Every year, 600 industry experts combine forces to declare The World’s 50 Best Hotels, celebrating the very best hotel experiences across the globe. The list is published by William Reed, also responsible for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. In their own words, “50 Best acknowledges the many levels on which hotels operate as well as the people behind them – recognising and celebrating the most outstanding establishments and the individuals who bring them to life”.
This year, the world’s best hotel is officially Capella, an incredible riverside oasis in Bangkok, which knocked last year’s number one, Passalacqua in Lake Como, down to a highly respectable second place. Bangkok had a bumper year, with four hotels on the list, making Capella’s victory all the sweeter. Of Europe’s 13 entries, there were some urban classics, such as The Connaught and Claridge’s in London and Le Bristol and Hotel de Crillon in Paris. There were a notable number of new entries in more remote destinations, including Kokomo Private Island, Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman and The Brando in French Polynesia.
Below, we’ve chosen six of our favourite hotels from the list – in destinations you can travel to with Luxury Gold. If any of them capture your imagination, or you’d just like to experience one of the world’s best hotels for yourself, consider extending your stay at the beginning or end of your journey with us.
Say hello to the world’s best hotels
No. 6: Aman, Tokyo
At number six, this sleek, hard-edged hotel sits right in the thick of Tokyo, somehow maintaining a zen-like calm in all corners. The lines couldn’t be straighter, the windows couldn’t be bigger, the views through floor-to-ceiling windows couldn’t be more mega – and yet “the transition from city to escapism is instantaneous”. The World’s 50 Best draws particular attention to the window-side stone bathtubs, the temple-like spa, the 30-metre swimming pool and the ethereally light-filled lobby.
Majestic Japan is an 11-day journey taking in Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and more. The last stop is Tokyo, making it easy to add a couple of extra days in the city.
No. 4: Cheval Blanc, Paris
It’s not surprising that LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) makes some of the world’s best hotels, but this is its first maison in a city. It couldn’t be more in Paris – close to the Marais, over the Seine from Saint-Germain, with views of the Eiffel Tower that remain seared in your mind forever. The rooms are chic golden havens, the spa is Dior and Le Tout-Paris is a brasserie that embraces Paris’s skyline like nowhere else. It’s easy to see why this hotel is number 4.
Our Ultimate France journey is two full weeks of French immersion, by way of Monte Carlo, Provence and Bordeaux, finishing – conveniently enough – in Paris.
No. 11: Claridge’s, London
Proving it really is timeless, Mayfair’s art deco icon comes in at number 11. It has been literally and figuratively flying the flag for Great Britain among the world’s best hotels since 1856, but recent years have seen the addition of a five-storey subterranean Japanese-inspired spa and a facelift for many of the sumptuous suites. Known for that very English thing – discretion – Claridge’s remains the host of choice for high society, global dignitaries, designers and celebrities.
Our 10-day British Royal journey starts in London, so you can arrive a little early and start as you mean to go on.
No. 19: Four Seasons Firenze, Florence
There are four Four Seasons hotels on the list this year, all of them completely different in character. At number 19, this one is the most palatial of the properties, surrounded by Florence’s largest private garden, in the impeccably restored 15th-century Medici family palazzo. The interiors fully celebrate the Italian Renaissance, with dramatic floral displays sitting among frescoes, bronze sculptures, mosaics and moldings aplenty.
It’s about three hours to Florence from both Rome and Venice, where Ultimate Italy begins and ends.
Mount Nelson, Cape Town
This is Cape Town’s Grande Dame, affectionately known as The Nellie, or Pink Lady. She’s been with us for over a century and this year she’s the best hotel in Africa, and according to this list, the world’s 28th best hotel. The candyfloss hue of the building flows through the hotel – in the towels, sun loungers, macarons and rose gardens, making for a joyful luxury space. New initiatives include replacing historic oil paintings with emerging African artists. The World’s 50 Best says service is “light-hearted and personality filled”.
Spectacular South Africa is an eight-day journey (or a 10-day journey if you add Victoria Falls), beginning in Cape Town.
No. 43: Suján Jawai, Rajasthan
At number 43 is this rare beauty – a luxury camp set into the plain next to the Aravalli mountains, among billion-year-old granite rock formations, where leopards roam free. It consists of 10 tented suites, each with its own private sit-out in the Jawai wilderness. In the dining tent, meals follow the rhythm of safari – there are no set dining times. At sunrise, freshly-made Indian snacks, tea and coffee are served during the morning game drive, followed by stuffed parathas back at camp.
At the end of our 13-day Imperial Rajasthan journey, most guests fly from Udaipur to Delhi for their homeward flight, but Udaipur happens to be a mere three hours’ drive from Suján Jawai.
The Rest of the Best Hotels in the World 2024:
- Capella, Bangkok
- Passalacqua, Lake Como
- Rosewood, Hong Kong
- Cheval Blanc, Paris
- The Upper House, Hong Kong
- Raffles, Singapore
- Aman, Tokyo
- Soneva Fushi, Maldives
- Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
- Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island
- Claridge’s, London
- Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
- Raffles London at The OWO
- Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River
- Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
- Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá
- Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes
- Maroma, Riviera Maya
- Four Seasons Firenze, Florence
- Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi
- Desa Potato Head, Bali
- Bulgari, Tokyo
- The Lana, Dubai
- Rosewood, São Paulo
- The Calile, Brisbane
- The Siam, Bangkok
- Park Hyatt, Kyoto
- Mount Nelson, Cape Town
- One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit
- The Carlyle, New York
- La Mamounia, Marrakech
- Four Seasons, Madrid
- Capella, Singapore
- Four Seasons at The Surf Club, Surfside
- Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
- Eden Rock, St. Barths
- Aman, New York
- Royal Mansour, Marrakech
- Amangalla, Galle
- Le Bristol, Paris
- Gleneagles, Auchterarder
- Castello di Reschio, Lisciano Niccone
- Suján Jawai, Rajasthan
- Singita, Kruger National Park
- Six Senses Zighy Bay, Zaghi
- The Connaught, London
- The Brando, Tetiaroa
- Hotel Esencia, Tulum
- The Tasman, Hobart
- Kokomo Private Island, Yaukuve Levu Island
