The third edition of The World’s 50 Best Hotels arrived in London last week, culminating in a glamorous awards ceremony where Rosewood Hong Kong was named The World’s Best Hotel.
Debuting in 2023, the awards mark the latest addition to 50 Best, which first announced The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 22 years ago, and now orchestrates a global portfolio of eight annual ceremonies across gastronomy, bars and hotels. With votes cast by an influential group of anonymous leaders in the hotel industry, they are something of a definitive ranking across global hospitality.
Like last year, it was a night for Asian hospitality: the top three hotels awarded are all in Asia, and six of the 10 top spots were taken by Asian properties – Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River came in as No.2 and last year’s winner – Capella Bangkok – at No.3. In addition, 20 hotels across the region featured among the top 50, plus there were 15 Asian hotels on the extended 51-100 list, announced a few weeks ago.
Rosewood Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore were all represented in the Top 10 as well, while mainland China made the list for the first time with Mandarin Oriental Qianmen in Beijing debuting at No.14, in addition to receiving the Nikka Best New Hotel Award. With luxury brands including Rosewood, Four Seasons, Capella, Mandarin Oriental and Raffles all opening across China in the next two years, it’s unlikely to be the only one on the list for long.
The winner, Rosewood Hong Kong, opened in 2019 and has been a stalwart of the top three since the introduction of the awards in 2023. Its 65 storeys preside over the iconic Kowloon Harbour with incredible views of the Hong Kong skyline. The hotel is the work of celebrated Taiwanese designer, Tony Chi; home to eleven bars and restaurants, a harbour-view infinity pool and a multi-level wellness facility – it raised the bar for luxury hospitality in a city that’s not short of five stars.
Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, comments: “This exceptional hotel offers world-class service and sensational guest experiences in the heart of one of the world’s most bustling and dynamic destinations. Rosewood Hong Kong’s positioning as No.1 further consolidates Asia as a leading luxury travel destination for both business and leisure travellers.”
The announcement of the list will undoubtedly draw attention not just from industry insiders, but any discerning traveller looking for their next escape; with 20 new entries across 16 different destinations, it’s a go-to reference.
Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro
With a slew of individual awards celebrating elements from design to sustainability, it’s not just the top placements that are the ones to be noticed. Perhaps the most interesting developments come from South America: Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Palace almost broke into the top 10 (No.11); the Rosewood São Paulo has been recognised since the list’s inception (ranking at No.24 this year); and there were two further South American properties in the extended list.
While the more than 800 strong judging panel remain strictly anonymous, the ranking comes a year after Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 was hosted in the city, quite possibly drawing attention to its hospitality from potential voters.
Raffles-London-at-The-OWO
London was well represented too, with favourites Claridge’s (No.16), The Connaught (No.29) and Raffles London at The OWO (No.31) along with a new entry at No.32 from The Emory. The only other UK property was the much celebrated Estelle Manor at No.47. As with other such rankings, it’s a rarity to come across any outside of London so the news deserves celebration.
Read our reviews of other hotels in the top 50 that CF loves:
Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens
Raffles London at the OWO, London
The Lana, Dubai
Lead image: Passalacqua
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