Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, Lake Como, Italy
- The Peninsula Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, US
- Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Los Cabos, Mexico
- Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy
- Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club, Surfside, Florida, US
- Ballyfin Demesne, Country Laois, Ireland