Stays · Hotel brand records 2026
Belmond Review 2026: Record Score of 82, 43 Properties, Owned by LVMH Since 2019
Belmond is twelfth of the twenty brands on our luxury hotel brand hierarchy, at 82 out of 100: 27 hotels, seven trains, seven river boats and two safari lodges, 43 properties across 24 countries, owned by LVMH since 2019 and run as Belmond Management Limited from Wogan House in London. This record is the evidence file behind that score. It sets out what Belmond and LVMH publish about the brand, how the MICHELIN Guide rates the hotels we could read, what could not be found, and where our own pages and the hierarchy disagree with what Belmond and LVMH print.
Verified 26 September 2026 · belmond.com (about, hotels, trains, boats, lodges and hotel pages) · lvmh.com (the Belmond page) · mediahub.belmond.com (press releases) · the MICHELIN Guide · our luxury hotel brand hierarchy of 7 September 2026
Is this your company? Correct a fact. Belmond can correct any line of this record through the contact page. Corrections are logged with the previous value kept, and the score moves only if the evidence does.
How Belmond scores: 82 out of 100
Belmond scores 82 out of 100, twelfth of twenty brands: 16 of 20 for rate band, 18 of 25 for consistency across the portfolio, 17 of 20 for service depth, 14 of 15 for food and drink, and 17 of 20 for privacy and scale. The points are the luxury hotel brand hierarchy's of 7 September 2026, carried unchanged; under each criterion is what we could read on 26 September 2026. The hierarchy's own portfolio line, "32 hotels, six trains, seven river boats and two safari camps," does not match LVMH's count of 27 hotels and 7 trains, within the 43-property, 24-country total that Belmond's own about page and our brand duel also give.
| Criterion | Points | Out of | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate band | 16 | 20 | Belmond's release of 6 September 2026 prices Copacabana Palace's Pool Wing suites 'from £905 per night, plus taxes'; no other published rate was found. The hierarchy places Belmond in its premium luxury band, EUR 800 to 2,000 a night. |
| Consistency across the portfolio | 18 | 25 | LVMH counts 43 Belmond properties in 24 countries: 27 hotels, 7 trains, 7 boats and 2 safari lodges. The MICHELIN Guide lists 26 Belmond hotels and gives Keys to 24: Three at Hotel Cipriani, Splendido, Las Casitas and Hotel das Cataratas, Two at twelve more, One at eight; La Samanna and Sanctuary Lodge have none. No Forbes page for a Belmond hotel would open. |
| Service depth | 17 | 20 | No Belmond page we opened publishes staff numbers, butler service or room sizes. |
| Food and drink | 14 | 15 | Oro at Hotel Cipriani holds One MICHELIN Star. Belmond says Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons offers '2 Michelin star dining,' and on 21 January 2026 it named Arnaud Donckele, chef of La Vague d'Or and Plénitude, its Culinary Director, with founder Raymond Blanc passing on the reins. |
| Privacy and scale | 17 | 20 | Rooms by Belmond's own pages: The Cadogan 15 rooms, 37 suites and 2 Signature Suites; Caruso 50; Splendido 53; Le Manoir 36 rooms and suites plus 3 signature suites; Copacabana Palace 208. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express carries 32 Historic Cabins, 16 Suites and 6 Grand Suites. |
| Total | 82 | 100 | Luxury hotel brand hierarchy score of 7 September 2026, carried unchanged; evidence read 26 September 2026. |
Belmond publishes who owns it and when the business began, and its media hub dates a run of new suites, restaurants and one train carriage through 2025 and 2026. It publishes less about scale: no page we opened gives staff numbers or a butler model, room counts are printed for only a handful of its 27 hotels, and its own hotels page listed 28 hotel entries when we counted them, one more than LVMH's 27. The MICHELIN Guide shows the portfolio's range most clearly: 24 of 26 listed hotels hold a Key, four of them the highest grade, Three Keys, while two hold none.
The evidence record
The record holds 18 facts about Belmond, each with its source and grade. Grade A means the company's own site or terms; grade B means a rating body such as Forbes Travel Guide or the MICHELIN Guide, a registry or major press; grade C means a secondary source not confirmed elsewhere. Every line was read on 26 September 2026 unless its source says otherwise.
| Attribute | Value | Source · grade |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Belmond hotels, trains, river boats and safari lodges; LVMH lists the brand under its "Other activities" category rather than its wine, fashion or watch Maisons | LVMH, Belmond page · A |
| Company | Belmond Management Limited, named in the site's footer copyright line; no UK company number, stock ticker or exchange found on any page opened | belmond.com, footer · A |
| Registered office | Wogan House, 99 Great Portland Street, London W1W 7NY (map) | belmond.com, footer · A |
| Founded | 1976, "created in 1976 with the acquisition of Hotel Cipriani in Venice"; Belmond's own about page separately calls it "a 50-year legacy beginning in 1976 with Hotel Cipriani in Venice" | LVMH, Belmond page · A; Belmond, about · A |
| Owner and leaders | LVMH, part of "the world's leading luxury group" since 2019 by Belmond's own account; Dan Ruff is named CEO on LVMH's page for the brand; no leadership page on belmond.com names a chief executive | Belmond, about · A; LVMH, Belmond page · A |
| Stock listing | None for Belmond itself; LVMH's own ticker or exchange is not printed on either page opened | LVMH, Belmond page · A |
| Hotels and countries | 27 hotels, 43 properties across 24 countries by LVMH's count; Belmond's own about page gives only the combined 43-property total, and its hotels page listed 28 hotel entries when we counted them on 26 September 2026, one more than LVMH's 27; no residence programme or pipeline opening was found on any page opened | LVMH, Belmond page · A; Belmond, about · A; Belmond, hotels page · A |
| Trains | Seven, named on Belmond's own trains page: Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Britannic Explorer, Royal Scotsman, Eastern & Oriental Express, British Pullman, Andean Explorer and Hiram Bingham. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express carries 32 Historic Cabins, 16 Suites and 6 Grand Suites, plus L'Observatoire Suite; the Britannic Explorer has 18 sleeper cabins | Belmond, trains page · A; Venice Simplon-Orient-Express · A; Britannic Explorer · A |
| Boats and safari lodges | The boats page names only the collective brand, Les Bateaux Belmond, with no individual vessel or a count our reader could confirm; the lodges page names both safari lodges, Eagle Island Lodge and Savute Elephant Lodge, in Botswana | Belmond, boats page · A; Belmond, lodges page · A |
| Published rates | One found: Copacabana Palace's Pool Wing suites "from £905 per night, plus taxes," in a release of 6 September 2026; no other Belmond hotel, train or boat prints a rate outside booking | Belmond media hub, Copacabana Palace release · A |
| Forbes Travel Guide | Not readable for any Belmond hotel; attempts for Hotel Cipriani, Splendido, Caruso, Villa San Michele, Copacabana Palace, The Cadogan, La Residencia and Mount Nelson all redirected to Forbes Travel Guide's home page rather than a rating | Not opened · B |
| MICHELIN Keys | 26 Belmond hotels listed, 24 with a Key: Three at Hotel Cipriani, Splendido, Las Casitas and Hotel das Cataratas, Two at twelve more including Copacabana Palace and The Cadogan, One at eight; La Samanna and Sanctuary Lodge have none | Hotel Cipriani, Splendido, Las Casitas, Hotel das Cataratas, Copacabana Palace, The Cadogan, La Samanna, Sanctuary Lodge · B |
| Restaurants | Oro at Hotel Cipriani holds One MICHELIN Star; Belmond calls it "Michelin-starred" without a number. Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons offers "2 Michelin star dining," and on 21 January 2026 named Arnaud Donckele its Culinary Director, with founder Raymond Blanc passing on the reins; the release says Donckele leads La Vague d'Or in Saint-Tropez and Plénitude at Cheval Blanc Paris, "both awarded three Michelin stars." Amura by Ángel León opened at Mount Nelson on 5 December 2025; no Michelin recognition is claimed for Amura itself | MICHELIN Guide, Hotel Cipriani · B; Belmond, Hotel Cipriani · A; Belmond, Le Manoir · A; Belmond media hub, Donckele appointment · A; Belmond media hub, Amura opening · A |
| Rooms at named hotels | Hotel Cipriani 55 rooms, 20 suites, 4 signature suites; Splendido 53 rooms and suites; Caruso 50 rooms and suites; Le Manoir 36 rooms and suites plus 3 signature suites; The Cadogan 15 rooms, 37 suites and 2 Signature Suites; Copacabana Palace 208 rooms and suites (68 in the Pool Wing, 140 in the Main Building); Villa San Michele gives conflicting counts on the same page, 39 rooms and suites in one place and 36 plus 3 signature suites in another | Hotel Cipriani · A; Splendido · A; Caruso · A; Le Manoir · A; The Cadogan · A; Copacabana Palace release · A; Villa San Michele · A |
| Service claims | No Belmond page we opened publishes staff numbers, a butler model or room sizes beyond the counts above | Belmond, about · A |
| Loyalty and booking perks | No points programme found; Belmond's footer links a travel-adviser programme, the Bellini Club, at a separate address for travel professionals, but that site's own rules stop our reader opening it, so its terms are unconfirmed here | belmond.com, footer · A |
| Legal and regulatory events | None found on any Belmond page we opened | Belmond, about · A |
| Our other pages | No. 12 of 20 on the hierarchy at 82; Tier 2 (premium luxury) on our four-brand duel, the same score; named as running four of the twelve trains scored on our best luxury train journeys page | Hierarchy · B; Duel · B; Trains · B |
Who owns Belmond?
Belmond is owned by LVMH, which has held Belmond Management Limited since 2019; LVMH's own page for the brand names Dan Ruff as CEO and dates the business to a 1976 acquisition.
LVMH's page for Belmond, filed under its "Other activities" rather than its wine, fashion or watch Maisons, states the group has held the brand "since 2019" and separately puts the company's start in 1976, "with the acquisition of Hotel Cipriani in Venice"; Belmond's own about page corroborates the founding date, calling it "a 50-year legacy beginning in 1976 with Hotel Cipriani in Venice." Neither page prints an LVMH exchange ticker or an acquisition price, and no leadership page on belmond.com names a chief executive; Dan Ruff appears only as CEO on LVMH's page for the brand.
One figure the hierarchy prints does not match what LVMH and Belmond publish. Our luxury hotel brand hierarchy gives Belmond "32 hotels, six trains, seven river boats and two safari camps"; LVMH's own page instead gives 27 hotels, 7 trains, 7 boats and 2 safari lodges, the same 43-property, 24-country total our four-brand duel already carries, while our Belmond dossier gives "around 43 properties across roughly two dozen countries." This record uses LVMH's and Belmond's own figures throughout, and sends the difference to the hierarchy's next quarterly re-score.
How many hotels, trains and boats does Belmond have?
27 hotels, seven trains, seven river boats and two safari lodges, 43 properties across 24 countries, as LVMH's page for the brand breaks the total down; Belmond's own hotels page listed 28 hotel entries when we counted them on 26 September 2026. The seven trains are named on Belmond's trains page and the two safari lodges on its lodges page; its boats page names only the collective brand, with no individual vessel or a count our reader could confirm.
| Type | Named on belmond.com | LVMH's count | Rooms or cabins where published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels | Hotel Cipriani, Copacabana Palace, Splendido, Le Manoir and 24 more | 27 | Cipriani 55 rooms, 20 suites, 4 signature suites; Copacabana Palace 208 rooms and suites |
| Trains | Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Britannic Explorer, Royal Scotsman, Eastern & Oriental Express, British Pullman, Andean Explorer, Hiram Bingham | 7 | Venice Simplon-Orient-Express 32 Historic Cabins, 16 Suites, 6 Grand Suites; Britannic Explorer 18 sleeper cabins |
| River boats | Only the collective brand, Les Bateaux Belmond | 7 | Not found |
| Safari lodges | Eagle Island Lodge and Savute Elephant Lodge, Botswana | 2 | Not found |
Belmond's trains are covered at greater length in best luxury train journeys, where the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and the Britannic Explorer both rank among the twelve trains scored there; that page dates the Britannic Explorer's first departure to July 2025, a date no Belmond page we opened confirms.
How Belmond's hotels are rated by the MICHELIN Guide
No Forbes Travel Guide rating for a Belmond hotel could be read; the MICHELIN Guide lists 26 Belmond hotels and gives a Key to 24, four of them its highest grade, Three Keys.
| Hotel | Where | MICHELIN Keys | Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Cipriani | Venice, Italy | Three | 55 rooms, 20 suites, 4 signature suites |
| Splendido | Portofino, Italy | Three | Not read |
| Las Casitas | Arequipa, Peru | Three | Not read |
| Hotel das Cataratas | Iguazu Falls, Brazil | Three | Not read |
| Copacabana Palace | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Two | 208 rooms and suites |
| The Cadogan | London, UK | Two | 15 rooms, 37 suites, 2 Signature Suites |
| La Samanna | St Martin | None | Not read |
| Sanctuary Lodge | Machu Picchu, Peru | None | Not read |
Forbes Travel Guide grades hotels Recommended, Four-Star or Five-Star; every Forbes page we tried for a Belmond hotel redirected to the Forbes home page rather than a rating, so none is printed here. Oro, the restaurant at Hotel Cipriani, holds One MICHELIN Star; Belmond's own page calls it "Michelin-starred" without a number. At Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Belmond states "2 Michelin star dining," and on 21 January 2026 it named Arnaud Donckele Culinary Director, and the release says founder Raymond Blanc "is proud to pass on the reins." The same release says Donckele leads La Vague d'Or in Saint-Tropez and Plénitude at Cheval Blanc Paris, "both awarded three Michelin stars," a recognition that belongs to those restaurants, not to Le Manoir.
How to book Belmond, and whether any perks come with it
Belmond runs no points programme that we could find; its own footer names a travel-adviser programme, the Bellini Club, but that site's own rules stop our reader from opening it.
Belmond's about, hotels and trains pages state no consumer loyalty programme, and its footer link to the Bellini Club, at a separate address for travel professionals, returned nothing to our reader under that site's own rules; its cancellation terms and any Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or Virtuoso participation could not be confirmed on a Belmond page either. Our own Direct vs Amex FHR vs Virtuoso guide names the Bellini Club as Belmond's adviser programme, and our Booking.com vs direct audit found a direct rate at Splendido Mare included breakfast, with house inclusions such as a gozzo boat tour and Bagni Fiore beach-club access.
For a traveller who books on points, that is the trade: no Belmond page we opened offers points or chain status. How the hotel chain top tiers compare instead is set out in Hilton Diamond vs Marriott Titanium vs Hyatt Globalist and the hotel status match guide; the premium cards worth holding regardless of a hotel's own programme are compared in our guide to the best luxury travel credit cards and, head to head, in Amex Platinum vs Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Who Belmond suits, and who it does not
Belmond suits a traveller drawn to a named hotel or a specific train rather than one global standard, and who will book without a loyalty programme; it suits less well anyone who wants a nightly rate before enquiring, or points that carry to other hotels.
Most room counts Belmond prints sit well under 100: Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons has 36 rooms and suites plus 3 signature suites, Caruso on the Amalfi Coast 50 rooms and suites, and Hotel Cipriani in Venice 55 rooms, 20 suites and 4 signature suites; Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro is larger, at 208 rooms and suites after its Pool Wing redesign. Belmond also runs seven trains, so a stay and a rail journey can be booked under one brand; four of them rank among the twelve trains scored in best luxury train journeys.
Our hotel check-in privacy guide lists Belmond, with Aman and Ritz-Carlton Reserve, among the hotels it says Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts includes; whether a hotel like this or a points-earning chain hotel suits a trip better is weighed in you do not owe any brand your loyalty.
Belmond: the decisions that come next
Which brand, whether to add a train to the trip, how to book without points, and where a close rival scores higher are the next decisions, and each has its own page here.
| Decision | What matters | Where we cover it |
|---|---|---|
| Which brand | Twenty brands scored on the same five criteria. | Luxury hotel brand hierarchy |
| Add a train | Four Belmond trains rank among the twelve we score. | Best luxury train journeys |
| How to book | No points; an adviser programme our reader could not open. | Direct vs Amex FHR vs Virtuoso; Amex Platinum vs Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| Points or no points | No Belmond page we opened offers points or status. | Hilton vs Marriott vs Hyatt top tiers; Status match guide |
| A close rival | One&Only scores one point higher, on rate band and consistency. | One&Only record |
Where Belmond stands on Uncompromised Travel
Belmond appears on eight Uncompromised Travel pages with a position or a figure, and holds a numbered rank on one of them.
| Page | Position | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury hotel brand hierarchy | No. 12 of 20, 82/100 | Prints "32 hotels, six trains, seven river boats and two safari camps" under LVMH; LVMH's own Belmond page counts 27 hotels and 7 trains, and Belmond's trains page names seven |
| Aman vs Six Senses vs Rosewood vs Belmond | Tier 2, 82 | Gives "43 properties in 24 countries: 27 hotels, 7 trains, 7 river boats, 2 safari lodges," matching LVMH's own figures |
| Aman alternatives | No score | Names Belmond Caruso in Ravello as a restored eleventh-century palazzo, matching what Belmond's own page for the hotel says |
| Inside Belmond dossier | No score | Gives "around 43 properties across roughly two dozen countries" and rates from about EUR 500 to 4,500 or more a night; also dates the LVMH deal to announced December 2018, closed April 2019, dates this record could not confirm on a Belmond or LVMH page |
| Booking.com vs direct | Not scored | Finds a direct rate at Splendido Mare included breakfast, with house inclusions such as a gozzo boat tour and Bagni Fiore beach-club access |
| Direct vs Amex FHR vs Virtuoso | Booking route, no score | Names the Belmond Bellini Club as an adviser programme; this record could not open belmondpro.com to confirm its terms, since that site's own rules disallow our reader |
| Hotel check-in privacy | No score | Lists Belmond, with Aman and Ritz-Carlton Reserve, among the hotels it says Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts includes |
| Best luxury train journeys | Four of twelve ranked trains | Ranks Venice Simplon-Orient-Express 92, Royal Scotsman 86, Eastern & Oriental Express 84 and Britannic Explorer 78, and dates the Britannic Explorer's launch to July 2025, a date this record could not confirm on a Belmond page |
Alternatives to Belmond to compare
The nearest alternatives on the same rubric are the other three brands in the hierarchy's premium luxury tier, One&Only, Six Senses and Raffles, plus Cheval Blanc, the other LVMH-owned brand on the hierarchy. One&Only, Six Senses and Raffles are covered in their own records in this batch.
| Brand | Score | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| One&Only | 83 | Kerzner International's resort brand, one place above Belmond; 13 open resorts and no points programme |
| Six Senses | 81 | Owned by IHG, one place below Belmond; IHG's member terms name Six Senses in their exclusions without saying whether stays earn or redeem points |
| Raffles | 78 | Owned by Accor and dated to 1887 in Singapore, with 25 hotels and 3,905 rooms as of 30 June 2026 |
| Cheval Blanc | 93 | The other LVMH-owned brand on the hierarchy, run through a separate company, LVMH Hotel Management, eleven points above Belmond |
What this record does not show
Seven things a guest would want could not be found or verified for Belmond. Supplying a verifiable source closes a gap; it changes the evidence, never the rubric.
| Missing | Where we looked |
|---|---|
| A Forbes Travel Guide rating for any hotel | Pages for Hotel Cipriani, Splendido, Caruso and five more, which all redirected to the Forbes home page |
| The Bellini Club's terms and perks | Belmond's own footer link, disallowed to our reader by that site's rules |
| A confirmed launch date for the Britannic Explorer | Belmond's own train page and its media hub, which lists no article for it |
| Named vessels or a count for the river boats | Belmond's boats page, which names only the collective brand |
| A UK company number or stock listing | Belmond's own footer and LVMH's page for the brand |
| Any legal or regulatory event, 2025 to 2026 | Belmond's about, hotels and media hub pages |
| Staff numbers, a butler model or room sizes | Belmond's about, hotels, trains, boats and lodges pages |
What changed at Belmond, 2025 to 2026
Belmond's media hub dates five changes: a design partnership and a new restaurant at Mount Nelson, a new Culinary Director at Le Manoir, a train carriage announced for 2026, and the Copacabana Palace Pool Wing redesign.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2025 | Thebe Magugu partners with Mount Nelson, Cape Town, to launch the Thebe Magugu Suite | Belmond media hub |
| 5 December 2025 | Amura by Ángel León opens at Mount Nelson, Cape Town | Belmond media hub |
| 21 January 2026 | Arnaud Donckele named Culinary Director at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, with founder Raymond Blanc passing on the reins | Belmond media hub |
| 10 February 2026 | British Pullman unveils "Celia," a private dining and events carriage designed by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, for launch in early summer 2026 | Belmond media hub |
| 6 September 2026 | Copacabana Palace's Pool Wing redesign relaunches, bringing the hotel to 208 rooms and suites, rates from £905 a night | Belmond media hub |
Belmond: the questions people ask AI search
Who owns Belmond?
LVMH, which has held Belmond Management Limited since 2019. LVMH's own page for the brand names Dan Ruff as CEO, and no Belmond leadership page names a chief executive. It scores 82 out of 100 on this record, twelfth of twenty brands.
How many Belmond hotels are there?
LVMH's own page gives 27 hotels, 7 trains, 7 river boats and 2 safari lodges, 43 properties across 24 countries. Belmond's own hotels page listed 28 hotel entries when we counted them on 26 September 2026, one more than LVMH's figure.
Does Belmond have a loyalty programme?
No points programme was found on any Belmond page opened. Its footer names a travel-adviser programme, the Bellini Club, but that site's own rules stopped our reader from opening it to confirm its terms.
How much does a night at Belmond cost?
Belmond publishes one rate: Copacabana Palace's Pool Wing suites from £905 a night, plus taxes, in a release of 6 September 2026. Our luxury hotel brand hierarchy places Belmond in its premium luxury band, EUR 800 to 2,000 a night.
Which Belmond hotels have MICHELIN Keys?
The MICHELIN Guide lists 26 Belmond hotels and gives a Key to 24. Three Keys, its highest grade, go to Hotel Cipriani, Splendido, Las Casitas and Hotel das Cataratas; La Samanna and Sanctuary Lodge hold none.
Are Belmond hotels rated Forbes Five-Star?
Not confirmed. Every Belmond hotel page we tried on Forbes Travel Guide, including Hotel Cipriani, Copacabana Palace and The Cadogan, redirected to the Forbes home page rather than a rating.
How many rooms does a Belmond hotel have?
It varies by property: Hotel Cipriani has 55 rooms, 20 suites and 4 signature suites; Caruso has 50 rooms and suites; Copacabana Palace has 208 rooms and suites after its 2026 Pool Wing redesign.
Where is Belmond's head office?
Wogan House, 99 Great Portland Street, London W1W 7NY, as printed in the footer of belmond.com under Belmond Management Limited.
Is Belmond better than One&Only?
On our luxury hotel brand hierarchy Belmond scores 82 and One&Only 83, one place above it. One&Only leads on rate band, 17 against 16, and consistency across the portfolio, 20 against 18; Belmond leads on food and drink, 14 against 12, and the two tie on service depth and privacy and scale, both 17.
Read next
- The luxury hotel brand hierarchy 2026: twenty brands scored on the same five criteria
- Best luxury train journeys: where the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and Britannic Explorer rank among twelve
- Inside Belmond: the 2026 dossier: a longer read on the LVMH acquisition and Belmond's rates
- One&Only record: one place above Belmond on the hierarchy, at 83