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The World’s 50 Best Hotels is essentially the Oscars of the hotelier world – a high-end, star-studded awards recognising the grandest hotels and glitziest resorts on Earth. Ahead of the official awards ceremony on September 15, the organisers have just released the longlist of the 51-100 finest stays – and one Palm Springs-coded hotel in Australia secured a spot.
Spanning 40 cities, the 50 Best’s recently expanded list is determined by the votes of more than 800 anonymous experts, including a mix of hoteliers, journalists and experienced luxury travellers.
For the fourth year in a row, The Calile Hotel in Brisbane has been recognised on the global stage, landing in 83rd place. Its inclusion in the 2026 list makes it the only hotel in Oceania to feature every year since the awards launched in 2023 – having ranked 12th in 2023, 25th in 2024 and 34th last year.
Since making its grand debut in 2018, The Calile has become world-famous for its palm-fringed pool deck surrounded by sage-green umbrellas, cabanas and sun lounges. Yep, you definitely know the one from Instagram. Inside, the 175 sophisticated rooms invite Brisbane’s subtropical climate in through sun-soaked balconies, while breezy open-air corridors replace the standard carpeted hallways. Think: urban resort living at its finest.
Even better, The Calile is anchored in the heart of Brisbane’s coolest lifestyle precinct, placing award-winning restaurants, high-end boutiques and leading galleries on your doorstep. Talk about chic and convenient!
Co-owner of The Calile Hotel, Catherine Malouf, said, “From the outset, our ambition was to create an urban retreat that felt modern and cosmopolitan, but importantly, innately Brisbane. We didn't start by asking what a luxury hotel should look like; we asked what a great hotel in Brisbane should feel like. That meant responding to the way people live here and ensuring that they are central to the experience.”
The only other Oceania property to crack the longlist was New Zealand’s Huka Lodge, landing just ahead of The Calile in 82nd place. Stay tuned for the full World’s 50 Best Hotels rankings, which will be announced at an official ceremony in Paris on September 15.