The expert jury of the 196+ forum Munich has nominated ten properties for the upcoming "Hotel Property of the Year 2026" award. The selection was made from a pool of 24 applicants originating from eleven European countries. The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 7 October, as part of the 196+ forum conference at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. Among the nominees are three establishments each from Germany and Austria, two properties from Spain, and one hotel each from Italy and the Netherlands.
The applicants demonstrate diverse typologies. Only two of the nominated hotels are conceived as solitary new builds. In contrast, three properties emerged from the repurposing and repositioning of existing hotels. Three further applicants resulted from the transformation of former structures: a former school building, a stately residential building, and a historic post office were repurposed for this. One hotel combines the historic façade of a former bank building with a modern new build for the room wing. Another development on the site of a former tobacco factory integrated its preserved buildings into a mixed-use modern high-rise.
Focus on existing properties and hybrid concepts
Andreas Martin, Chairman of the Jury, noted that a large proportion of the 24 candidates for the "Hotel Property of the Year" were developed from existing properties with various previous uses. He emphasised that providers of so-called serviced apartments are increasingly targeting high-quality property locations. These are equipped with mixed service offerings and thus also compete with the higher-priced hotel segment.
The composition of the twelve-member expert jury is interdisciplinary. It includes experts from the fields of architecture, operations, development, finance, interior design, and technical building equipment. The committee is complemented by representatives from media and academia. The decisive selection criteria, as communicated by the 196+ forum Munich, relate to the interplay of various aspects.
Criteria and Nominees
- —Architecture and design, especially innovative power
- —The integration of the project into its environment and the destination
- —Sustainability aspects and technical innovations for the future
- —The originality of the underlying concept and its creativity
- —The economic viability of the investment
The ten nominated hotels, listed in alphabetical order, are the ARCOTEL Tabakfabrik in Linz, Austria; the Brach Madrid in Madrid, Spain; the Casa Cook Madonna in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy; the Hotel De Zeewaartschool in Vlissingen, Netherlands; the Hotel Schani City in Vienna, Austria; the Kimpton Main Frankfurt in Frankfurt am Main, Germany; the Silt & Sand Langeoog in Langeoog, Germany; the SLS Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain; The Florentin by Althoff Collection in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and Wilde, Vienna Fleischmarkt in Vienna, Austria.
