The Fifth Avenue Hotel Named The World’s 50 Best Hotels’ One To Watch for 2026
The Manhattan hotel receives the American Express Travel One To Watch Award ahead of The World’s 50 Best Hotels ceremony in Paris this September
Credits: Courtesy of The Fifth Avenue Hotel
Ahead of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026 ceremony in Paris, one of the first names to emerge from this year’s awards is not yet part of the coveted ranking. The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City has been named the recipient of the American Express Travel One To Watch Award 2026, recognising a property identified by the 50 Best team as having the potential to enter the World’s 50 Best Hotels ranking in a future edition.
The award arrives less than three years after the hotel opened in October 2023, marking a significant moment for one of Manhattan’s newer independent luxury properties. Avesso will attend The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026 ceremony on 15 September at Les Salles du Carrousel in Paris, where The Fifth Avenue Hotel will officially receive the accolade.
A new chapter for a historic New York address
The story of The Fifth Avenue Hotel begins long before its opening. The property stands on the former estate of Charlotte Goodridge, a prominent 19th-century New York hostess whose home became a gathering place for the city’s cultural and intellectual circles.
Following a decade-long restoration by Flâneur Hospitality, the original Renaissance-style brick and limestone mansion has been paired with a contemporary 24-storey glass tower. Together, the two buildings reflect the hotel's broader philosophy: preserving the character of old New York while creating something distinctly contemporary. That dialogue continues inside.
Martin Brudnizki Design Studio was responsible for the hotel's eclectic interiors, where rich colours, patterns and objects replace the restrained minimalism often associated with contemporary luxury hotels. Across its 149 rooms and suites, garden greens sit alongside buttercup yellows and peony pinks. The double-height lobby introduces another layer of theatricality through faceted antique mirrors, marble floors and grand arched windows.
Credits: Courtesy of The Fifth Avenue Hotel
Art is equally central to the experience. Works collected from around the world sit alongside objects discovered through travel, while cabinets of curiosities reinforce the sense that the hotel is intended to be explored rather than simply passed through. Its photography collection includes works by William Klein, Gordon Parks and Melvin Sokolsky.
A destination for food and cocktails
The Fifth Avenue Hotel's identity extends beyond its rooms. At Café Carmellini, James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini draws upon three decades of cooking in New York, bringing together his affinity for Italian cuisine and understanding of French culinary traditions through a seasonal menu.
Nearby, The Portrait Bar takes a different approach. The wood-panelled bar, complete with a carved stone fireplace, is designed as an intimate retreat within the hotel. Its cocktail programme is led by longtime industry figure Darryl Chan, whose menu moves between classics and contemporary interpretations inspired by travel and different destinations around the world. It is also through its drinks programme that some of The Fifth's more playful approach to hospitality emerges.
The Portrait Bar. Credits: Courtesy of The Fifth Avenue Hotel
Guests can book a series of experiences known as Rituals during their stay. The Martini Ritual, perhaps the most tempting of them, brings two martinis directly into the guest's room, prepared according to individual preferences and accompanied by a selection of garnishes. The Book Ritual takes a quieter direction, sending a mobile library of 20 curated titles to the room or suite.
Then there is Behind the Curtain, a hidden jewel-box space accommodating only two guests at a time and inspired by both the golden age of cocktails and New York's history of secret drinking establishments. These details offer a glimpse into what The Fifth Avenue Hotel considers contemporary luxury: not simply the physical surroundings, but highly personalised moments created around them.
One to watch
The American Express Travel One To Watch Award differs from many of the accolades presented as part of The World’s 50 Best Hotels. Rather than being determined by a position on the annual list, it is selected directly by the 50 Best team and recognises a hotel that has already made an impression on the organisation's Academy and the wider hospitality industry, while showing the potential to enter the global top 50 in the future.
Credits: Courtesy of The Fifth Avenue Hotel
The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy comprises more than 800 independent figures selected for their expertise and knowledge of the international hotel industry. For Emma Sleight, Director of Content & Creative for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, The Fifth Avenue Hotel represents what she describes as a new generation of New York hospitality, particularly through the combination of service, food and drink offered across the hotel. For founder and CEO Alex Ohebshalom, meanwhile, the recognition reflects the original ambition behind the property: to revisit Fifth Avenue's history as a gathering place for thinkers and creatives while creating a contemporary escape in Manhattan.
All eyes on Paris
The Fifth Avenue Hotel is one of the properties setting the stage for the fourth edition of The World’s 50 Best Hotels. Launched in 2023 following the international success of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The World’s 50 Best Bars, the ranking has quickly become one of the hospitality industry's most closely watched annual events.
Credits: Courtesy of The Fifth Avenue Hotel
This year also marks a change of scenery. For the first time since the awards were established, the ceremony will leave London and head to Paris, where the 2026 ranking will be revealed at Les Salles du Carrousel on 15 September. The Fifth Avenue Hotel already knows it will leave Paris with an award. Whether the Manhattan newcomer eventually makes the transition from One To Watch to one of the World’s 50 Best Hotels is a story for another year. For now, all eyes turn to Paris to discover which hotels will define the 2026 list.
