The World's Oldest Hotels Still Operating (2026)

By Marcus Ellison, Senior Editor  ·  Published May 27, 2026  ·  Updated June 17, 2026  ·  Part of our hotel world records series

The oldest hotels at a glance

What is the oldest hotel in the world?

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, a hot spring ryokan in Yamanashi Prefecture founded in 705 AD by Fujiwara no Mahito, certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest hotel on earth in 2011. The same family ran it for 52 generations, including adopted heirs, until 2017, when no relative would take the keys and general manager Kenjiro Kawano became president. The baths still draw directly from the local Hakuho springs, as they have for thirteen centuries.

The honest catch: this is a working ryokan, not a palace. Expect tatami rooms, set kaiseki dinner times and onsen etiquette, and book well ahead; record status keeps its 37 rooms in demand.

Which hotel has been run by one family the longest?

Hoshi Ryokan in Awazu Onsen, Ishikawa, founded in 718 and run by the Hoshi family for 46 generations, the world's oldest continuously family-run business. In 2025 it passed to Hisae Hoshi, the first woman to lead the house, opening its 47th generation. For years it was assumed to be the oldest hotel outright until Keiunkan's earlier founding date took the Guinness title. The January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake damaged its premium Enmeikaku room, which has hosted the Japanese Imperial Family; the room remains unavailable while the rest of the ryokan operates.

The honest catch: reviews are mixed on upkeep in the older wings, a common theme across very old properties. Treat it as living history at a fair price rather than polished luxury.

What is the oldest hotel in Europe?

The strongest documented claim belongs to Zum Roten Baeren in Freiburg, Germany. An inn stood on the site before the dukes of Zaehringen founded the town itself in 1120; the first landlord named in writing appears in a March 1387 land register, and the present Baroque building went up in 1718 after French troops damaged its predecessor. We call it a claim deliberately: the earliest centuries rest on the site's history, not on an unbroken guest ledger, and that is the honest standard every "oldest in Europe" list should apply.

The honest catch: this is a modest 25-room inn with a wine tavern, not a luxury hotel. Go for the history and the Baden cooking, not for spas or suites.

What is the oldest hotel in London?

Brown's Hotel in Mayfair, opened in 1837, the year Victoria took the throne. Alexander Graham Bell placed Britain's first telephone call from the hotel in 1876, Theodore Roosevelt honeymooned here in 1886, and Rudyard Kipling worked on The Jungle Book in its rooms. Today it runs as Rocco Forte's London flagship, and it remains one of the city's most comfortable five-star stays rather than a museum piece. Our full verdict is in the Brown's Hotel review.

What is the oldest hotel in the United States?

The Omni Parker House on Boston's Freedom Trail, opened by Harvey D. Parker on October 8, 1855, and recognised as the longest continuously operating hotel in the country. It gave American dining the Parker House roll and Boston cream pie, employed Ho Chi Minh in its bakery and Malcolm X in its dining room, and hosted Dickens's first American reading of A Christmas Carol. A 65-million-dollar renovation reopened all 551 rooms, the 57 suites and the rooftop ballroom in August 2025, timed to the hotel's 170th anniversary. For where it fits among the city's best stays, see our Boston hotel guide.

The honest catch: even refreshed, many rooms run small by modern standards, a fact guests flag consistently; the history is in the public spaces, not the square footage.

When did the grand hotel era actually begin?

In Paris on May 5, 1862, when Empress Eugenie inaugurated Le Grand Hotel beside the new Opera. Built by the Pereire brothers with around 800 rooms and 45 salons, it was conceived at a scale and polish no inn had attempted, and the Cafe de la Paix on its ground floor has served ever since. It operates today as the InterContinental Paris Le Grand. Older inns predate it by centuries, but the grand hotel as a form, purpose-built, vast and luxurious, starts here.

Which old grand hotels are still worth booking on merit?

Two stand out. The Grand Hotel Stockholm, opened on June 14, 1874 by French chef Regis Cadier, hosted the first Nobel banquet in 1901 and still faces the Royal Palace across the water; it competes with Stockholm's best on service, not just age. And Badrutt's Palace, opened on July 27, 1896, remains the definitive Alpine grand dame and the social centre of the St. Moritz winter season. Both appear in our ranking of the best historic grand-dame hotels, which judges today's experience rather than the founding date.

Should you actually stay in the oldest hotels?

Go in with the right expectations. Age guarantees a story, not service: the two Japanese record holders are traditional ryokan with set mealtimes and shared bathing culture, the Freiburg inn is a three-star, and even the Victorian-era survivors vary widely in renovation quality. The properties that balance both are the late 19th-century grand hotels above, which is why they anchor our separate guide to grand and restored historic hotels. If your priority is a castle or palazzo stay rather than a record, start with the best heritage and castle hotels instead. And if it is records you collect, the full records desk covers the tallest, highest, biggest and most remote, including our new lists of the biggest hotel suites and most remote luxury hotels.

Frequently asked questions