MARKING AN ENDURING HOSPITALITY LEGACY IN INDONESIA and NIHI SUMBA RANKED NO. 35 ON THE WORLD’S 50 BEST HOTELS 2026 LIST
The Co-Founder and CEO of NIHI Hotels receives the prestigious global recognition as NIHI enters a new chapter from Sumba to Rote
James McBride, Co-Founder and CEO of NIHI Hotels, has been named the recipient of the SevenRooms Icon Award 2026 by The World’s 50 Best Hotels, recognising more than three decades of leadership and a career that has made a lasting contribution to global hospitality.
Presented in Paris on 15 September 2026 during The World’s 50 Best Hotels ceremony, the SevenRooms Icon Award is selected by The 50 Best Hotels Academy and honours an individual whose career and contribution have made a lasting impact on the hospitality industry. For McBride, the recognition carries particular significance in Indonesia, where more than a decade of his career has been dedicated to shaping NIHI Hotels and an approach to hospitality deeply connected to destination, culture, community and experience.
Born in South Africa, McBride began his career in hospitality at the age of 21 and went on to hold senior leadership positions across the international luxury hotel industry. These formative years shaped his understanding of operational excellence, intuitive service and the importance of creating experiences that resonate beyond a hotel stay.
A defining chapter began in 2012, when McBride partnered with entrepreneur Christopher Burch to acquire Nihiwatu, a remote surf retreat on the Indonesian island of Sumba. Under their stewardship, the property evolved into NIHI Sumba, embracing the qualities that make the island extraordinary. Its dramatic landscapes, horses, legendary surf, villages, traditions and people became integral to the experience, shaping a philosophy of hospitality rooted in place, culture, emotion and adventure.
This approach became central to NIHI Hotels and its “On the Edge of Wildness” philosophy, built around the belief that exceptional hospitality should reveal the character of a destination and create meaningful connections between guests, people and place.
“I am deeply humbled to receive the SevenRooms Icon Award and to become only the fourth recipient of this recognition. Indonesia has become such an important part of my journey and the NIHI story, from what we have created together in Sumba to this new chapter in Rote. What continues to inspire me is the opportunity for hospitality to connect people meaningfully with a place, while creating an impact that extends beyond the guest experience. With NIHI Rote & Hospitality Academy, we have the opportunity to carry that spirit forward through the next generation of hospitality talent, and I could not be prouder of the teams and communities who continue to make NIHI what it is today,” said James McBride, Co-Founder and CEO of NIHI Hotels.
A NEW CHAPTER FROM SUMBA TO ROTE
Fourteen years after McBride’s journey with NIHI began in Indonesia, the story enters a new chapter in 2026 with NIHI Rote & Hospitality Academy on Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara. At its heart is the Rote Hospitality Academy, a non-profit vocational school dedicated to developing the next generation of Rotenese hospitality talent. Integrated into the resort environment, the Academy combines hands-on learning with real-world hospitality experience, developing practical skills and creating pathways towards meaningful careers within the industry.
For McBride, the Academy represents a natural evolution of the philosophy shaped in Sumba, extending the possibilities of hospitality beyond the guest experience through education, opportunity and a meaningful relationship with the destination and its people. The SevenRooms Icon Award 2026 therefore arrives at a particularly significant moment. From transforming a remote retreat in Sumba into one of Indonesia’s most internationally recognised resort experiences to creating new pathways for hospitality talent in Rote, McBride’s story has become closely intertwined with Indonesia and the evolving possibilities of luxury hospitality.
More than three decades into his career, the recognition celebrates a body of work shaped by experience, emotional connection, and an enduring respect for place. As NIHI begins its next chapter in Rote, McBride continues to explore how hospitality can create experiences that resonate with travellers while leaving something meaningful behind for the destinations that make them possible.
We warmly welcome opportunities to share James McBride’s story further, including conversations around his journey from international hotelier to entrepreneur, the evolution of luxury hospitality, his longstanding connection with Indonesia, and the vision behind NIHI Rote & Hospitality Academy. For further information or interview opportunities with James McBride, we would be glad to assist with any requests.
Please also find attached the press release for NIHI Sumba which has been awarded No.35 in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026, in the prestigious Top 50 listing. The recognition marks another defining moment for a resort whose identity has always been inseparable from the island it calls home. From Sumba’s wild landscapes and living traditions to its horses, legendary surf and the warmth of the Sumbanese people, the destination itself remains at the heart of the NIHI experience.
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