EXCLUSIVE APPLICATION-BASED
LISTICLE
INVITATION
Title: Europe 2026: The Ultimate Guide to This Year’s Must-Stay Hotels and Resorts
Publishing Partner: Condé Nast Traveler
Digital or Print: Digital (via cntraveler.com)
Application Deadline: December 25th
Publishing Month: Jan/Feb 2026 (late January to mid February)
Editorial Listicle Package Includes:
A professionally written feature (100–150 words, adapted to your brand)
An exclusive placement in the editorial listicle “Europe 2026: The Ultimate Guide to This Year’s Must-Stay Hotels and Resorts” published in Condé Nast Traveler
Inclusion in the year’s most authoritative travel feature, setting the standard for 2026’s luxury hospitality trends (up to 10 exclusive placements available)
Strong amplification of your reach and target audience exposure through the audiences of other selected hotels, who will share the article on their platforms once it goes live.
Full SEO optimization with an indexed backlink driving traffic directly to your website
One high-resolution image featured alongside your segment
Long-term visibility on Condé Nast Traveler
Opportunity to repurpose your editorial across your own channels (website, newsletters, social media, booking sites, investor decks)
Note: The editorial team may lightly refine the final headline closer to publication date to ensure maximum seasonal relevance and client alignment. The core theme and positioning will remain the same.
What Is This Listicle About?
Condé Nast Traveler’s Europe 2026: The Ultimate Guide to This Year’s Must-Stay Hotels and Resorts marks the beginning of the travel year — and sets the tone for what luxury means across the continent.
As one of the first major travel editorials of 2026, this feature celebrates a carefully chosen selection of Europe’s most exceptional hotels and resorts — the properties setting new standards in design, experience, and hospitality. Inclusion is not about size or star rating — it’s about being recognized among the best in all of Europe.
Each featured property earns a place in Condé Nast Traveler’s highly curated guide, read by the world’s most discerning travelers, agencies, and tastemakers. It’s where the year’s stories in travel begin — and where brands gain visibility and credibility that last far beyond the issue itself.
To be featured in this listicle is to be seen as a benchmark — a destination that defines how and where luxury will be experienced in 2026.
With limited placements available, this is a moment reserved for those who lead the conversation in European hospitality — and a powerful start to the year for brands looking to strengthen awareness, reputation, and reach.
Amplification Factor
The amplification factor is the network effect that begins the moment a hotel enters this curated club. Your feature doesn’t stay on the publication alone. It moves through every other selected property, many of which have large, loyal, and high-spending audiences. When they share the listicle, their followers see you positioned beside hotels they already trust, placing you in the same tier in their minds. Sometimes these are properties you admire or benchmark against, and now you appear alongside them in front of their exact audience. This creates a multilayered value: wider reach, elevated brand perception, and a reputational boost that compounds far beyond the publication.
Is This Feature Right for You?
Luxury Hotels → properties defining contemporary sophistication and timeless service
Boutique Escapes → intimate, design-led stays that bring a destination’s story to life
Wellness Retreats → resorts and sanctuaries setting new standards in balance, beauty, and renewal
Destination Resorts → experiential stays where art, architecture, and hospitality meet
City Icons → urban landmarks shaping how travelers experience Europe’s cultural capitals
Countryside & Coastal Estates → serene settings where heritage, nature, and elegance converge
Editorial Quality Assurance
This feature is produced as contributor content — an established format used for high-value features across the publication. It carries a regular small byline noting that Condé Nast Traveler’s editorial staff was not involved in its creation of this content, maintaining transparency while preserving full editorial integrity. Unlike promotional or affiliate pieces, it appears without any “sponsored” or “advertisement” labeling — ensuring your inclusion stands within Condé Nast Traveler’s premium storytelling framework, consistent with the publication’s tone, quality, and global authority.
Confidentiality Notice
We respect your privacy. All application details, personal information, and submission materials will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shared with third parties. The process is fully discrete and by invitation only, ensuring that only a handful of exceptional candidates are selected. Once the selection process is complete, the final article will be published as an editorial-style feature with no sponsored markings, making your inclusion seamlessly integrated into Condé Nast Traveler
LISTICLE ENTRY
Our listicle entry isn’t open to everyone. Our invitations are hand-picked, reserved only for pre-selected candidates whose brands match the prestige of the outlet. That’s how we keep the standard high — and the listicle itself powerful.
ABOUT
A Global Standard in Travel Media
Condé Nast Traveler is one of the world’s most trusted and influential travel publications, setting the benchmark for aspirational yet credible travel storytelling. Since 1987, it has earned authority through its “Truth in Travel” commitment and today stands as the go-to source for discerning travelers planning their next trip.
Digital Powerhouse
16M+ monthly unique visitors across cntraveler.com
22M+ monthly video views and 16M+ social followers
68% U.S. readership with strong U.K., Canadian, and Australian presence
Audience skews 58% female, ages 25–54, with high household income and premium travel spend
Average U.S. audience purchasing power: $500B+ combined
Why It Matters To You
A Condé Nast Traveler feature places your name in front of affluent, high-intent travelers actively researching where to go, where to stay, and what to book this season. With a digital domain authority of 89+, every placement delivers not just prestige, but lasting SEO equity — your brand gains a powerful backlink and a feature that continues driving traffic long after publication.
Impact
More than just visibility, Condé Nast Traveler is a credibility badge. Being featured here signals to readers, partners, and competitors alike that your brand belongs among the most trusted names in global travel. It’s an evergreen stamp of authority that elevates reputation, supports PR campaigns, and boosts conversions across all your channels.
THE POWER OF
LISTICLES
Listicles offer an elegant, accessible way to get your business in front of Editorial. Listicles offer a powerful, story-driven way to position your brand in front of millions of aligned, high-intent readers — all while becoming part of a curated narrative that enhances your credibility and exposure.
They are cost-effective, SEO-optimized, and highly shareable, making them one of the smartest media investments for emerging or independent brands looking to break into premium digital PR.
While a standalone branded feature in a top-tier outlet like Condé Nast Traveler can range from $8,000 to $20,000, inclusion in a thoughtfully produced listicle delivers 80–90% of the same value — at a fraction of the cost — without sacrificing professionalism, storytelling quality, or search visibility.
Being featured alongside other respected names adds instant social proof, increases your perceived brand value, and places you within a trusted editorial environment that resonates with readers.
For many businesses, a listicle feature is the ideal gateway into global digital PR, offering brand recognition, SEO equity, and evergreen discoverability in one beautiful editorial package.
SEE HOW OUR EDITORIAL FEATURES COME TO LIFE
Explore one of our previously published listicles — a showcase of storytelling, design, and editorial quality that defines every campaign we produce.
THE PROCESS
Apply via our application form
Our editorial team reviews all submissions for fit and alignment.
Please apply only if you’re ready to confirm participation upon selection.
If selected
You’ll receive an official confirmation email with the next steps.
Within 48 hours, confirm your preferred payment method — secure payment link or bank transfer.
Once confirmed, you’ll receive full participation details and an invoice for EUR 3,500.Payment & Editorial Phase
Payment is due within 7 days of confirmation.
After payment, our editors craft your 100–150-word editorial feature based on submitted assets (quote, bio, photos, link).
You’ll have the opportunity to review and approve your segment before publication.Publishing & Deliverables
Your article is published on cntraveler.com with an indexed backlink to your website.
You’ll also receive a press-ready link and optional promotional assets for your own channels.
APPLICATION
Apply now to be considered for Condé Nast Traveler’s Early Year Edition — the landmark issue that sets the tone for the entire year. Published only once annually, this is the most competitive editorial moment of the calendar — where the names shaping the year ahead are defined.
Application Deadline: December 25th, 2025
Editorial Note
Access to this page is by private invitation only. If you’ve been directed here, your brand has already been identified as a strong potential fit for this upcoming feature.
Due to exceptionally high demand and a highly selective editorial review process, placements are approved on a rolling basis — and in some cases, select candidates may be invited to confirm their placement earlier to secure their inclusion ahead of the deadline.
Because categories and regional allocations are limited, some may close well before the official application date. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible for the best opportunity to be reviewed and considered for inclusion in this limited-edition feature.
APPLICATION FORM
Editorial Quality Assurance
This feature is produced as contributor content — an established format used for high-value features across the publication. It carries a regular small byline noting that Condé Nast Traveler’s editorial staff was not involved in its creation of this content, maintaining transparency while preserving full editorial integrity. Unlike promotional or affiliate pieces, it appears without any “sponsored” or “advertisement” labeling — ensuring your inclusion stands within Condé Nast Traveler’s premium storytelling framework, consistent with the publication’s tone, quality, and global authority.
Confidentiality Notice
We respect your privacy. All application details, personal information, and submission materials will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shared with third parties. The process is fully discrete and by invitation only, ensuring that only a handful of exceptional candidates are selected. Once the selection process is complete, the final article will be published as an editorial-style feature with no sponsored markings, making your inclusion seamlessly integrated into Condé Nast Traveler
WHAT HAPPENS IF
YOU’RE SELECTED?
If you’re selected, you’ll receive a private email invitation welcoming you into the feature and outlining the next steps in detail. This email will ask you to confirm your preferred payment method — either via secure payment link or bank transfer — within 48 hours of receiving it. Once confirmed, you will receive your invoice and participation details.
Please note that selection is highly limited and confirms your editorial placement. We kindly ask that only applicants who are fully prepared to proceed with payment upon selection apply, as each confirmed spot represents a reserved editorial space within the Condé Nast Traveler feature.
Investment (Only Upon Selection)
You will be invited to confirm your placement with a one-time editorial contribution of EUR 3,000, which includes:
Professionally written feature in Condé Nast Traveler’s editorial tone
Guaranteed inclusion in the defining Condé Nast Traveler feature that opens the year and sets the tone for global travel in 2026
Exclusive placement within the article (up to max 10 spots available)
Full SEO integration and Google-indexed backlink
Long-term visibility on cntraveler.com (DA 89 / DR 88)
Opportunity to repurpose your published article across your own marketing channels (website, social media, newsletters, investor decks, etc.)
One high-resolution image (landscape orientation, minimum 2000px wide) to accompany your feature
Please note: participation is by invitation only and reserved for applicants ready to confirm their placement upon selection.
NOT SELECTED?
YOU MAY STILL HEAR FROM US
If you're not selected for this listicle, don’t worry, we keep a highly curated list of standout businesses we genuinely believe in. When new editorial features come up, we revisit that list first.