The MiM Baqueira, Lionel Messi’s hotel in the Pyrenees, is named Spain’s best ski hotel for 2026

Lionel Messi’s hotel in Baqueira Beret, in the Val d’Aran, has been named Spain’s best ski hotel at the World Ski Awards 2026. Run by Meliá under the name MiM Baqueira Meliá Collection, it is linked by an indoor gallery to the Baqueira 1500 gondola, 400 metres away. The winners of this 14th edition were unveiled on 10 November.

☰Contents

1. Voted in ahead of six Spanish hotels
2. 400 m from the gondola, via a gallery
3. Grand Suite Duplex Messi: 80 m² on two floors
4. A mountain spa with its own water circuit
5. Hincha and Land, Nandu Jubany’s restaurants
6. W Verbier, the world’s best ski hotel

Voted in ahead of six Spanish hotels

The World Ski Awards, which honour ski tourism every year, announced the winners of their 14th edition on Tuesday 10 November 2026. The winners are chosen by the votes of ski industry professionals and the public: in each category, the nominee with the most votes takes the title. In the Spain’s Best Ski Hotel category, the MiM Baqueira beat six other nominated hotels: AC Baqueira Autograph Collection, Eurostars La Pleta, HG Alto Aragón, Hotel Val de Neu, Meliá Sol y Nieve and Parador de Artíes.

The results list it under its former name, Hotel MIM Baqueira Luxury & SPA. On Meliá’s official website, it is now called MiM Baqueira Meliá Collection and is described as a boutique hotel “owned by Lionel Messi”. It is one of the six MiM hotels owned by Lionel Messi and now run by Meliá.

400 m from the gondola, via a gallery

The hotel stands in the Val de Ruda development, 0.4 km from the Baqueira 1500 gondola, which it reaches via an indoor gallery: the official website promises direct access to the lift. Skiers will find heated ski lockers and an equipment transfer service; with its partner Procenter, the hotel offers rental, a repair workshop, ski and snowboard lessons and queue-free lift passes. The centre of Baqueira is 1.6 km away and the town of Vielha 14.7 km.

Off the slopes, Meliá highlights a guided snow adventure, a night-time snowshoe outing called “Bajo las estrellas del Val d’Aran” (beneath the stars of the Val d’Aran) and an excursion to the valley’s Romanesque villages, Vielha, Arties and Salardú. An Audi e-tron can also be lent to guests for a day.

Grand Suite Duplex Messi: 80 m² on two floors

Meliá does not publish the number of rooms, but it does give their sizes: from 25 m² for a Superior to 80 m². In between come Deluxe, Deluxe Val d’Aran and Deluxe Duplex rooms, a 45 m² Junior Suite Duplex Val d’Aran, a 52 m² Suite, a Duplex Suite and a 58 m² 2 Bedroom Suite Dúplex.

At the very top of the range, the Grand Suite Duplex Messi spans 80 m² over two floors, with mountain views. It has two bedrooms, one with a king-size bed and the other with two double beds, two bathrooms, a dressing room and a living room with a sofa bed and a premium minibar.

A mountain spa with its own water circuit

The mountain spa is built around a hydrotherapy circuit: a jet pool, a cold plunge pool, a foot bath, a steam bath and sensory showers. There is also a heated pool, a Finnish sauna, massages and beauty treatments, as well as a gym available by reservation.

The hotel also highlights its LEED certification, the sustainable building label awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Hincha and Land, Nandu Jubany’s restaurants

The kitchens are in the hands of Michelin-starred chef Nandu Jubany. At Hincha, he serves dishes built around Pyrenean meats, paired with wines and cocktails; at the Land restaurant, his cooking comes with a view of the mountain landscape. After skiing, guests gather at the Bajo Zero lounge bar.

W Verbier, the world’s best ski hotel

Worldwide, the title of World’s Best Ski Hotel 2026 goes to W Verbier, in Switzerland, described in the press release as the W Hotels brand’s first alpine ski hotel; it is also Switzerland’s best ski hotel. Val Thorens is named the world’s best ski resort, and one of its hotels, Pashmina Le Refuge, the world’s best boutique ski hotel. Chalet Zermatt Peak is crowned the world’s best ski chalet, Grand Hotel Belvedere, a Beaumier Hotel, in Switzerland, the world’s best new ski hotel, and Compagnie des Alpes the world’s best resort operator for the fifth year running.

Country by country, Le Fitz Roy, a Beaumier Hotel, is named France’s best ski hotel, with Schlosshotel Kitzbühel taking the title for Austria and Montana Lodge & Spa for Italy. In Spain, El Lodge, in the Sierra Nevada, wins best boutique ski hotel, and Boí Taüll best ski resort; Baqueira Beret was nominated but did not win. To plan your winter, read our selection of the new luxury ski hotels for winter 2026-2027 and our feature on luxury hotels in the Pyrenees, on the French side.