Author: Michael Hodgson & Therese Iknoian

When our travel lodging experts recommend European luxury hotels, it’s not just because the hotel boasts 5-star status and finds its way onto lists of the world’s best hotels each year. The team prefers to be a bit more selective, sending its luxury travel experts to seek out hidden boutique gems you have perhaps never heard of, but should know about. When choosing a hotel that’s considered a standout, the team looks for superb location, thoughtful design with a sense of place, a commitment to a light footprint, cuisine that is so good you will not want go outside the hotel to eat, and a staff that makes its guests feel so at home they never want to leave. Here are two European luxury hotels that stood above the rest among all the hotels where the team stayed in 2016 — plus three more to take a peek at.