The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025: A Celebration of Design, Experience and the Art of Hospitality
Source: 50best
Last night, London’s Old Billingsgate Market transformed into the global epicentre of luxury travel as The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 were unveiled before an audience of hoteliers, designers, travel connoisseurs, and industry leaders. The third edition of this prestigious ceremony not only celebrated excellence in hospitality but also reflected the evolving language of global travel, one shaped by design, sustainability, and storytelling.
A Towering Triumph: Rosewood Hong Kong Named the World’s Best Hotel
Rising above Victoria Harbour, Rosewood Hong Kong claimed the No.1 position, marking a new chapter in Asia’s dominance in global luxury travel. Designed by Tony Chi, the property embodies a philosophy of “emotional modernism”, a seamless blend of art, architecture, and atmosphere. Its Asaya wellness concept, harbour-facing infinity pool, and eleven culinary destinations create a sanctuary that transcends hospitality, embodying a distinctly Hong Kong rhythm: fast, refined, and deeply human.
Source: 50best
Asia at the Forefront of Global Hospitality
Asia continues to define the aesthetic and experiential standards of the modern traveller, with 20 properties featured across the list. Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River (No.2) and Capella Bangkok (No.3) reaffirm Thailand’s creative rise as a capital of contemporary hospitality, while Raffles Singapore (No.5) and Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing (No.14) further illustrate the region’s mastery in fusing heritage with innovation.
Capella Bangkok – Source: 50best
From Desa Potato Head in Bali (No.18), winner of the Eco Hotel Award, to Soneva Fushi in the Maldives (No.28), honoured for the Art of Hospitality, Asia’s hotels are rewriting what it means to be sustainable, sensory, and soulful.
Europe’s Elegance and the Power of Place
In Europe, timeless beauty finds new expression. Passalacqua on Lake Como (No.4) was again named The Best Boutique Hotel, its 24 rooms spread across a 17th-century villa with views that seem painted by Caravaggio himself. Italy and France remain the continent’s heart of refined escapism, with Four Seasons Firenze (No.9), Cheval Blanc Paris (No.21), and new entry Hôtel du Couvent in Nice (No.27) redefining la dolce vita through impeccable design and intimacy.
Passalacqua on Lake Como – Source: 50best
London, ever the cosmopolitan host, shone with five inclusions, from Claridge’s (No.16) to the newly opened The Emory (No.32), reaffirming the city’s position as the intersection of tradition and innovation in global hospitality.
Special Awards: The Icons Behind the Experiences
The night also honoured visionaries shaping the industry’s creative direction. Ian Schrager, co-founder of Studio 54 and pioneer of the boutique hotel movement, received the SevenRooms Icon Award, recognising his lifelong influence on design-led hospitality.
The inaugural Johnnie Walker Art of Design Award went to Singita – Kruger National Park (No.40), a property where architecture meets landscape, redefining luxury through connection with nature. Meanwhile, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts was celebrated as the Most Admired Hotel Group, reaffirming its enduring commitment to excellence.
Singita – Kruger National Park – Source: Singita
The Top Five in 2025: The New Standard-Bearers
Rosewood Hong Kong – Hong Kong
Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – Thailand
Capella Bangkok – Thailand
Passalacqua – Italy
Raffles Singapore – Singapore
These five properties encapsulate the modern spirit of hospitality, design-driven yet deeply personal, luxurious yet conscious of their cultural and environmental contexts.
Where Design Meets Emotion
As Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, remarked during the ceremony, “This year’s list is a celebration of experiences that move people, hotels that are not just destinations but emotions made tangible.” From Hong Kong’s skyline to the lakes of Como, from the deserts of Dubai to the jungles of Bali, this year’s winners prove that true luxury is not about excess, but about essence.
A Global Movement of Inspiration
As the evening drew to a close, one thing was clear: The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 are not simply places to stay, they are invitations to feel, to discover, and to connect. They represent the art of hospitality as a living, evolving dialogue between cultures and creativity. And from the energy in the room last night in London, that dialogue is only just beginning.
The full list is available on the 50 Best Hotels website: https://www.theworlds50best.com/hotels/list/1-50
