Hotels in the Hungarian capital once again performed outstandingly on the newly published 2026 Star Awards list of the Forbes Travel Guide (FTG). This time eight Budapest properties made the illustrious selection, including names such as the Kempinski, celebrating an anniversary award, and W Budapest, which appears on the list for the first time.
Forbes Travel Guide, the world's only independent global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas, has announced its 68th annual list. The 2026 winners represent the finest hospitality providers in more than 95 countries.
“The Forbes Travel Guide Star Award winners are the finest representatives of the tourism sector,” said Amanda Frasier, FTG's president of standards and ratings, praising this year's field. She added that this year's selection reflects the evolution of the concept of luxury, recognising properties that offer authentic experiences, excellent facilities and exceptional service.
FTG's experts evaluate properties incognito, staying at least two nights, against more than 900 objective criteria. In the rating, service quality (70%) plays a greater role than the building's facilities (30%). Hotels can earn the following ratings:
Five-Star: Outstanding, iconic properties that consistently deliver personalised, flawless service of the highest standard.
Four-Star: Exceptional properties that welcome guests with high-quality service and matching excellent facilities.
Recommended: Excellent properties that provide consistently good service quality and infrastructure.
It is important to note that the FTG Four-Star category is not the same as the classification under the European hotel rating system.
The 2026 Budapest winners
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest – Five-Star rating
Al Habtoor Palace Budapest – Four-Star rating
Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest – Four-Star rating
W Budapest – Four-Star rating
Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel – Recommended rating
Corinthia Budapest – Recommended rating
InterContinental Budapest – Recommended rating
Matild Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Budapest – Recommended rating
This year is particularly significant for Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest, as it received the prestigious Four-Star rating for the tenth consecutive time. Stephan Interthal, the hotel's regional director, said: “This award truly reflects the commitment, professionalism and passion of all 300 of our colleagues. It strengthens us in our efforts to continue delivering exceptional service.”
Another milestone was reached by W Budapest, housed in the historic Drechsler Palace, which this year won the FTG Four-Star rating for the first time since opening in 2023. “Forbes Travel Guide's recognition encourages us to deliver memorable, world-class experiences that are both closely rooted in the local context and speak to an international audience,” said the hotel's general manager, Igor Buercher.
The full list of the 2026 Star Awards is available here.
Source: Turizmus.com
Cover photo: W Budapest