Sevilla, Spain
All stays
8,719
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa
Encinitas, United States of America
Twelve Senses Retreat
Atlanta, United States of America
Kimpton Sylvan Buckhead
Cincinnati, United States of America
The Lytle Park Hotel, Autograph Collection
Tragaki, Greece
Porto Zante Villas & Spa
Stavanger, Norway
Hotel Victoria
Kathmandu, Nepal
The Dwarika's
Narendra Nagar, Uttarakhand, India
Ananda in the Himalayas
Auckland, New Zealand
QT Auckland
Barcelona, Spain
The Barcelona EDITION
Swansea, Australia
Avalon Coastal Retreat
Istanbul, Türkiye
Bebek Hotel by The Stay
Charlottesville, United States of America
Boar's Head Resort
Canberra, Australia
Ovolo Nishi
Hangzhou, China
Conrad Hangzhou
Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Higashiyama Shikikaboku
Bali, Indonesia
COMO Uma Canggu
Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Seikoro Ryokan
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
COMO Parrot Cay
San Sebastian, Spain
Akelarre
Napa, United States of America
Carneros Resort and Spa
Onna, Kunigami-gun, Japan
Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa
Pranburi, Thailand
Aleenta Resort & Spa, Hua-Hin
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