Napa / Sonoma Valleys, United States of America
All stays
8,719
Evian-les-Bains, France
Royal - Evian Resort
Saragano, Italy
Aethos Saragano
Comporta, Portugal
Independente Comporta
Cambridge, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Hotel du Vin & Bistro Cambridge
Bakewell, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow
Shanghai, China
Park Hyatt Shanghai
Amberley, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Amberley Castle
Biarritz, France
Hotel de Silhouette
Aurillac, France
Hôtel des Carmes
Baerenthal, France
L'Arnsbourg
Beaune, France
Hostellerie Cèdre
Milan, Italy
Portrait Milano — Lungarno Collection
Les Baux de Provence, France
Domaine de Manville
Le Rouret, France
Hôtel du Clos
Cairo, Egypt
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
Alexandria Governorate, Egypt
Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano
Houston, United States of America
Four Seasons Hotel Houston
Inveraray, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa
Budapest, Hungary
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest
Willemstad, Curaçao
BijBlauw
Medellín, Colombia
Marquee Medellin
La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica
Nayara Tented Camp
New York City, United States of America
Fasano Fifth Avenue
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