About 50 Best Hotels

The World’s 50 Best Hotels celebrates the best hotel experiences across the globe. Pooling the organiser’s years of experience as a global market leader in providing the most reliable expert-curated lists of restaurants and bars, The World’s 50 Best Hotels is an annual ranking of the best venues across the globe as voted for by a panel of more than 800 global industry experts.

The list is created by The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy, an influential group of more than 800 anonymous leaders in the hotel industry, each selected for their expert opinion and background in the hotel scene. The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy comprises 13 voting regions, each headed up by an Academy Chair. Read more about the voting process, the Academy and consult our FAQs.

The third edition was revealed at a live award ceremony on 30 October 2025 at a highly anticipated awards ceremony in London's Old Billingsgate. Assembling the teams behind the best hotel experiences across the globe, the night was a highly prestigious celebration of the best in the industry, culminating in a countdown that revealed the No.1, or The World’s Best Hotel. In addition to the main ranking reveal, a series of special accolades were also awarded to individuals and hotels. These included:

• SeiBellissimi Art of Hospitality Award
• American Express Travel One To Watch Award
• Nikka Best New Hotel Award
• Eco Hotel Award
• Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel Award
• Best Boutique Hotel Award
• SevenRooms Icon Award
• Lavazza Highest New Entry Award
• Ferrari Trento Most Admired Hotel Group Award
• WhistlePig Highest Climber Award
• Johnnie Walker Art of Design Award

The World’s 50 Best Hotels is published by William Reed, which also publishes The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The World’s 50 Best Bars. The launch of The World’s 50 Best Hotels marked the first time since 2009 and the launch of The World’s 50 Best Bars that the 50 Best brand enters a fresh market with a new global list and awards programme. Read more about 50 Best here.

As 50 Best is about celebrating the wider hospitality ecosystem and showcasing the best possible experiences to consumers, The World’s 50 Best Hotels was a natural next step. 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.

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