Wallpaper* Design Awards: Orient Express wins Best Reinvention 2026

Orient Express has held a near-mythic place in the globetrotting firmament since launching in 1883, but its recent reinvention – including its first hotel and an upcoming yacht – signals a decisive new chapter

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orient express
With interiors by Dimorestudio, the 12-carriage luxury sleeper train La Dolce Vita Orient Express embodies the spirit of midcentury Italian glamour
(Image credit: Photography by Mr. Tripper)

Orient Express has held a near-mythic place in the globetrotting firmament since launching in 1883, but its recent reinvention – following Accor’s full acquisition in 2022 and its partnership with LVMH in 2024 – signals a decisive expansion into offering a wider remit of luxury travel experiences.

Orient Express wins Best Reinvention at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2026

orient express la minerva rome

(Image credit: Photography by Mr. Tripper)

The reboot began in April 2025 with Orient Express La Minerva in Rome, the brand’s first hotel, set within a 17th-century palazzo on Piazza della Minerva. Designer Hugo Toro’s renovation created a deft dialogue between eras: mineral palettes, art deco-inflected geometry and Roman cues distilled into 93 guest rooms. In parallel, the brand introduced La Dolce Vita Orient Express, a slow-travel statement piece, designed by Dimorestudio, that channels the high-gloss glamour of 1960s Italy. Kitted out with cabins and suites that can accommodate up to 62 guests, the train traces 16,000km across 14 regions and 131 cities through Italy.

orient express la minerva rome

Orient Express La Minerva

(Image credit: Photography by Mr. Tripper)

orient express la minerva rome

Orient Express La Minerva

(Image credit: Photography by Mr. Tripper)

Momentum continues with the opening in early 2026 of its second hotel, Orient Express Venezia, a 15th-century architectural feat reimagined by Aline Asmar d’Amman, while another milestone will follow at the end of the year with the debut of Orient Express Corinthian, a sailing yacht conceived by Maxime d’Angeac, the group’s artistic director. The vessel will depart from Lisbon in October for a 14-night transatlantic voyage to Barbados.

orient express

Orient Express Venezia

(Image credit: Courtesy of Orient Express)

Completing the arc, the original Orient Express train – comprising 17 carriages from the 1920s and 1930s, found abandoned on the Poland-Belarus border – will return to service. Thirty artisans have been enlisted to restore the train under d’Angeac’s direction, reviving the craftsmanship and allure that defined its golden age.

orient express

La Dolce Vita Orient Express

(Image credit: Photography by Mr. Tripper)

orient express

La Dolce Vita Orient Express Deluxe cabin

(Image credit: Photography by Mr. Tripper)

orient-express.com

This article appears in the February 2026 Design Awards Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

Sofia de la Cruz
Travel Editor

Sofia de la Cruz is the Travel Editor at Wallpaper*. A self-declared flâneuse, she feels most inspired when taking the role of a cultural observer – chronicling the essence of cities and remote corners through their nuances, rituals, and people. Her work lives at the intersection of art, design, and culture, often shaped by conversations with the photographers who capture these worlds through their lens.