In the Best Hotels in the USA rankings, Hawaii's Four Seasons Resort Lanai took the No. 1 spot, followed by The Peninsula Chicago at No. 2 and The Langham, Chicago at No. 3. U.S. News awards the top 10 percent of ranked hotels with a Gold badge. These four destinations are home to the highest number of Gold badge-winning hotels for 2018:

• New York City has 24 Gold badge winners out of 231 ranked hotels.

• Las Vegas has 11 Gold badge winners out of 46 ranked hotels.

• Los Angeles has 11 Gold badge winners out of 87 ranked hotels.

• Washington, D.C., has 10 Gold badge winners out of 58 ranked hotels.

For the Best Hotel in Mexico, Rosewood Mayakoba takes the top spot. Moving up from No. 2 last year, the Rosewood Hotel Georgia earns recognition as the Best Hotel in Canada for 2018, ousting the Ritz-Carlton Montréal, which had previously held the No. 1 spot since 2013. Rosewood Bermuda ranked No. 1 on this year's Best Hotels in Bermuda ranking list.

New this year, U.S. News expanded its Best Hotels in Europe ranking to include 4- and 4.5- star hotels. The Ritz Paris jumps to the No. 1 spot on the list, followed by La Réserve Paris – Hotel and Spa at No. 2 and Rome's Hotel Eden at No 3.

"Nearly 600,000 visitors are researching European vacations on U.S. News Travel each month," said Hannah Cheney, travel editor at U.S. News. "Understanding this, we've expanded the European hotel rankings to include a wider range of lodging options, helping travelers find a place that checks off every box for their destination needs."

Hotel Rankings in More Than 200 Destinations
As in past years, U.S. News has published the 2018 Best Hotels rankings in more than 200 destinations. This time of year, the most popular hotel searches are in warm-weather spots, including Maui, Miami Beach and Cancun. Meanwhile, cold-weather fans flock to winter ski destinations like Aspen and Whistler.

The U.S. News Best Hotels rankings also highlight properties in traveler-favorite European hot spots like Paris, London and Rome, in addition to scenic but less-visited destinations like Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Croatia and San Sebastian, Spain. For vacationers who have points with loyalty programs, such as Marriott Rewards or Hilton Honors, a Best Hotels by Brand directory is also available.

U.S. News scored luxury hotels (4-star and higher) using a methodology that combines each hotel's industry awards with expert and guest reviews. These rankings are part of the expanding U.S. News Travel channel, which evaluates the Best Vacations, Best Cruise Lines and Best Travel Rewards Programs.

Due to the extensive damage across many Caribbean islands and their luxury hotels during the 2017 hurricane season, U.S. News will not be updating rankings for the Best Hotels in the Caribbean or Best All-Inclusive Resorts in the Caribbean for 2018. The Caribbean hotels will retain their 2017 score and ranking.

2018 U.S. News Best Hotels Rankings

In the USA                                                                                         

1. Four Seasons Resort Lanai
2. The Peninsula Chicago
3. The Langham, Chicago
4. Twin Farms
5. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai 

In Canada

1. Rosewood Hotel Georgia
2. Ritz-Carlton Montréal
3. Wickaninnish Inn
4. Wedgewood Hotel & Spa
5. Auberge Saint-Antoine

In Mexico 

1. Rosewood Mayakoba
2. The Resort at Pedregal
3. Esperanza, an Auberge Resort
4. One&Only Palmilla
5. Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a Rosewood Resort                  

In Europe

1. Ritz Paris
2. La Réserve Paris – Hotel and Spa
3. Hotel Eden
4. Hôtel Plaza Athénée
5. J.K. Place Roma