MEDIA RELEASE
June 4, 2026
Condé Nast Traveler Celebrates Five Luxury Lodges of Australia in New Triple Crown Collection
Luxury Lodges of Australia is proud to celebrate the recognition of five of its member properties in Condé Nast Traveler’s inaugural Triple Crown awards, a new global accolade that recognises hotels and lodges featured across all three of the publication’s most influential awards, accolades and lists across nearly four decades, including The Hot List, The Gold List and the Readers’ Choice Awards.
In a powerful endorsement of Australia’s standing on the world luxury travel stage, Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, qualia on Hamilton Island, Tasmania’s Saffire Freycinet, Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree Rainforest and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island have each been named to the 2026 Triple Crown collection. Introduced this year, the distinction is described by Condé Nast Traveler as the most definitive collection of the best hotels in the world, highlighting rare consistency in delivering exceptional guest experiences, design and service.
The Triple Crown brings together properties that have won all three of Condé Nast Traveler’s major awards: Hot List, Gold List and Readers’ Choice Awards. The Hot List showcases the most exciting new hotel openings globally each year; the Gold List is curated annually by Condé Nast Traveler editors as their personal favourites around the world; and the Readers’ Choice Awards, voted by highly engaged and discerning travellers, remain among the industry’s most respected accolades.
Condé Nast Traveler Triple Crown is derived from awards, accolades, and recognition across the industry sustained over a period of more than three decades, underscoring a sustained commitment to excellence rather than a single moment in time.
From Tropical North Queensland’s rainforest-fringed rivers to the wild Southern Ocean swells off Kangaroo Island, the rose-hued granite of Tasmania’s east coast and the reef-ringed isles of Queensland’s Coral Sea, each of the five Australian lodges recognised in the Triple Crown embodies a distinct sense of place. These lodges share an approach to contemporary luxury that is grounded in nature, culinary excellence, meaningful connection to local culture and communities and genuinely personal hosting.
Luxury Lodges of Australia Executive Chair Penny Rafferty said the Triple Crown honours were testament to the vision, creativity and long-term dedication of the lodge teams and owners behind these properties.
“This recognition is especially significant because it reflects enduring excellence over decades, not just a single year’s success,” Ms Rafferty said. “To see five Australian lodges – qualia, Southern Ocean Lodge, Silky Oaks Lodge, Saffire and Lizard Island – acknowledged across all three of Condé Nast Traveler’s most influential lists speaks volumes about the consistency of experience, the strength of their connection to place, the skill and passion of the people who bring these lodges to life every day.”
“As a collection, our lodges have helped redefine the way the world experiences Australia – not only through extraordinary locations and design, but through stories, food, wine and connection to place that is uniquely Australian,” she said. “We are immensely proud that so many of Australia’s most iconic lodge experiences are represented in this inaugural Triple Crown.”
The Triple Crown achievement underscores the calibre of Australia’s experiential luxury travel, with Luxury Lodges of Australia members consistently recognised on the global stage for their innovative approaches to sustainability, community engagement and authentic, place-led experiences.
For more information on Luxury Lodges of Australia and its member properties, or to explore itineraries that connect these and other iconic Australian lodge experiences, visit www.luxurylodgesofaustralia.com.au.
About Luxury Lodges of Australia
Luxury Lodges of Australia is a collective of independently owned and operated lodges and camps in some of the country’s most extraordinary destinations, from remote wilderness and outback locations to coastal, reef and wine regions. Each member lodge offers a distinct experience deeply connected to its local environment and community, united by a commitment to contemporary Australian luxury, warm hospitality, outstanding regional food and wine, and enriching guest experiences that foster a deeper connection to place.
For all the latest news from Luxury Lodges of Australia visit here, and read the June 2026 newsletter here.
Media enquiries:
Sarah Shields
media@luxurylodgesofaustralia.com.au
+61 425 318 966
