Adelboden, Switzerland
All stays
8,719
Cambria, United States of America
White Water
Burgenstock, Switzerland
Hotel Villa Honegg
Hangzhou, China
Amanfayun
French Riviera, France
Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière
Luang Prabang, Lao People's Democratic Republic
Satri House
San Francisco Bay Area, United States of America
Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana
Mashatu Euphorbia Villas
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers
Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe
Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge
Marina di Ragusa, Italy
Mangiabove Guest House
Lana, Italy
Hotel Schwarzschmied
Spokane, United States of America
The Louie, A Davenport Hotel, Autograph Collection
Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa
Molori Safari Lodge
Kalahari, South Africa
Tswalu Loapi
Cologne, Germany
Urban Loft Cologne
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel
Austin, United States of America
Fairmont Austin Gold Experience
Riga, Latvia
Hotel Neiburgs
El Jadida, Morocco
L'Iglesia El Jadida
Fes, Morocco
Karawan Riad
Vilnius, Lithuania
Hotel Vilnia
Yallingup, Australia
Yala Yallingup Retreat and Spa
Marrakech, Morocco
Riad Botanica
The Complete Stay
How The World's Best reads a hotel
Four connected views keep the guest experience in focus while reading the property as a place, an operation and a current promise.
The Place
Architecture, landscape, stewardship and the clarity with which the property belongs to its setting.
Sense of place · Design and stewardship · Landscape · Destination relationshipThe Room
Sleep, privacy, proportion, light and the practical comfort that shapes the hours a guest spends alone.
Sleep and quiet · Privacy · Comfort and usability · ConditionThe Stay
Service, dining, wellbeing and the pace of the experience from arrival through departure.
Service and recovery · Dining · Wellbeing · Pace and consistencyThe Record
A current, coherent operation supported by evidence strong enough to carry every published claim.
Current operation · Continuity · Evidence · Integrity of claimsEditorial independence
How decisions are protected
Hotels cannot pay to enter, receive a GEM distinction, improve their editorial account or secure a Best 100 position.
01Commercial separation+
Hotels cannot buy directory inclusion, a GEM distinction, favourable editorial language or a place in the Best 100. Advertising, licensing and partnerships are agreed separately.
02Conflicts and recusal+
Editors and contributors disclose employment, ownership, consultancy, investment and close personal ties. A material conflict removes that person from the decision.
03No geographic quotas+
No country, city, brand, price point or property type receives a reserved place. Context matters, but it does not lower the standard.
04Current identity+
The record belongs to one property in one place. A change of address, concept, ownership, management or operating condition can require a fresh review.
05Corrections+
Substantiated factual errors are checked against the evidence file and corrected. A difference of editorial opinion is not treated as a factual error.
06Product separation+
Directory publication, a GEM rating and the annual Best 100 are separate decisions. No one result implies either of the others.
Every hotel is read against the same declared identity, evidence and publication rules.
Read the hotel framework