What has 101 suites and villas, views of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, and costs from $600 per night?
Capella Bangkokof 2024 The best hotel in the worldaccording to ’50 Best.’
This is the collective opinion of 600 anonymous global voters, made up of travel journalists, hoteliers and experienced travel experts, which determined the results of “The 50 best hotels in the world,” he announced on Tuesday at London’s historic Guildhall.
The hotel rose 10 places, from No. 11 on the 2023 list. It has five dining options, including a Michelin-starred restaurant by chef Mauro Colagreco, as well as a “spa retreat” called Auriga and seven villas next to river with private pools.
Capella Bangkok is the new “best hotel” in the world, according to the organization 50 Best.
M Collective
After the awards ceremony, the hotel’s General Manager John Blanco told CNBC Travel: “I think we’re numb! So unexpected, flattering, all the adjectives you can think of. For a small brand like Capella… it’s just wonderful recognition for our people I’m sure everyone at home is celebrating.”
The hotel’s director of sales and marketing, Josephine Ping, added: “We focus on giving guests a true Thai experience. It’s a great reward for everyone and their hard work. Our location is truly unique, local, authentic in feel of the place, the “River of Kings”.
In 2023, bragging rights in the inaugural hotel awards went to Passalacqua in Italy’s Lake Como, which fell one place to No. 2 on this year’s list.
This is the second time the 50 Best organization has published hotel rankings. It has long established rankings in the culinary world, liberation”The 50 best restaurants in the world” since 2002 and “The World’s 50 Best Bars” since 2009.
The “50 best” hotels in the world
Here is the full list:
- Capella Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
- Passalacqua, Lake Como, Italy
- Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Cheval Blanc, Paris, France
- The Upper House, Hong Kong
- Raffles Singapore, Singapore
- Aman Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Soneva Fushi, Maldives
- Atlantis The Royal, Dubai, UAE
- Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island, Indonesia
- Claridge’s, London, United Kingdom
- Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
- London Draw at The OWO, London, UK
- Four Seasons Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok, Thailand
- Hôtel de Crillon, Paris, France
- Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá, Mexico
- Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, France
- Maroma, Riviera Maya, Mexico
- Four Seasons Firenze, Florence, Italy
- Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi, Italy
- Desa Potato Head, Bali, Indonesia
- Bulgari Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- The Lana, Dubai, UAE
- Rosewood Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- The Calile, Brisbane, Australia
- The Siam, Bangkok, Thailand
- Park Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
- Mount Nelson, Cape Town, South Africa
- One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
- The Carlyle, New York, USA
- La Mamounia, Marrakech, Morocco
- Four Seasons Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Capella Singapore, Singapore
- Four Seasons at The Surf Club, Surfside, USA
- Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, USA
- Eden Rock, St. Barths, Caribbean
- Aman New York, New York, USA
- Royal Mansour, Marrakech, Morocco
- Amangalla, Galle, Sri Lanka
- Le Bristol, Paris, France
- Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland
- Castello di Reschio, Lisciano Niccone, Italy
- Suján Jawai, Rajasthan, India
- Singita – Kruger National Park, Kruger National Park, South Africa
- Six Senses Zighy Bay, Zighy, Oman
- The Connaught, London, United Kingdom
- The Brando, Tetiaroa, French Polynesia
- Hotel Esencia, Tulum, Mexico
- The Tasman, Hobart, Australia
- Kokomo Private Island, Yaukuve Levu Island, Fiji
The 2024 list includes hotels from dozens of destinations on six continents.
Asia hosts the most hotels on the list with 19 places, followed by Europe with 13, North America with nine, Africa and Oceania with four each and South America with one.
The top hotels on each continent are:
- Asia — Capella Bangkok (No. 1)
- Europe — Passalacqua (No. 2)
- North America — Chablé Yucatan (No. 16)
- South America Rosewood Sao Paulo (No. 24)
- Oceania — The Calile (No. 25)
- Africa — Mount Nelson (No. 28)
For travelers looking for a city break, Bangkok represents the top urban destination on the four-hotel list. London and Paris are next, with three each. followed by Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and New York, with two each.
Other awards
The “50 Best” organization also announced individual awards for hotels that stand out in specific categories.
THE Supreme New Entry Award went to Raffles London at OWO (No. 13) while The highest mountaineer award claimed by Atlantis The Royal in Dubai, moving 35 places from No.44 to No.9.
Bulgari Tokyo (No. 22) was the highest-ranked hotel to open within the two-year poll and was therefore named “The best new hotel“, while The Peninsula Istanbul, which opened just last year, was named the “One to Watch” for presenting the greatest potential to make the top 50 list in the future.
THE Art of Hospitality Award went to Royal Mansour of Morocco and the Best Beach Hotel Award went to Soneva Fushi in the Maldives.
THE Best Boutique Hotel Award claimed by Passalacqua on Lake Como and the Eco Hotel Award awarded to Maroma Riviera Maya in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula for its “commitment to both people and planet”.
The Most Admired Hotel Group Award went to luxury and wellness pioneer Aman, while The Icon Award went to Rosewood Hotel Group CEO Sonia Cheng for her “positive force in the hospitality sector”.
The electoral system
Voters, spread across nine regions around the world, name the seven hotels they enjoyed the most over the past two years, in order of preference.
Members of the 50 Best organization “do not vote or control the composition of the list,” Emma Sleight, head of content for the World’s 50 Best Hotels, told CNBC. “It’s up to each voter to decide what each individual hotel does in their ‘best’ experiences.”
Any hotel can be nominated as long as a voter stayed at least one night there, however, the rules state that a voter cannot nominate more than three properties within the same hotel complex.
“A hotel doesn’t have to have a certain product, meet a certain price point, have won other accolades,” Sleight said. “Any style of hotel is eligible for inclusion – whether it’s a new hotel or has been open for 100 years – as evidenced by last year’s list… Atlantis The Royal in Dubai featured, along with Claridge’s which has been open since the 1800s. “
