Condé Nast Traveler is sharing the cities, hotels, cruise lines and airlines that left the strongest impression on travelers this year, presenting the 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.

Now in their 39th year, the awards drew 798,867 votes from U.S. readers, who rated their experiences across hotels, resorts, cruises, spas, islands, cities, airlines, trains and luggage. This year’s voters favored luxury and adventure in equal measure, from Dubai’s The Lana, Dorchester Collection, to The Peninsula Hong Kong, which ranks first on the headlining list of “Best Hotels in the World.”

Hospitality honors

Condé Nast Traveler’s audience named Chicago the best large city in the United States, followed by San Francisco and Boston. Charleston, S.C., took the top spot among small U.S. cities, ahead of Alexandria, Va., and Santa Fe, N.M.

Internationally, Seoul led the “Best Large Cities” list, with Tokyo and Phnom Penh rounding out the top three, while Victoria, British Columbia, was identified as the globe’s best small city for the fourth year running.

Chicago also made a strong showing among hotels. Park Hyatt Chicago ranked No. 3 on the list of the world’s best hotels, with Le Méridien Essex Chicago at No. 4. In Charleston, readers voted Hotel Bennett the city’s top hotel.

Marriott International’s The Ritz-Carlton brand appeared across several Readers’ Choice Awards lists. The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto placed No. 5 among the world’s best hotels, while Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Bali, ranked No. 3 among resorts and The Ritz-Carlton, Naples came in at No. 10.

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection (see story) also earned a spot among the top small-ship cruise lines.

The Luminara will call at debut ports such as Tianjin, China and Akita, Japan. Image courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton’s Yacht Collection

Cheval Blanc Seychelles took the title of the world’s best resort. San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif., also secured a place among the top 50 resorts.

On the water, Viking was voted the best river cruise line and the best medium-ship cruise line. Regent Seven Seas Cruises led the small-ship category and Princess Cruises topped the mega-ship lines.

Qatar Airways was named the best international airline by Condé Nast Traveler readers, ahead of Singapore Airlines and Korean Air. Delta Air Lines took first place among U.S. carriers, followed by JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines.

A full list of the 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards can be found here.