Franschhoek, South Africa
All stays
8,719
Styria, Austria
Lieperts Café, Dinner, Rooms
Bangkok, Thailand
Oriental Residence Bangkok
London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
One Aldwych
St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria
Hotel Gletscherblick
Åre, Sweden
Copperhill Mountain Lodge
Senftenberg, Germany
Wellnesshotel Seeschlößchen
Voshövel, Germany
Landhotel Voshövel
Tokyo, Japan
Grand Hyatt Tokyo
Hatsukaichi, Japan
Sekitei
Providence, United States of America
Neptune, an Ash Hotel
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Grace Bay Club
Bali, Indonesia
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
Geneva, Switzerland
Hôtel Longemalle
Verbier, Switzerland
No.14 Verbier
St. Moritz, Switzerland
Kempinski Grand Hotel Des Bains
Amsterdam, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
Kimpton De Witt Amsterdam
Zermatt, Switzerland
Schweizerhof Zermatt
Grignan, France
La Ferme Chapouton
Drudas, France
Château de Drudas
Lower Beeding, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
South Lodge Hotel & Spa
Calgary, Canada
Fairmont Palliser
Llandudno, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Escape Boutique B&B
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