Shima, Japan
All stays
8,719
Takayama, Japan
Machiyado Ichiryu
Paris, France
La Réserve Paris
Boulder, United States of America
St Julien Hotel & Spa
Bergen, Norway
Zander K Hotel
Prague, Czechia
Mandarin Oriental, Prague
Naples, Florida, United States of America
Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort
Istanbul, Türkiye
Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul
Koh Samui, Thailand
Six Senses Hideaway Samui
Mallorca, Spain
El Vicenç de la Mar
Minorca, Spain
Hotel Boutique Can Sastre
Pintueles, Spain
El Gran Sueño B&B
Salamanca, Spain
Eunice Hotel Gastronómico
Palo Alto, United States of America
The Clement Palo Alto
Los Angeles Area, United States of America
The Hollywood Grande
Lexington KY, United States of America
21c Museum Hotel, Lexington
London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Rosewood London
Ghent, Belgium
Hotel Harmony
Beijing, China
Rosewood Beijing
Kruibeke, Belgium
Hofke van Bazel
Rabat, Morocco
Conrad Rabat Arzana
Macau, Macao SAR, China
Conrad Macao
Washington, D.C., United States of America
The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.
Brussels, Belgium
Craves
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