We’re bookmarking the 50 best hotels list closely for travel inspiration …
It’s peak awards season for the hospitality industry. One of the most respected is The World’s 50 Best Hotels, which has an interesting voting system akin to the Oscars. The list is compiled from the votes of an 800-plus-strong Academy of anonymous experts – a mix of hoteliers, travel journalists and seasoned luxury travellers. Only in their third year, the awards have become an essential reference point for the best hospitality experiences. Tim Magee, contributing editor to THE GLOSS, was among the guests who attended the ceremony in London’s Old Billingsgate where the Rosewood Hong Kong, which towers over Victoria Harbour on the Kowloon waterfront, took top spot.
Designed by celebrated Taiwanese designer Tony Chi, the 65-storey Rosewood enjoys extraordinary views over the skyline with 413 rooms, eleven restaurants and bars, an impressive infinity pool, and multi-level Asaya wellness facility which offers therapeutic, aesthetic and holistic treatments. Guests can opt to stay in one of two Asaya Lodges on a terrace, complete with private spa chambers and sleep-enhancing technologies. Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, says: “Rosewood Hong Kong’s positioning as No 1 consolidates Asia as a leading luxury travel destination for both business and leisure travellers.”
Indeed, a further 20 destinations were ranked in Asia including four in Tokyo – Bulgari Tokyo (no. 15), Aman Tokyo (no. 25), Janu Tokyo (no. 37) and The Tokyo Edition Toranomon (no. 45).
The evening also included some special awards. The Johnnie Walker Art of Design Award was presented to Singita – Kruger National Park in South Africa. This award celebrates how design in hotels goes beyond architecture to create a multi-sensorial experience for visitors, shaping the guest experience and often elevating the expected into the extraordinary.
Desa Potato Head in Bali won the Eco Hotel Award as the first Asian hospitality brand to go carbon-neutral, with a focus on sourcing ingredients responsibly and using recycled materials.
American entrepreneur, hotelier and real estate developer Ian Schrager took home the SevenRooms Icon Award. Best known for co-founding the legendary Studio 54 nightclub in New York in 1977, he later went on to pioneer the boutique hotel concept in the 1980s with properties such as Morgans Hotel. Partnering with internationally renowned designers, he continued innovating with hotels such as The Royalton, Delano and the Edition Hotels brand in collaboration with Marriott.
Soneva Fushi in the Maldives (no. 28) was announced as the winner of the SeiBellissimi Art of Hospitality Award, which celebrates a hotel’s outstanding service and attention to detail. I stayed many years ago when the hotel was a pioneer of the “no news, no shoes” ethos, helping to put Maldives on the map with its over water villa designs too.
Europe boasts 17 of the world’s best hotels, with the highest-ranking European entry going to Passalacqua in Italy (no. 4), which additionally won the Best Boutique Hotel Award. 50 Best defines a boutique hotel as having fewer than 50 rooms and not being part of a large chain or group, showcasing personalised service and idiosyncratic features unique to its destination. Other Italian hotels which featured include Four Seasons Firenze (no. 9) and new entries Bulgari Roma (no. 22) and Hotel Il Pelicano (no. 26).
In Paris, posh addresses such as Le Bristol (no. 19) Cheval Blanc Paris (no. 21) and Hôtel de Crillon (no. 23) featured, while Hôtel du Couvent (no. 27) in Nice in the south of France is a new entry.
London-based Maybourne group, for whom Bryan O’Sullivan has created rooms and restaurants in his signature New Deco style, picked up three awards for Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Emory. Other winning UK properties include Raffles London at The OWO (no. 31) Estelle Manor (no. 47), another new entry in Witney.
The full list of the awards at www.thewords50best.com may spark some travel plans, but let’s hope that next year the Academy of judges will cross the Irish Sea and include some of Ireland’s best hotels. Surely this was a huge omission, especially for the globally renowned Ballyfin, Co Laios, Ashford Castle, Co Mayo and Cashel Palace, Co Tipperary and for longstanding urban gems such as The Merrion and The Westbury in Dublin?
