Mandarin Oriental has topped Luxury Travel Intelligence’s annual table of luxury hotel brands for the fourth consecutive year, scoring 81.1%. The result comes as the group expands into settings including a pine-covered peninsula in Mallorca and private olive groves in the Greek islands, with a longer-term ambition to double its portfolio.
The group announced the result on 28 October. Oetker finished second with 80.6%, just half a percentage point behind, while Bulgari retained third place with 80.2%. Four Seasons and Rosewood completed the top five, scoring 78.7% and 78.0% respectively.
LTI assesses brands across their portfolios, making this an award for the wider hotel group rather than a verdict on any single property.
What the luxury hotel brand ranking measures
LTI expanded its ranking from 15 to 20 brands this year, requiring each eligible group to have at least eight properties. Its assessment uses an algorithm that assigns weights across 134 touchpoints, including a brand’s adherence to its values and commitments, management and staff quality, and investment in new hotels and refurbishments.
Researchers engage with chief executives, management teams, staff and guests. LTI says the evaluation starts afresh each year, with previous results having no bearing on the next assessment. Mandarin Oriental’s fourth consecutive first place therefore represents four separate annual evaluations.
Four Seasons moved from sixth to fourth this year, while Oetker climbed from fourth to second. Dorchester Collection rose from twelfth to sixth, and Belmond from eleventh to seventh. Capella was the highest new entry, arriving in eighth place with 76.1%, followed by newcomers Airelles, COMO, Jumeirah and Ritz-Carlton further down the list.
LTI describes itself as a global, members-only organisation whose coverage spans hotels in the luxury sector, as well as restaurants, spas and nightlife. It says membership fees provide its sole revenue, and that it neither accepts advertising nor sells travel services or operates a booking engine. Its ranking offers one assessment of the brands; individual destinations, room choices and facilities remain the more personal part of choosing a stay.
A bigger collection, with a focus on place
Mandarin Oriental group chief executive Laurent Kleitman described the brand’s distinction as “our ability to combine legendary service with experiences that are deeply personal, culturally connected and rooted in the character of each destination”. That emphasis on place also appears in the group’s hotel fans, which it says are individually crafted by local artisans to reflect their destinations.
Mandarin Oriental set out its ten-year growth strategy in October 2024, with an ambition to double its portfolio. The plan prioritised resorts and capital-city hotels, including expansion in the Middle East, Japan and North America, alongside further European city properties.
The company recorded 41 operating hotels when it announced that strategy. It now reports 47 hotels, 16 residences and 44 Exceptional Homes across 30 countries and territories. Its heritage combines The Oriental in Bangkok with The Mandarin in Hong Kong, which opened in 1963; the growth programme aims to take that identity into a wider range of destinations.
The 2024 plan also outlined a Wellness 2.0 concept integrating physical, spiritual and medical aspects of wellbeing, and wider distribution of the brand’s cake shops. Proposed regional destination hubs included Zurich, Geneva and Luzern; Milan and Como; and Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Development plans named Japan’s Setouchi region, Budapest, Rome, Bali and Mexico’s Riviera Maya.
Recent additions offer a more immediate way to explore the expanding collection. Mallorca adds a coastal resort with private-pool accommodation and a seaside spa, while the Greek homes provide larger, privately owned spaces for families and groups.
Mallorca: sea views above two secluded coves
Mandarin Oriental Punta Negra welcomed its first guests on 1 June 2026, becoming the brand’s first Balearic resort and its third property in Spain, after Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona and Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid.
The Mallorca resort occupies a pine-covered peninsula near Puerto Portals, on the former Hotel Punta Negra site in Calvià. Five low-rise accommodation buildings sit among gardens above two secluded coves, giving the 131-room-and-suite property a coastal setting with space between its buildings.
Every room has a sea view, according to the opening announcement. Accommodation choices include casitas, plunge-pool rooms and rooftop suites with private pools. Those distinctions are worth considering when choosing a room: a sea outlook comes throughout the collection, while a private pool belongs to particular categories.
Six dining concepts provide variety within the resort, while the seaside spa has nine treatment cabins, including couples’ suites. Its facilities include a hydromassage pool, steam rooms, cold plunges and aromatherapy showers, making wellness a substantial part of the property’s offering.
Coastal yoga, seaside tennis and private yacht transfers extend the experience beyond the treatment rooms. The combination gives travellers several ways to spend time by the water, whether their preference is a pool attached to their accommodation, a spa session or activity along the coast.
Punta Negra is a recent example of the resort-led expansion described in the group’s strategy. Its particular appeal lies in the arrangement of gardens, low-rise buildings and coves, with sea views available across the accommodation rather than reserved for a handful of suites.
Greek island homes: room for a longer gathering
Mandarin Oriental added four properties to its Exceptional Homes collection on 26 October: Casa Gaia on Mykonos, VAYRA and Villa Alice on Corfu, and SERENAOS on Lefkada. The wider expansion brought the collection to 44 homes across 18 destinations.
The four Greek island villas accommodate between eight and 18 guests. Their settings and facilities vary considerably, giving groups a choice between a substantial Mykonos house, a Corfu hillside estate and a Lefkada home with its own boating provision.
Casa Gaia has nine en-suite bedrooms, a 27-metre infinity pool and a private path to the shoreline. VAYRA occupies an 8,000-square-metre hillside estate with preserved olive trees and two infinity pools. On Lefkada, SERENAOS sits within a private olive grove and offers a floating pontoon and an included boat fleet.
Exceptional Homes are individually and privately owned. Stays include a villa manager, concierge support, daily housekeeping and luxury amenities, bringing organised services to the private-home format. For a family holiday or a gathering of friends, the guest capacities and differences in outdoor space provide useful starting points for a shortlist.
Advertised starting weekly rates across the four Greek properties range from €17,059 to €69,062. Reservations begin with an enquiry, and minimum stays depend on the home, destination and season. Private-chef provision varies by property, so confirm the arrangements for the particular villa when enquiring.
