Home » HOTEL NEWS » Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Italy, Australia: Rosewood Hong Kong Leads The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 in a Six-Continent Showcase of Luxury and Design
Published on
October 31, 2025
China’s Hong Kong, United Kingdom’s London, Thailand’s Bangkok, United Arab Emirates’ Dubai, Singapore, Italy’s Lake Como, and Australia’s Sydney anchor a milestone year for high-end hospitality as The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 unveils a six-continent ranking that blends innovation, design, and impeccable service. Headlining the list, Rosewood Hong Kong rises to No.1, underscoring the city’s continued magnetism for discerning travelers and reaffirming Asia as a powerhouse in global luxury stays. With 22 destinations represented across six continents, the 2025 edition advances a clear narrative: modern hospitality thrives where craftsmanship, sustainability, and guest experience converge.
Announced at a live ceremony in London, this year’s results highlight an expanded geographical spread and 20 new entries across 16 destinations, including Australia, India, and Brazil. The ranking integrates legacy icons and breakout addresses, revealing a landscape where culinary leadership, integrated wellness, eco-forward design, and local cultural storytelling are central to brand differentiation. Special awards add further dimension—from Best Boutique Hotel to Eco Hotel, Best New Hotel, Art of Design, and Most Admired Hotel Group—offering a satellite view of excellence beyond a numeric list.
For travel planners, tour operators, luxury agents, and corporate travel buyers, the 2025 roster reads as both compass and barometer: a practical guide to allocate inventory, curate itineraries, and benchmark quality. For destination marketers, it confirms the pull of Asia and Europe, while spotlighting North America, Oceania, South America, and Africa as consistent drivers of high-value tourism. The methodology—voted by a global academy of more than 800 independent experts and independently adjudicated—reinforces credibility, while the special awards celebrate singular achievements in sustainability, service, design, and brand leadership. In short, the 2025 list presents a confident, multi-polar map of world-class hospitality.
Global Picture: Six Continents, 22 Destinations, 50 LeadersAsia dominates with 20 hotels, including urban standouts in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Beijing, and heritage-driven icons in Singapore and the Maldives.Europe secures 17 positions, with Italy, France, and the United Kingdom contributing a dense concentration of classics and new-guard boutique stars.North America tallies 6, led by Mexico with four properties and United States entries in Los Angeles and New York.Africa counts 3, highlighted by Marrakech and Kruger National Park.Oceania features 2, including a top-15 placement for Sydney.South America posts 2, anchored by Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Key signal: A balanced list across established capitals and resort destinations confirms traveler demand for both high-energy city stays and immersive natural escapes.
Headline Result: Rosewood Hong Kong at No.1Rosewood Hong Kong (No.1, Hong Kong SAR, China) captures the global title and Best Hotel in Asia, aligned with demand for design-forward, wellness-integrated, and culinary-rich urban resorts.The property’s harbour panoramas, next-generation wellness programming, and multi-venue dining encapsulate the urban sanctuary trend—luxury framed by contextual design and destination storytelling.The 2025 Top 10 SnapshotRosewood Hong Kong – No.1, Best in AsiaFour Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – Riverside urban retreat in BangkokCapella Bangkok – Lush riverbank sanctuaryPassalacqua, Lake Como – Best Boutique Hotel, artisan intimacy by the lakeRaffles Singapore – Heritage icon with modern polishAtlantis The Royal, Dubai – Best Beach Hotel, scale meets spectacleMandarin Oriental Bangkok – Legacy luxury, riverfront refinementChablé Yucatán, Mexico – Best in North America, wellness-led haciendaFour Seasons Firenze, Florence – Palatial garden opulenceUpper House Hong Kong – Elevated minimalism and intimacy
Reading the top tier: Riverside settings, restored palazzi, heritage flags, and wellness-first resort concepts define the most coveted formats for 2025.
Regional Highlights and Momentum IndicatorsAsia: Depth, Diversity, and Design LeadershipStrong multi-city representation: Hong Kong (three entries), Bangkok (three entries), Tokyo (four entries), Beijing, Singapore, Kyoto, Maldives.New entries refresh the map, adding India and bolstering Indonesia through Bali’s creative eco-luxury.Intense focus on spa innovation, culinary programs, and craft-led interiors signals an experience premium that drives length of stay and rate integrity.Europe: Icons, Boutiques, and Palace-Grade ServicePassalacqua (No.4) secures Best Boutique Hotel, validating small-scale excellence with meticulous service.The UK fields five hotels (four in London), while France and Italy stack depth across Paris, Rome, Florence, Nice, and Porto Ercole.Trendline: a surge in neo-boutique luxury where fewer keys equate to personalization and destination-specific character.Middle East: Resort Theatrics and Urban PrecisionDubai places three: Atlantis The Royal (No.6), Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab (No.20), The Lana (No.35)—a showcase of architectural theatre, gastronomic ambition, and beach-to-city fluidity.North America: Mexico’s Wellness and Nature-Forward RenaissanceMexico asserts leadership via Chablé Yucatán (No.8), Maroma (No.33), One&Only Mandarina (No.39), Las Ventanas al Paraíso (No.44).The United States posts Hotel Bel-Air (No.42) and The Mark (No.43), pairing old-guard glamour with Manhattan precision.South America: Heritage Icons with Contemporary EnergyCopacabana Palace (No.11, Rio de Janeiro) achieves the Highest New Entry recognition and tops South America.Rosewood São Paulo (No.24) amplifies the region’s design narrative and culinary edge.Africa: Craft, Culture, ConservationRoyal Mansour (No.13, Marrakech) claims Highest Climber, reflecting consistent post-renovation momentum.La Mamounia (No.30) continues as a Moroccan standard-bearer.Singita – Kruger National Park (No.40) earns the Art of Design Award, aligning safari hospitality with multi-sensory design and conservation-first values.Oceania: Precision Luxury on a Pacific ArcCapella Sydney (No.12) leads the region and earns Best in Oceania, reflecting heritage revitalization married to contemporary polish.The Calile (No.34, Brisbane) reinforces Australia’s design-led urban resort movement.Special Awards: Signals Beyond the RankingBest Boutique Hotel: Passalacqua (No.4, Lake Como) – Under 50 rooms, independent, fiercely personalized.Eco Hotel Award: Desa Potato Head (No.18, Bali) – Carbon-neutral leadership, circular design, and responsible sourcing.Best New Hotel Award: Mandarin Oriental Qianmen (No.14, Beijing) – Highest-ranked new property within the recent voting window.Icon Award: Ian Schrager – Acknowledged for shaping boutique culture and lifestyle hospitality.Art of Design Award: Singita – Kruger National Park (No.40) – Design as a sensory ecosystem, not just architecture.Most Admired Hotel Group: Four Seasons – Recognized for brand-wide impact, innovation, and sector leadership.Highest Climber: Royal Mansour (No.13, Marrakech) – Up 25 places, emblematic of sustained excellence.Highest New Entry: Copacabana Palace (No.11, Rio de Janeiro) – A heritage icon with current-day pull.Art of Hospitality Award: Soneva Fushi (No.28, Maldives) – Precision service culture and detail obsession.One To Watch: Southern Ocean Lodge (Kangaroo Island, Australia) – Anticipated performance trajectory and destination impact.Methodology and Assurance: Why the List MattersCurated by an academy of 800+ travel professionals, including hoteliers, journalists, educators, business travelers, and affluent consumers.Each voter submits seven preferences based on stays within the two-year window; ballots are confidential and regionally balanced.Independent adjudication ensures integrity, with a minimum 25% panel refresh each year to reduce biases.The framework offers credibility for B2B contracting, portfolio benchmarking, and media storytelling.
Takeaway: The process confers market trust, making the list a reliable signal for travel buyers and consumers calibrating quality and value.
Strategic Reading for the Trade
For tour operators and luxury agents:
Align city circuits around Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Paris, Florence, with Maldives, Dubai, Lake Como, and Sydney for mixed urban-resort appeal.Build wellness-first programs around Yucatán, Maldives, Bali, Kruger, and Bangkok riverfront sanctuaries.Leverage boutique-depth in Lake Como, Nice, Porto Ercole, and Kyoto for high-touch FIT itineraries.
For corporate travel and MICE planners:
Consider Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, London, Tokyo for premium city hubs with brand consistency, meeting capacity, and dining depth.
For destination marketers:
Emphasize design, sustainability, and culinary innovation; align with special award narratives to amplify earned media.Notable New and Rising Names to WatchMandarin Oriental Qianmen (Beijing) – Design-forward newcomer with capital-city reach.The Emory (London) and Estelle Manor (Witney) – United Kingdom’s evolving luxury spectrum.Bulgari Roma and Hotel Il Pellicano (Porto Ercole) – Italy’s blend of urban glamour and coastal intimacy.Capella Sydney – A case study in adaptive reuse and urban heritage.Las Ventanas al Paraíso (Los Cabos) – Experience curation on Mexico’s Baja coast.What This Year’s List Says About DemandExperience Density: Properties with multiple dining concepts, destination spas, and programmed culture outperform single-amenity rivals.Design with Purpose: Awards stress design as experience, not just aesthetics.Sustainability as Strategy: Recognition for eco leadership and circular operations signals a durable booking advantage.Boutique Power: Small, independent hotels that deliver craft service and place-specific identity have outsized cultural capital.Quick-Glance Bullets for Newsrooms and BuyersNo.1: Rosewood Hong Kong; Asia leads with 20 entries.Europe: 17 entries; strongest clusters in London, Paris, Italy.Special Awards: Boutique (Passalacqua), Eco (Desa Potato Head), New Hotel (Mandarin Oriental Qianmen), Design (Singita – Kruger), Most Admired Group (Four Seasons).Regional Bests: Asia – Rosewood Hong Kong, Europe – Passalacqua, Middle East – Atlantis The Royal, North America – Chablé Yucatán, South America – Copacabana Palace, Oceania – Capella Sydney, Africa – Royal Mansour.Momentum Cities: Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Paris, Florence, Dubai, Sydney.Closing View: A Confident, Multi-Polar Luxury Map
The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 affirms a plural, competitive luxury landscape in which Asia and Europe retain density while North America, South America, Africa, and Oceania contribute distinctive, high-impact entries. With Rosewood Hong Kong at the summit and special awards illuminating excellence in design, sustainability, service, and brand stewardship, the list functions as both recognition and roadmap—a practical tool for shaping travel portfolios and a vivid reflection of where global hospitality is headed next.
