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European Hotel Awards 2026: the Laureates in Bordighera

European Hotel Awards 2026 / September 28, 2026

European Hotel Awards 2026 — official trophy © European Hotel Awards

Twenty-one distinctions, one European hospitality landscape: on 28 September 2026, the European Hotel Awards gathered hotel leaders, owners, specialists, tourism figures and institutional representatives at Grand Hotel del Mare Resort & Spa in Bordighera for the eighth edition of the Awards.

The 2026 selection brings together very different expressions of hospitality. Historic houses appear alongside contemporary city hotels; operational specialists share the programme with general managers and international tourism leaders; destinations themselves are recognised when their identity contributes directly to the visitor experience.

What connects the laureates is not a single definition of luxury. The European Hotel Awards use a qualitative, editorial approach centred on identity, consistency, leadership, service culture, guest experience and relevance within European hospitality. The list below therefore records not only who received each distinction, but also the core reason behind every Award.

Bordighera hosts the eighth European Hotel Awards

The ceremony took place at Grand Hotel del Mare Resort & Spa on the Italian Riviera. An afternoon of media activity and interviews was followed by the welcome cocktail, the Award ceremony and a gala dinner. The hotel’s teams supported the event across guest reception, technical coordination, food and beverage and service.

Wines from Château La Calisse, represented by Patricia Ortelli and itself recognised as Wine Estate & Wine of the Year 2026, accompanied the gala dinner. Music throughout the event was provided by Grace Williams, DJ Grace, extending the evening from the cocktail through the post-dinner programme.

An independent recognition built around qualitative selection

Founded in Strasbourg in 2018, the European Hotel Awards operate as an independent European platform for hospitality recognition. The process is not based on a public vote, automated ranking or popularity contest. Each distinction is considered through the identity and coherence of the hotel, person, institution or destination concerned.

The 2026 edition was chaired by Michel Stalport alongside Jérôme Chapman, Founder and Executive Director of the European Hotel Awards. The selection also continues the editorial heritage of Références Hôteliers Restaurateurs International.

Salvatore Pisani — Area General Manager of the Year 2026 © Starhotels / European Hotel Awards

Why the 2026 Awards were given: the full laureates list

The 2026 distinctions reflect the breadth of European hospitality. Each selection is individual, but every Award is supported by a clear rationale.

Hotels and distinctive properties

Business Hotel of the Year 2026 — Courtyard by Marriott Vilnius City Center, represented by Lina Pariokienė. Why: for combining a strong business location with rooms, meeting facilities and public spaces that make professional travel efficient without disconnecting guests from Vilnius.
Urban Sanctuary Hotel of the Year 2026 — The Dominican, Brussels, represented by Bert Vandewaetere. Why: for creating a genuine sense of retreat in central Brussels through architectural transitions, intimate interiors, its protected courtyard and a service culture that preserves connection with the city.
Heritage Boutique Hotel of the Year 2026 — La Bastide Saint-Antoine, represented by Jacques Chibois. Why: for keeping a seventeenth-century Provençal house, its olive grove, gastronomy and intimate scale within one coherent living heritage experience.
Wellness & Spa Hotel of the Year 2026 — Hilton Vilamoura, represented by Miguel Afonso dos Santos. Why: for integrating spa, water, relaxation, resort environment and service into a wider culture of wellbeing rather than treating wellness as a stand-alone facility.
Iconic City Hotel of the Year 2026 — Radisson Collection Hotel, Berlin, represented by Marco Eichhorn. Why: for the ambitious rebirth of a major Berlin address, combining its central location, extensive hospitality infrastructure and the Living Tree as a new architectural signature.
Historic Castle of the Year 2026 — The Schloss Fall, represented by Andrei Dvorjaninov & Margus Kuklane. Why: for restoring a significant Estonian castle while keeping history, landscape, culture and contemporary hospitality active rather than turning the property into a static museum.
Art of Hospitality Excellence 2026 — Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, represented by Ivica Max Krizmanić. Why: for preserving a century-old grand-hotel identity through service culture, gastronomy, heritage and a continuing role in the social life of Zagreb.
Palace Hotel of the Year 2026 — Hôtel Plaza Athénée, represented by François Delahaye. Why: for the exceptional continuity between Parisian heritage, haute couture, gastronomy, bespoke service and a long-established culture of palace hospitality.
Legend Hotel of the Year 2026 — La Réserve de Beaulieu, represented by Nicole & Jean-Claude Delion. Why: for more than a century of Mediterranean hospitality expressed through intimate scale, gastronomy, continuity of identity and an enduring relationship with the Riviera.

François Delahaye — Hôtel Plaza Athénée — Palace Hotel of the Year 2026 © Hôtel Plaza Athénée / European Hotel Awards

Leadership, management and hospitality professions

Hotel F&B Manager of the Year 2026 — Donatas Burneika, F&B Manager at Grand Hotel Vilnius, Curio Collection by Hilton. Why: for coordinating restaurant, lounge, in-room dining, events and service teams as one coherent food-and-beverage experience.
Hospitality Operations Excellence 2026 — Vasile Chirila’, Operations Manager at Grand Hotel del Mare Resort & Spa. Why: for the operational coordination and service continuity required to make a complex resort feel seamless across accommodation, restaurants, spa, beach and events.
Hospitality Executive Achievement 2026 — Vincent Schuit, Operational Director at Hotel De Zeevaartschool. Why: for executive leadership connecting the identity of a former maritime school with the operational demands of a contemporary hotel.
General Housekeeping Manager of the Year 2026 — Antoine Le Van, Hôtel de Crillon. Why: for the precision, leadership and consistency required to protect the guest-room experience, heritage interiors and privacy standards of a Paris palace.
General Manager of the Year 2026 — Alessandro Dorrucci, Grand Hotel del Mare Resort & Spa. Why: for leading a complex Mediterranean resort while preserving a distinctive house identity and aligning diverse teams around one guest experience.
Ethical Luxury Hotelier of the Year 2026 — Simone Marigliani, General Manager of Borgo Scopeto Wine & Country Relais. Why: for a leadership model that connects luxury hospitality with responsibility, territory, local culture and a measured approach to long-term value.
Area General Manager of the Year 2026 — Salvatore Pisani, Starhotels Collezione. Why: for managing multiple high-profile Venetian properties while protecting the individual identity of each house and maintaining consistent operational standards across the portfolio.
Managing Director of the Year 2026 — Michel Morauw, Managing Director North, EAME at Hyatt. Why: for leadership across a multi-market European region where brand strategy, owner relations, operational performance and cultural differences must be aligned at scale.

Wine, tourism and destinations

Wine Estate & Wine of the Year 2026 — Château La Calisse, represented by Patricia Ortelli. Why: for more than three decades of long-term vineyard development, organic certification since 1996 and a precise Provençal identity linking wine to the culture of hospitality.
Territorial Tourism Leadership 2026 — Jérôme Viaud, Mayor of Grasse. Why: for leadership connecting tourism, heritage, perfume culture, gastronomy and territorial identity within a coherent strategy for Grasse and its wider destination.
European Hospitality City 2026 — City of Bordighera, represented by Mayor Marzia Baldassarre. Why: for a destination culture where Mediterranean landscape, gardens, heritage, human scale and cross-border openness collectively shape the visitor experience.
European Tourism Governance Award 2026 — Lidija Bajarūnienė, Vice-President of the European Travel Commission. Why: for a career linking national tourism policy, European cooperation and international representation, and for advancing a governance model based on resilience, competitiveness and sustainable destination value.

Lidija Bajarūnienė — European Tourism Governance Award 2026 © Lidija Bajarūnienė / European Hotel Awards

A European gathering built around people as much as properties

The 2026 ceremony brought together the owners, directors and representatives of the selected properties alongside tourism and institutional figures. Among those present were François Delahaye, Jean-Claude Delion, Marco Eichhorn, Lina Pariokienė, Miguel Afonso dos Santos, Bert Vandewaetere, Jacques Chibois, Andrei Dvorjaninov, Margus Kuklane, Ivica Max Krizmanić, Alessandro Dorrucci, Michel Morauw, Salvatore Pisani, Antoine Le Van, Donatas Burneika, Vincent Schuit, Simone Marigliani, Vasile Chirila’, Patricia Ortelli and Lidija Bajarūnienė.

Nicole & Jean-Claude Delion — La Réserve de Beaulieu — Legend Hotel of the Year 2026 © La Réserve de Beaulieu / European Hotel Awards

Among the institutional personalities present was also Claudio Scajola, President of the Province of Imperia and Mayor of Imperia.

Laurent Truyen — Comte de la Fenouillime, founder of the Organisation Mondiale de la Gastronomie and an administrator of the Cercle Culturel Royal, was also among the guests attending this European hospitality gathering.

Lina Pariokienė — Courtyard Vilnius City Center — Business Hotel of the Year 2026 © Courtyard Vilnius / European Hotel Awards

International media coverage and a record of the 2026 edition

Editorial and audiovisual coverage included the work of Czech journalist Kateřina Srbková, who has documented the European Hotel Awards through interviews with laureates and hospitality leaders. Journalist and blogger Žaneta Jakubauskaitė also contributed to the coverage of the Bordighera edition.

The Pascale Venot Press Office, represented by Pascale Venot with Émilie Delbos and Éléonore Jalou, supported the media dimension of the event. Travel-and-Luxury.com, Deliciae.tv and Références Hôteliers Restaurateurs International contributed to the wider editorial and international visibility of the ceremony and its laureates.

Partners supporting the European Hotel Awards 2026

The eighth edition was supported by partners whose work connects with hospitality, design, service, mobility, media and the art of living. MG. Entreprise, a long-standing institutional partner, continued its support of the event. Marcy Paris, represented by Marcy de Soultrait, brought its Corporate Couture expertise, while the D.ROITEL group, including Henryot & Cie and Dissidi, represented high-end furniture, cabinetmaking and bespoke interiors.

Techno Car Luxe, represented by Hassen Ayari, supported premium transport. Divine Saffron, represented by Marghana Sayed-Sharq, also took part, alongside DSC Digital Mountain Consulting, Ludivine Langlois, Maitza Mezzadri and Guide Chambertain.

Bordighera and the continuing European hospitality story

By bringing the 2026 ceremony to Bordighera, the European Hotel Awards placed their eighth edition in a destination where Mediterranean hospitality and European openness meet naturally. The result was a programme that moved beyond a simple list of trophies and showed the many professions, properties and territories through which hospitality is created.

The full 2026 laureates list confirms that diversity. A palace and a business hotel can be recognised for very different strengths; an operations manager and a tourism governance leader can belong within the same hospitality conversation. The common point is a clear reason for recognition — an identity, contribution or form of leadership substantial enough to deserve its own place in the European Hotel Awards.