The Best Waldorf Astoria Hotels, Ranked by Guest Reviews

The gap between the best and the worst Waldorf Astoria is wide. The best, Waldorf Astoria Chicago, earned 9.83 out of 10 across its 100 most recent reviews; its weakest, Grand Wailea on Maui, earned 6.03, with 59% of recent guests scoring it under 7. Across the brand the mean is 8.93, with 78% of guests scoring 9 or more and 11.5% under 7: tenth of the eleven brands we could score, ahead of only Ritz-Carlton (8.89). The upside is price: on the same dates the median Waldorf cost about half the median Four Seasons.

How we ranked them: on 3 October 2026 we scored the 100 most recent verified guest reviews at every Waldorf Astoria on our booking platform ourselves (mean out of 10, share scoring 9 or more, share under 7), and priced the same stays at every hotel through our own booking engine (the one behind hotels.biirdee.com). To be ranked, a hotel needs at least 50 reviews written since June 2024; 31 of the 38 Waldorf Astorias we track qualify. Rates are the lowest per night on 10–13 Nov 2026, 12–15 Mar 2027 and 15–18 Jul 2027 for two adults; taxes the hotel collects at checkout are extra. Casa Marina Key West and La Quinta Resort & Club, which left the brand for Curio Collection, are not included.

The Top Eight, Hotel by Hotel

Waldorf Astoria Chicago (9.83). The clearest winner in the brand: 95% of its last 100 reviewers scored it 9 or more. Service came up in 88% of written reviews, and those reviews averaged 9.85; the spa came up in 19% (9.78) and the food in 25% (9.91). Forbes rates the hotel and its spa Four-Star, and it kept its MICHELIN Key in 2026. On our dates it cost $755 in November (the cheapest room left was a junior suite with a fireplace), $556 over New Year and $420 in March, plus ~$100–136 a night collected at checkout on the first two; our engine showed no rooms for July.

Waldorf Astoria Panama (9.63). With Xiamen, the best value in the top ten: $190–342 a night on all four test stays. Breakfast came up in 34% of written reviews, more than at any other top-ten Waldorf, and those reviews averaged 9.62; service came up in 87% (9.75). Couples (39%) and families (37%) wrote most of them. Forbes lists it as Recommended. Our own desk has booked it, for three nights in August 2025.

Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre (9.60). Forbes Five-Star, and only 1% of recent guests scored it under 7. Couples (48%) and solo travelers (38%) wrote most of its reviews. It cost $370–584 a night on our November, December and March stays and $264 in July.

Waldorf Astoria Cancun (9.59), now trading as Waldorf Astoria Riviera Maya. The family resort of the top tier: families wrote 60% of its recent reviews. Food came up in 45% of written reviews (averaging 9.68), the pool in 36% (9.54) and children in 31% (9.67). Forbes rates the hotel and spa Four-Star. Both stays we could price came back as all-inclusive rates, $879 in March and $818 in July; November and New Year showed no rooms.

Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal (9.58). Forbes Five-Star for the hotel and the spa, and Two MICHELIN Keys in 2026. Guests praise almost everything: service came up in 89% of written reviews (9.71), food in 53% (9.21), the pool in 49% (9.55) and the spa in 22% (9.91). The one sore point is cost: price came up in 8% of written reviews, averaging 6.5, and at $1,521–3,335 a night on our stays it is the dearest hotel in the top ten.

Waldorf Astoria Xiamen (9.51). Not one of its last 100 reviews scored under 7. Breakfast came up in 24% of written reviews and averaged 9.75. $220–268 a night on our stays; our engine showed no rooms from May to October 2027.

Waldorf Astoria Kuwait (9.45). Forbes Five-Star for hotel and spa, and the steadiest price in the top ten: $507–533 a night on all four test stays. Couples wrote 64% of its reviews; food came up in 41% (9.64), though breakfast (33%) averaged a more ordinary 8.11.

Rome Cavalieri (9.44). The pool came up in 33% of written reviews (9.46) and the view in 31% (9.5). Forbes lists it as Recommended, and it holds no MICHELIN Key in 2026. It was $459 in March and $603 over New Year, but $2,220 on our November stay, when our engine had only one room type left. The full picture is in our Rome Cavalieri guide.

Just behind: the reopened Waldorf Astoria New York (9.41, from 76 reviews since August 2025, and Two MICHELIN Keys in its first year) and Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (9.39, Forbes Five-Star), where food came up in 25% of written reviews and averaged 9.71.

Honest Notes on the Lowest Scorers

Grand Wailea (6.03). Its 100 most recent reviews, written from January to August 2026, are the weakest of the 31 hotels we ranked: 29% scored it 9 or more and 59% under 7, well below the resort's own long-run score on our platform (8.3 across 426 reviews). Families wrote 49% of them. In the written reviews almost every topic we track ran low: service came up in 76% (those reviews averaged 6.28), the pools in 57% (6.13), food in 46% (6.07), children in 37% (6.0), the beach in 32% (6.28), price in 25% (6.09) and the resort looking dated in 19% (5.65). Views, in 16%, were the one topic that held up (7.73). The reviews tell us what guests felt, not why. On our dates it cost $834–1,078 a night, $2,277 over New Year, with up to ~$204 a night collected at checkout.

Waldorf Astoria Versailles - Trianon Palace (7.82). 29% of its recent guests (May to August 2026) scored it under 7, against a long-run platform score of 8.4 across 1,709 reviews. Service came up in 55% of written reviews and averaged 5.94; breakfast came up in 30% (6.9) and food in 30% (5.9). It is one of the cheapest Waldorfs we priced, $263–374 a night.

Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah (8.32). Not a poor score in general terms, but 16% of recent guests scored it under 7. Food came up in 44% of written reviews and averaged 7.07, service in 56% (7.56) and breakfast in 25% (7.62); the beach (25%, 8.25) and the pool (22%, 8.14) did better. It cost $262–518 a night on our stays, with breakfast already in the lowest rate in November and July.

Two more worth knowing. Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills holds a Forbes Five-Star but ranks 25th at 8.53, with 18% of recent guests under 7; food came up in 35% of written reviews and averaged 7.72. Waldorf Astoria Berlin entered the MICHELIN Key selection at Two Keys in 2026, yet ranks 27th at 8.47; breakfast came up in 33% of its written reviews and averaged 7.43. Awards and guest scores measure different things, and at these two hotels they disagree.

Two of these deserve a look despite the missing ranking. Ithaafushi in the Maldives scored 9.65 across its 71 reviews, and only one scored under 7; our Ithaafushi guide puts it against the Maldives rivals. Waldorf Astoria Osaka, open since April 2025, entered The 50 Best Hotels 2026 at No. 89 (in the list's 51 to 100 extension), the only Waldorf Astoria in it, and earned a MICHELIN Key in 2026. For rates at every hotel, see Waldorf Astoria prices.

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