Travel is – as stated many times in the past – the only thing you can purchase that will make you richer. Unless you buy a winning lottery ticket with your dollar, in which case you will then become richer and money bought that. However, considering the fact that travel is so popular whether it’s for business or pleasure, it only makes sense that most people would want to ensure they’re traveling only to the best of the best when it comes to hotels. A luxury hotel can make or break any trip. Read on to find out which luxury hotel brands are the most luxurious.
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Shangri-La Hotels
You will not find Shangri-La Hotels all over the world. However, you will find them in some of the largest and busiest cities across the globe. The mantra at this luxury hotel brand is to make the guest feel as if they’re staying in a luxury palace. Each one features a marvelous lobby with detailed features and luxe artwork. Each room is luxurious on its own, but the suites are magnificent. They are some of the biggest rooms any hotel chain has to offer, which means that those who can afford the several thousand dollar a night fee to stay here are going to do so in comfort.
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Couples Resorts
Most people don’t consider Couples Resorts all that luxurious, but they are. They are designed for romance, and romance is more easily found when something is high-end and luxurious to the highest degree. Couples Resorts are so luxurious that you won’t find anything else comparable. The restaurants are high-end, and they have many more tables for two than anything else. Every room features a large bed with the most amazing sheets, big bathrooms with Jacuzzis for couples to enjoy. There are spas with the best employees and amenities, and everything that makes a vacation romantic and luxe.
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Oberoi Hotels and Resorts
Oberoi Hotels are in the five-star business. They boast their five-star luxury at every chance. Located in the most amazing cities across the world, each of these luxury hotels is designed to look like it belongs in the city as a piece of the original architecture. Each room is large, and luxuriously appointed with only the most high-end, upscale amenities available to consumers. Guests are immediately treated as royalty upon check-in and the staff is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that the guest is happy and has everything that they need and/or want, and even little extras guests didn’t even know they wanted.
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Orient Express Hotels
Orient Express Hotels don’t sound like luxury hotels, but they are. They are some of the most luxurious around, with their lovely buildings, their beautifully appointed rooms and their upscale amenities. It’s here you will find a good mixture of both business class people in town for conventions and to meet big clients as well as couples and families looking for an elegant and chic place to stay on vacation. It’s not an inexpensive hotel, which means that you’ll have to pay significantly to say here, but it’s worth the price for the kind of attention to detail for which these hotels are famous.
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Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
It’s safe to say that not all Fairmont hotels are luxury hotels. The brand does own a few affordable budget hotels, but their high-end hotels are some of the most luxurious in the world. The Fairmont in wine country is one of the most luxurious around; and it’s not inexpensive. When you find a luxury Fairmont resort, you’re going to pay for it. It’s worth every penny, however. From world-class restaurants to beautiful spas, wonderfully appointed rooms and some of the most amazing amenities in the world, you won’t find anything more appropriate or better in the world.
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Le Meridien
Known for its amazing spas, the Le Meridien is one of the nicest luxury hotels in the world. You won’t find one anywhere but a major city or vacation destination, and those are some of the most amazing hotels you’ll ever find. They’re elaborate to the point of being fit for a royal. They’re clean, upscale, updated, and feature the best of the best in every category. The spas at Le Meridien hotels are famous. The restaurants are some of the best, and the amenities are second to none. You won’t find hotels anywhere else that beat this particular luxury brand.
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Starwood Hotels
Starwood hotels are almost all luxury hotels. In fact, it’s a bit of a cheat to put this one on the list because it encompasses both the W hotel brand and the St. Regis. However, it’s also the kind of hotel that owns a number of other high end hotels. You will find a number of Disney hotels, such as the Dolphin and Swan, belong to this group. These hotels have some of the most upscale restaurants and entertainment areas in the world. They have the most elaborate pools, and the best spas. They cater to families more than anything, but they’re very luxe.
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Park Hyatt
Based on a mere technicality, many travelers do not consider the Hyatt hotels actual luxury hotels. However, they are. Hyatt Regencies are luxury business class hotels that cater to meetings for corporations around the world. The Grand Hyatt is the luxury family hotel that caters to those who want to relax and enjoy vacation. The Andaz, however, is the sheer luxury of the Hyatt hotel brand. It’s the one with the most high-end amenities, the most upscale appointments and the highest prices. It’s trendy and stylish, and it’s difficult to find a more upscale or luxurious hotel in this group.
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W Hotels
W Hotels are luxurious, but they’re probably the trendiest luxury hotel in the world. They are all upscale and feature nothing but high-end amenities, but they are trendy to a fault. You won’t find bright lights in a W Hotel. What you’ll find is dim lighting, mood lighting, and an ambiance you can’t find anywhere else. If you could describe a W Hotel, it would be almost like a bachelor pad. It’s sleek, upscale and elegant without being fussy at all. Everything is very modern and very high-end, and the restaurants, shops and amenities are very trendy.
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Peninsula Hotels
Peninsula Hotels encompass luxury. From the most high-end linens to beautiful suites, you’ll find everything you need at a Peninsula Hotel. What people love most about the luxury brand hotel is not the wonderful amenities, beautiful rooms, amazing restaurants or beautiful everything in between; it’s the service. The staff here is going to get you what you want and what you need before you even have to ask. They seem to know what it is that their guests desire, and they go out of their way to ensure that you have it even if they don’t.
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Mandarin Oriental
The most famous aspect of any Mandarin Oriental Hotel is the spa. The Mandarin Oriental spas are the most amazing in the world. In fact, their products are so amazing that many other less expensive hotel brands use their products in their own bathrooms, which just goes to show that people want to stay here and be here; but not everyone can afford the high-end lifestyle that comes with being a guest at a Mandarin Oriental hotel. Aside from their amazing spas, however, the hotel also features beautiful rooms, breathtaking locations, and high-end restaurants and shops.
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JW Marriott
There are a lot of different Marriott Hotels. There are some that aren’t as nice as others, and some that simply do not belong in the luxury hotel class. However, the JW brand of Marriott is true luxury. This is luxury at the Ritz-Carlton/Four Seasons level. JW Marriott hotels are not just hotels; they are resorts. They have upscale amenities, beautiful swimming pools, unbeatable locations and even some of the most high-end amenities available in hotels across the world. The staff is always helpful and considerate and the grounds perfectly manicured.
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St. Regis Resorts
What makes St. Regis resorts so luxurious is actually a list so long we don’t have time to go through it all. The hotels are appointed with only the most upscale and most high-end amenities. You will not find a St. Regis resort that does not have luxury bedding, baths and what always looks like a brand new remodel. Each one has a beautiful location around the world, high-end restaurants and the most helpful and discreet staff available in the hotel industry. These hotels are not for those that can’t afford to pay a pretty penny for a place to sleep.
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Four Seasons
There are many that would argue this is the most luxurious hotel chain in the world without question, and they’d be right. You will find Four Seasons Hotels in only the most amazing cities. They’re in New York City, Hawaii and Paris. They’re beautiful, upscale, and one of the classiest and chicest hotels in the world. There really isn’t anything that compares to the sheer amount of luxury you will find at a Four Seasons Resort. In fact, this is one of the hotel chains that the world’s wealthiest people choose to frequent when they travel, which says something about the luxury brand that no other hotel chain can say.
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Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton is often the only hotel that even comes close to being competition to the Four Seasons. Its upscale reputation has only the best of the best staying here. It’s my own personal favorite, as well. There’s something to be said about pulling into a Ritz valet and being ushered inside an elegantly appointed lobby and handed a cocktail upon your arrival. The beautiful décor, the little extras that most of the Ritz locations throw at you, and the personalized service are enough to make you feel that you never want to go home; and most people never do want to go home.
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