2026 world's best awards

6 Houston hotels declared 'World's Best' by Travel + Leisure

Trellis Spa soaking pools and garden at The Houstonian

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa was deemed Texas' best resort for a second year.

Courtesy of The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa

Houston's top-tier hospitality industry is continuing its winning streak: six local hotels and resorts were lauded among the best hotels in the world, according to Travel + Leisure's 2026 World's Best Awards.

Travel + Leisure's annual World's Best Awards are the culmination of readers' choice surveys of the ultimate travel experiences around the globe, which include the top hotels, resorts, travel destinations, and more. The 2026 survey had more than 207,000 responses from T+L readers with over 661,000 votes across 10,088 accommodations, cruise lines, and other properties.

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa won prestigious acclaim as the No. 1 resort in Texas for the second year in a row, affirming its reputation as Houston's "best-kept secret for discerning guests seeking a quiet hideaway."

The spacious 27-acre property contains five restaurants, a 280-room hotel, a 185,000-square-foot fitness club, a 26,500-square-foot full service spa, and so much more. According to T+L readers, the sprawling retreat "proves everything really is bigger in Texas."

Reflection pool at the Trellis Spa Trellis Spa visitors can relax by the pool indoors or outdoors.Courtesy of The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa

The Houstonian was additionally recognized among T+L's separate list of the 500 best hotels in the world in May 2026.

The full list of the best resorts in Texas are:

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, Houston
Camp Lucy, Dripping Springs
Horseshoe Bay Resort, Horseshoe Bay
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin
JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio

The best hotels in the U.S.
Houston's oldest-running hospitality property, The Lancaster Hotel, topped the list of the best hotels in Houston and it was declared the 10th best hotel in the country. Its shining performance in the World's Best Awards is an auspicious occasion for the hotel, which is currently celebrating its centennial.

"For 100 years, The Lancaster Hotel has been a defining presence in Houston hospitality," the hotel's website says. "In 2026, we proudly celebrate a century of welcoming guests with warmth, elegance, and impeccable service. Home to more than 200 works by noted contemporary Texas artists and situated in the heart of Houston's Theater District, The Lancaster blends historic character with modern refinement."

In a brief overview of The Lancaster, T+L praised the hotel's historic charm and its dedication to spotlighting Texas artists.

The five best hotels in Houston in 2026 are:

The Lancaster Hotel
The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston
Hotel Zaza Houston Museum District
Four Seasons Hotel Houston
Marriott Marquis Houston

travel houston hotels awards travel leisure resorts vacation media lists

Community Meat-up

Tickets on sale for Texas Monthly's picnic with 30+ top barbecue joints

Photo by Randi Reding

Festival-goers got to try smoked meats by Texas Monthly's No. 1 barbecue joint, Burnt Bean Co., at the last TM BBQ Fest.

Texas Monthly is headed to Lockhart, about 150 miles west of Houston, for its TM BBQ Fest on Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8. Tickets are now on sale for the Top 50 Picnic, held Sunday.

Early bird tickets were only available to TM BBQ Club members, and are sold out. Tier one tickets went on sale on July 1, priced at $130 for general admission and $200 for VIP, which includes entry one hour earlier and two drink tickets. Prices go up to the second tier September 7, Labor Day.

As an important source of news across the state, Texas Monthly covers everything from arts and culture to politics. It holds a special niche in barbecue, thanks to its definitive 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas list, which comes out every four years.

The picnic happens more frequently, on an annual basis, giving Texans a chance to try 30-plus spots on the list in one place rather than having to traverse the state like barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn.

This year's lineup hasn't been released yet, but it's a good bet that some of Houston seven members of the top 50 list will participate. They include Truth BBQ (No. 10) and six more in unranked lower 40 positions: Corkscrew BBQ (Spring), Pinkerton's Barbecue, Bar-A BBQ (Montgomery), Jennings & Co. (Montgomery), Brisket and Rice, and Rosemeyer BBQ (Spring). Seguin (near San Antonio) joint Burnt Bean Co. is the reigning No. 1 spot and did participate in the picnic in 2025.

Saturday's event, the BBQ World's Fair, is a free public event. Anyone can enter with an RSVP and enjoy an artisan marketplace, live-fire cooking demos, live music, and the festival atmosphere. But to eat, they'll have to purchase a $51 tray. Both events support the nonprofit Feeding Texas and its network of food banks.

Texas Monthly, which is based in Austin, travels to Lockhart for the festival because it is widely known as the Barbecue Capital of Texas. In barbecue's infancy as a cuisine, it was a way to use meats that hadn't sold at the market. Lockhart's longtime barbecue scene — including restaurants like Kreuz Market, Smitty’s Market, and Black's Barbecue — stretches back to those days. There's also tons of local lore about the different barbecue families and their public feuds, as detailed in the documentary Family Beef.

Although Lockhart looms large in barbecue history and culture, Barbs B Q is the only Lockhart restaurant that made Texas Monthly's current top 50 list. If visitors to Lockhart during the festival want to take barbecue home for later, there are several local spots outside the fest that would be happy to wrap something up.

texas monthly barbecue festivals