Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / Belmond

Belmond hotels

Historic hotels, sleeper trains and river barges make the journey as absorbing as the arrival.

Belmond joins distinctive hotels with historic trains, river barges, and safari lodges, making the journey as much a part of the experience as the stay. Now owned by LVMH, the collection grew from the purchase of Venice’s Hotel Cipriani in 1976 and continues to find its character in places with a history worth spending time with.

42 Belmond hotels in 17 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas (2 not open yet), each placed on the six LHA Tiers.

Owned by LVMH
Worldwide: 34 operating hotel products across 28 countries and territories — 32 hotels and resorts plus 2 safari lodges — as of 2024; the separate travel portfolio adds 6 luxury trains and 7 river barges, which are excluded from Maison hotel-fleet arithmetic. Wikipedia – Belmond Limited
On the atlas: 12 Apex Luxury, 20 Grand Luxury, 8 High Luxury, 2 Core Luxury

History

Belmond’s history is closely tied to the restoration of places with stories already worth visiting, from Venice’s Hotel Cipriani to Portofino’s Splendido and Tuscany’s Villa San Michele. LVMH’s ownership brought further investment and collaborations with its creative houses. Dior at Splendido and Guerlain at Villa San Michele carry that relationship into the spa experience.

Timeline

1883 — George Nagelmackers launches the original Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul on 4 October, establishing the archetype of luxury rail travel that would later define the VSOE.
1919 — The opening of the Simplon Tunnel allows the introduction of the Simplon-Orient-Express route, expanding the golden age of continental rail travel.
1958 — Giuseppe Cipriani, creator of Harry's Bar and inventor of the Bellini cocktail, opens Hotel Cipriani on the eastern tip of Giudecca Island, Venice, financed by the daughters of the 2nd Earl of Iveagh.
1976 — American entrepreneur James Sherwood acquires Hotel Cipriani for £900,000, the founding transaction that would grow into the entire Belmond empire.
1977 — Sherwood purchases two original Art Deco Orient Express carriages at auction in Monte Carlo, beginning a six-year, US $16 million project to restore the legendary train.
1982 — Venice Simplon-Orient-Express relaunches on 25 May with its inaugural London–Venice run, carrying 18 restored 1920s–1930s carriages. Belmond – VSOE History
1986 — Orient-Express Hotels acquires Splendido in Portofino, the former Benedictine monastery.
1988 — Cap Juluca opens on Anguilla's Maundays Bay with Moorish-inspired whitewashed villas.
1993 — Eastern & Oriental Express launches its inaugural Singapore–Bangkok run in Southeast Asia. Eagle Island Lodge and Savute Elephant Lodge acquired in Botswana.
1996 — Belmond Road to Mandalay launches as Myanmar's first luxury river cruiser.
1998 — Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro joins the portfolio. Splendido Mare opens on the Portofino piazzetta.
2001 — Orient-Express Hotels acquires the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express outright, extending the brand into rail ownership rather than just management.
2005 — Hotel Caruso in Ravello reopens after a four-year restoration of its 11th-century palazzo structure.
2009 — Rio Sagrado Sacred Valley and Hiram Bingham train join the portfolio; James Sherwood steps back as executive chairman after three decades.
2014 — The company rebrands from Orient-Express Hotels Ltd to Belmond, unifying all properties, trains, and cruises under one name.
2016 — Belmond Grand Hibernian launches as Ireland's first luxury train service.
2018 — LVMH announces agreement to acquire Belmond for US $3.2 billion. LVMH
2019 — LVMH acquisition completes in April 2019. Grand Hibernian Ireland service suspends during COVID restructuring.
2020 — Six Grand Suites (named Paris, Istanbul, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Venice) added to VSOE carriages. Eastern & Oriental Express pauses during pandemic.
2021 — Belmond Grand Hibernian permanently discontinued; rolling stock repurposed.
2023 — Maroma reopens in August after a full-property transformation by Tara Bernerd & Partners; ranks #33 World's 50 Best Hotels 2025. Romazzino relaunches in Sardinia under a management agreement. VSOE four new Suite carriages (Lakes, Mountains, Forests, Countryside) unveiled.
2024 — Eastern & Oriental Express resumes Southeast Asia operations with refurbished cabins. Two La Résidence properties sold to KS Hotels / HMD Asia (November 2024).
2025 — Splendido reopens for summer season with Italy's first permanent Dior Spa after multi-year Martin Brudnizki renovation. Britannic Explorer launches July 2025 as England and Wales' first luxury sleeper train. 24 Belmond properties recognised in inaugural global MICHELIN Keys selection; four properties earn the top Three-Keys distinction. Seven properties ranked in World's 50 Best Hotels 2025.
2026 — Villa San Michele reopens 28 April 2026 after 18-month renovation with Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain. Celia carriage launches on the British Pullman in May 2026, designed by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Marguerite, a new Belmond barge, joins the Burgundy fleet in late summer 2026.

The houses to know

Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — The first building ever erected on Copacabana Beach: a 1923 Art Deco monument designed to mark Brazil's Independence Centenary.
Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice, Venice, Italy — The 1976 acquisition that started everything: Giuseppe Cipriani's 1958 island hotel in the Venetian lagoon, still the collection's spiritual home.
Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa — The Pink Lady at the foot of Table Mountain, ranked #28 in the world in 2024.
Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel, Anguilla, Maundays Bay, Anguilla — Named for a 3,300 BC Arawak petroglyph and ranked Five-Star in 2026.
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Oxfordshire, Great Milton, United Kingdom — The longest continuously held Two-Star hotel restaurant in the United Kingdom, 40 years without a break.
Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino, Portofino, Italy — A 16th-century Benedictine monastery turned Italian Riviera grand dame, now with the country's first Dior Spa.
Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel, Iguassu Falls, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil — The hotel stands inside Brazil’s Iguaçu National Park, with access to the falls at dawn.
Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina, Taormina, Italy — Taormina's first hotel, founded 1873 next to the Greek theatre, with Kaiser Wilhelm II as a repeat guest.
Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya, Riviera Maya, Mexico — A jungle-and-beach retreat designed freehand in sand, and now a Top-40 world-ranked property.
La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, Mallorca, Deià, Spain — Two 16th-century honey-stoned manor houses in Robert Graves' village, home to 33 original Miró paintings.

Newest openings

Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel — Fiesole/Florence, Italy — reopened 28 April 2026 — Luigi Fragola Architects oversaw an 18-month renovation that delivered 39 redesigned rooms and suites, a new Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain on the first floor of the historic Franciscan convent, a gastronomic restaurant (Antesi, under Executive Chef Alessandro Cozzolino), and a wellness programme in collaboration with La DoubleJ. The façade is attributed to Michelangelo. Belmond Media Hub
Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino — Portofino, Italy — full reopening summer 2025 — Martin Brudnizki Design Studio’s multi-year renovation reached its final phase with 52 reimagined rooms and suites in Carrara marble and Graniglia alla Genovese, a new Baratta Sedici cocktail bar with hand-painted botanical murals, Italy’s first permanent Dior Spa, a saltwater pool redesigned by landscape architect Marco Bay, and the new Villa Beatrice exclusive-use residence on the estate.
Britannic Explorer, A Belmond Train — England & Wales, United Kingdom — launched July 2025 — England and Wales' first luxury sleeper train: 18 cabins (3 Grand Suites, 15 Suites) in 10 Irish Mark 3 carriages repurposed from the former Grand Hibernian stock, designed by Albion Nord with contributions from Luke Hall and Campion & Olly Fathers; cuisine by Simon Rogan (whose portfolio holds 8 Michelin stars); three routes from London Victoria through Cornwall, the Lake District, and Wales; from £11,000 per cabin. LVMH
Marguerite, A Belmond Boat, Burgundy — Burgundy, France — launching late summer 2026 — Formerly named Amaryllis, the 128-foot barge (built 1962) has been fully renovated as Belmond's second LVMH-partnership boat; four en suite double cabins hosting up to 8 guests; the largest pool of any Belmond barge; itineraries between Pontailler-sur-Saône and St-Léger and Lyon–Auxonne; charter rates from €85,100/week. Belmond Media Hub

Opening next

Milaroca, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Nayarit — Riviera Nayarit, Mexico — expected 2025/2026 (timeline shifted from original 2025 announcement) — confirmed; 105-acre estate on a 2 km private beach, 40 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport; 57 guest pavilions (junior suites, 1-bedroom suites, jungle suites, 12 three-bedroom villas with private plunge pools); six dining venues with organic farm; wellness centre; four outdoor pools; 27 by-invitation private villas; interiors by Waldo's Designs, Clements Design, and creative director Rosetta Getty. Belmond Media Hub
Katanchel, A Belmond Hotel — Tixkokob, Yucatán, Mexico — expected 2027 — confirmed; Belmond acquired Hacienda Katanchel, a 17th-century 220-hectare estate near Mérida featuring a cenote (underground river), sacred well, native flora and fauna, and the remnants of an ancient Mayan pyramid; 35 independent suites planned after a comprehensive restoration programme. Belmond Media Hub
Villeggiatura by Train — Venice Simplon-Orient-Express — Paris to Amalfi Coast, Italy — first departure 4 May 2026, confirmed; VSOE's first-ever journey from Paris to the Amalfi Coast via Pompeii, arriving at Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, Ravello; additional 2026 itineraries to Venice (stay at Hotel Cipriani), Florence (stay at Villa San Michele), and Portofino (stay at Splendido); from £8,000 per person. Belmond Media Hub
Britannic Explorer fourth route — England, United Kingdom — expected 2026 — confirmed; a fourth UK itinerary for the Britannic Explorer is in development for 2026, per GBRf partnership agreement. GBRailfreight