Atlanta, United States of America
All stays
8,719
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Pikaia Lodge
Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
Londolozi Private Granite Suites
Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel
Sanya, China
Banyan Tree Sanya
Sydney, Australia
InterContinental Sydney Double Bay
Pretty Beach, Australia
Pretty Beach House
Lausanne, Switzerland
Beau-Rivage Palace
The Hamptons / Montauk, United States of America
The Roundtree, Amagansett
Melbourne, Australia
Art Series - The Larwill Studio
Washington D.C., United States of America
Fairmont Washington DC Gold Experience
Gold Coast, Australia
The Langham, Gold Coast and Jewel Residences
Dusseldorf, Germany
Hotel Ko59
Daintree Rainforest, Australia
Silky Oaks Lodge
Ettlingen, Germany
Hotel Erbprinz - Gourmet & Spa
Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Kyo no Ondokoro Kamanza Nijo #2
Cagliari, Italy
Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia
Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Fauchon Kyoto
Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
The Screen
Montevideo, Uruguay
FAUNA Montevideo
Nakijin, Kunigami-gun, Japan
One Suite THE GRAND
Osaka, Japan
Candeo Hotels Osaka The Tower
Phuket Area, Thailand
Hotel IKON Phuket
Phuket Area, Thailand
Rosewood Phuket
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