Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
All stays
8,719
Cutrofiano, Italy
Critabianca
San Francisco, United States of America
The St. Regis San Francisco
Paris, France
Nolinski Paris - Evok Collection
Paris, France
Le Clark
Toyakocho, Abuta-gun, Japan
WE Hotel Toya
Houston, United States of America
Hotel Daphne
Island of Hawaii, United States of America
SCP Hilo Hotel
Shima, Japan
THE HIRAMATSU HOTELS & RESORTS Kashikojima
Jackson Hole, United States of America
Hotel Terra
London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The Londoner
Calistoga, United States of America
Solage, Auberge Collection
Kyoto, Japan
SOWAKA
Milan, Italy
Mandarin Oriental, Milan
Maasai Mara, Kenya
Angama Mara
Marrakech, Morocco
Selman Marrakech
Paro, Bhutan
Six Senses Paro
Minorca, Spain
Rural Sant Ignasi
St. Barts, Saint Barthélemy
Cheval Blanc St-Barth
Madison, United States of America
The Edgewater
Las Catalinas, Costa Rica
Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas
Nisekocho, Abuta-gun, Japan
Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Ghent, Belgium
B&B The Verhaegen
Vancouver, Canada
Rosewood Hotel Georgia
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