Paris, France
All stays
8,719
Santa Comba, Spain
Retiro Costiña Wellness & Villas
Paris, France
Le Bristol Paris
Santorini, Greece
Katikies Santorini
Paris, France
Drawing House
Cayo District, Belize
Ka'ana Resort
Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
St. Helena, United States of America
Meadowood Napa Valley
Punta Caracol, Panama
Punta Caracol Acqua Lodge
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Atlantis, The Palm
Mallorca, Spain
La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, Mallorca
Mallorca, Spain
Sa Pedrissa
Washington D.C., United States of America
Kimpton Banneker Hotel by IHG
Mallorca, Spain
The Donna Portals
Marbella, Spain
ME Marbella
Nagato, Japan
Bettei Otozure
Casole d'Elsa, Italy
Castello di Casole, A Belmond Hotel, Tuscany
Koh Samui, Thailand
Santiburi Koh Samui
Krabi, Thailand
Banyan Tree Krabi
Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand
sala khaoyai
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Rosewood São Paulo
Enterprise Beach, Barbados
Little Arches Boutique Hotel
San Francisco, United States of America
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
Antwerp, Belgium
Sapphire House Antwerp, Autograph Collection
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