Which hotel has 101 suites and villas, views of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River and rates starting from $600 a night?
Capella Bangkok has been named the “best” hotel in the world for 2024, according to “50 Best.”
That’s the combined opinion of 600 anonymous voters from around the world, including travel journalists, hoteliers and seasoned travel professionals, in the World’s 50 Best Hotels list, announced on Tuesday at London’s historic Guildhall.
The hotel has risen 10 places from 11th on the 2023 list. It features five dining options, including a one-star Michelin restaurant by chef Mauro Colagreco, as well as a “spa sanctuary” called Auriga and seven riverside villas with private plunge pools.
Capella Bangkok has been named the new “best hotel” in the world, according to the 50 Best organization.
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After the awards ceremony, hotel general manager John Blanco told CNBC Travel, “We are overwhelmed! It was unexpected, it was an honor and every adjective you can think of would fit that description. For a small brand like Capella, this is just an amazing recognition. I think everyone back home is happy.”
Ms Josephine Ping, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, added: “We are focused on providing our guests with an authentic Thai experience and this is a wonderful reward for everyone and their hard work. Our location is truly unique, local and authentic, with a ‘River of Kings’ feel.”
In 2023, the inaugural Hotel of the Year honor went to Passalacqua on Lake Como, Italy, which dropped one place to No. 2 on this year’s list.
This is the second time the 50 Best organization has published a hotel ranking. The organization has published culinary rankings for many years, including the World’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2002 and the World’s 50 Best Bars since 2009.
The World’s 50 Best Hotels
The complete list is as follows:
Capella Bangkok (Bangkok, Thailand)Pathalakua (Lake Como, Italy)Rosewood Hong Kong (Hong Kong)Cheva Blanc (Paris, France)The Upper House (Hong Kong)Raffles Singapore (Singapore)Aman Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan)Soneva Fushi (Maldives)Atlantis The Royal (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)Nihi Sumba (Sumba Island, Indonesia)Claridge’s (London, United Kingdom)Mandarin Oriental Bangkok (Bangkok, Thailand)Raffles London at The OWO (London, United Kingdom)Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River (Bangkok, Thailand)Hôtel de Crillon (Paris, France)Chablais Yucatan (Chocolat, Mexico)Hotel du Cap Eden Roc (Antibes, France)Maroma (Riviera Maya, Mexico)Four Seasons Florence (Florence, Italy)Borgo Sant’Andrea (Amalfi, Italy)Desa Potato Head (Bali, Indonesia)Bvlgari Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan)The Rana (Dubai, UAE)Rosewood São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilThe Calile, Brisbane, AustraliaThe Siam, Bangkok, ThailandPark Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto, JapanMount Nelson, Cape Town, South AfricaOne&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit, MexicoThe Carlyle, New York, USALa Mamounia, Marrakech, MoroccoFour Seasons Madrid, Madrid, SpainCapella Singapore, SingaporeFour Seasons at The Surf Club, Surfside, USAHotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, USADen Roc, St. BarthélemyThe CaribbeanAman New York, New York, USARoyal Mansour, Marrakech, MoroccoAmangalla, Galle, Sri LankaLe Bristol, Paris, FranceGleneagles, Auchterarder, ScotlandCastello di Reschio, Lisciano Niccone, Italy Sujan Jawai, Rajasthan, India Singita – Kruger National Park, Kruger National Park, South Africa Six Senses Zighy Bay, Zighy (Oman), The Connaught (London, UK), The Brando (Tetiaroa, French Polynesia), Hotel Esencia (Tulum, Mexico), The Tasman (Hobart, Australia), Kokomo Private Island (Yaukve Levu, Fiji)
The 2024 list features hotels in dozens of destinations across six continents.
Asia has the most hotels on the list with 19, followed by Europe with 13, North America with nine, Africa with four each, Oceania with four and South America with one.
The top-ranked hotels on each continent are:
Asia — Capella Bangkok (#1)Europe — Passalacqua (#2)North America — Chablé Yucatan (#16)South America Rosewood São Paulo (#24)Oceania — The Calile (#25)Africa — Mount Nelson (#28)
For travellers looking for a city break, Bangkok is the top urban destination on the list with four hotels, followed by London and Paris with three each, and Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and New York with two each.
Other Awards
The “50 Best” organization also announced individual awards for outstanding hotels in specific categories.
At OWO, the award for best new entry went to Raffles London (#13), while the award for highest rank increase went to Atlantis The Royal in Dubai, which rose 35 places from #44 to #9.
Bvlgari Tokyo (ranked 22nd) was named “Best New Hotel,” the highest ranking among hotels that opened within the two-year voting period, while The Peninsula Istanbul, which only opened last year, was named “Hotel to Watch” as it was deemed the hotel most likely to make the top 50 in the future.
The Art of Hospitality award was won by Royal Mansour in Morocco, while the Best Beach Hotel award went to Soneva Fushi in the Maldives.
The Best Boutique Hotel award went to Passalacqua on Lake Como, while the Eco Hotel award went to Maroma Riviera Maya on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, for its “commitment to both people and the planet”.
The Most Admired Hotel Group award went to luxury and wellness pioneer Aman, while the Icon award was presented to Sonia Cheng, CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group, in recognition of her “positive influence on the hotel industry.”
Voting System
Voters were split across nine global regions and ranked the seven hotels they enjoyed most over the past two years in order of preference.
Members of the 50 Best organization “do not vote or control the composition of the list,” Emma Slight, head of content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, told CNBC. “It is up to each individual voter to decide whether an individual hotel represents the ‘best’ experience for them.”
Voters can nominate any hotel in which they have stayed at least one night, but the rules state that voters cannot nominate more than two hotels within the same hotel group.
“Hotels do not have to have a particular product, meet a particular price point or have won any other awards,” Slight says. “As last year’s list showed, any style of hotel can be eligible to be included, whether it’s new or 100 years old. Atlantis The Royal in Dubai makes the list alongside Claridge’s, which has been open since the 1800s.”