Serry Beach Resort has won the titles of Africa's Leading Luxury Resort and Egypt's Leading Luxury Resort for 2026 at the World Travel Awards. The two awards were announced at the World Travel Awards Africa ceremony, held at Diamonds Bijoux in Zanzibar, Tanzania, on 28 August.
Serry Beach beat a shortlist that included every winner of the African title over the past seven years, becoming the first independent Egyptian brand, owned and run by Egyptians, to be crowned "Leading Luxury Resort" at either African or Egyptian level.
The two titles are awarded through separate competitions and independent votes, each measuring a different level of excellence: the African award pitted Serry Beach against the continent's best luxury resorts, while the Egyptian award set it against the global brands that have shaped Egypt's luxury hospitality scene for years. Winners are chosen through an open online vote by qualified travel industry professionals, not by a jury.
This was Serry Beach's first entry in the Africa's Leading Luxury Resort category, where the shortlist included every resort that has won the title since 2019: One&Only Cape Town, Mandarin Oriental Marrakech, The Oberoi Marrakech, Four Seasons Resort Marrakech, One&Only Gorilla's Nest in Rwanda, The Oberoi Beach Resort Sahl Hasheesh and Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh.
Since 2017, the award has gone in every edition to resorts in Morocco or South Africa, and the last time an Egyptian resort won the title was 2011. With this year's win, Serry Beach becomes the second Egyptian resort in the award's history to be named Africa's Leading Luxury Resort.
Serry Beach also won Egypt's Leading Luxury Resort 2026, a category first introduced in 2023. The St. Regis Cairo was the first winner, before the title went to Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh in the following two years.
The 2026 shortlist included a number of international hotel brands, including Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay, Steigenberger Ras Soma, Steigenberger Alaya Resort and The Chedi El Gouna. Serry was the only independent Egyptian brand, owned and run by Egyptians, among the nominees, and the only independent resort on the list. The win came on the third time Serry competed for the award, after being shortlisted in 2024 and 2025.
Dr. Islam Mahdy, chairman and CEO of Credence Hospitality and Real Estate Development, said: "Serry's win of Africa's Leading Luxury Resort 2026 on its first entry in this category is an important achievement for an Egyptian hospitality brand. The shortlist included prominent resorts that have helped shape Africa's luxury hospitality scene over the years, so making the list and ultimately winning the award is important recognition for the team and confirms what can be developed and managed in Egypt to the highest standards."
He added that Egypt has a long history of offering outstanding hotel experiences, "and our goal was to add to this legacy an Egyptian luxury hotel brand capable of competing with global brands and winning at the international level." He stressed that Serry was founded on the belief that Egyptian culture, hospitality and talent can be real strengths for the brand and deliver a hotel experience with a clear Egyptian character that competes at the global level.
The Credence Hospitality and Real Estate Development team in Egypt created and delivered every element of the resort, from the design and guest journey to menu development, music and entertainment programming and the development of the brand itself. The team worked with Egyptian artisans and makers, without outsourcing any of this work to an international hotel operator or foreign design firm.
Serry Beach Resort opened in 2023 on a 365-meter stretch of beautiful sandy beach on the Red Sea, just 10 minutes from Hurghada International Airport, and is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
