The Crown Jewels of Hospitality: Attending The World’s 50 Best Hotels Ceremony 2025

Travel industry leaders and enthusiasts convened at Old Billingsgate in London to recognise outstanding hotel experiences across the globe, establishing new standards of excellence and serving as a source of inspiration for travellers and hospitality professionals alike.

Asia leads the way in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 with 20 ranked hotels in total, including four in Tokyo alone: Bulgari Tokyo (No.15), Aman Tokyo (No.25), Janu Tokyo (No.37) and The Tokyo Edition Toranomon (No.45). Elsewhere in Japan, Hotel The Mitsui (No.46) in Kyoto features. Both Hong Kong and Bangkok solidify their reputation as global travel hubs, each boasting three hotels on the list. In Hong Kong, Rosewood Hong Kong (No.1), Upper House Hong Kong (No.10), Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (No.41) all feature; and in the Thai capital, Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River (No.2), Capella Bangkok (No.3) and Mandarin Oriental Bangkok (No.7).

Further enhancing Asia’s presence, Raffles Singapore (No.5) has climbed one place. The continent saw eight new entries in this year’s list, including: The Taj Mahal Palace (No.38) in Mumbai, Mandapa in Bali (No.50) and Mandarin Oriental Qianmen (No.14) in Beijing, the latter also taking home the Nikka Best New Hotel Award, which goes to the highest-ranked hotel on the list that opened within the 24-month voting period. In the Maldives, Soneva Fushi (No.28) has been awarded the SeiBellissimi Art of Hospitality Award.

Three hotels in the list are located in Dubai: Atlantis The Royal (No.6) – the winner of the Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel Award 2025 – Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab (No.20) and The Lana (No.35).

Europe boasts 17 of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025, with five inclusions in the UK, and France and Italy each having four properties featured on the list. The highest-ranking European entry went to Passalacqua (No.4), which additionally won the Best Boutique Hotel Award. This award is given to the hotel that places highest on the list and fits all the criteria of a boutique property. 50 Best defines a boutique hotel as having fewer than 50 rooms and not being part of a large chain or group, showcasing personalised service and idiosyncratic features unique to its destination. The following Italian hotels also featured: Four Seasons Firenze (No.9) and new entries Bulgari Roma (No.22) and Hotel Il Pelicano (No.26).

The UK is home to five winning properties, with the capital city claiming four: Claridge’s (No.16), The Connaught (No.29), Raffles London at The OWO (No.31) and new entry The Emory (No.32) – all in London – and Estelle Manor (No.47), another new entry in Witney. Across the Channel in Paris, Le Bristol (No.19) climbed 21 places, and Cheval Blanc Paris (No.21) and Hôtel de Crillon (No.23) both featured. Hôtel du Couvent (No.27) in Nice is a new entry.

Elsewhere in Europe, Four Seasons Astir Palace (No.17) in Greece, Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo (No.36) in Monaco, Grand Park Hotel Rovinj (No.48) in Croatia and Hotel Sacher Vienna (No.49) secure places in the list.