The world’s 50 greatest motels for 2024 named

  • The list is created by a voting panel made up of ‘hoteliers, travel journalists and seasoned luxury travellers’ 
  • Europe has 13 hotels on the list, with the UK, France and Italy each featuring four properties
  • The USA is home to four winning properties, with The Carlyle in New York coming out top for the country
  • READ MORE: Never again! Tourists name European cities they would NEVER return to 

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Capella Bangkok, overlooking Thailand‘s majestic Chao Phraya River, has been named the best hotel in the world for 2024.

It tops this year’s World’s 50 Best Hotels list, with last year’s winner, Passalacqua, set in an 18th-century villa amid ‘spectacular’ terraced gardens on the shores of Italy‘s Lake Como, coming second.

It helps push the number of winning properties in Europe to 13, with the UK, France and Italy each featuring four properties on the list.

The highest-ranked UK hotel is Claridge’s in London, which comes 11th, ahead of Raffles London at The OWO (13th), Gleneagles in Scotland (41st) and The Connaught. The swanky Mayfair property comes 46th. 

Flying the flag for France is Cheval Blanc Paris, which comes an impressive fourth overall. That’s no surprise to MailOnline Travel, which rated it five out of five after a stay there and declared it ‘more or less impossible to over-hype’.

 

The above four images show Capella Bangkok, which has been named the best hotel in the world for 2024

The USA is home to four winning properties, with The Carlyle in New York coming out top for the country at No.30 and beating Aman New York (37th), Four Seasons at The Surf Club in Florida (34th) and LA’s Hotel Bel-Air (35th).

It’s Asia, however, that leads the way in the list, with 19 entries in total.

Capella Bangkok is joined by the likes of Mandarin Oriental Bangkok (12th), Aman Tokyo (seventh), and Park Hyatt Kyoto (27th).

Africa now boasts four hotels on the list: new entry Mount Nelson (28th) in Cape Town, La Mamounia (31st), Royal Mansour (38th) in Marrakech, and Singita – Kruger National Park (44th).

Oceania has gone from one to four properties featured, including Brisbane‘s The Calile (25th), The Brando (47th) in French Polynesia, Hobart’s The Tasman (49th) and Kokomo Private Island (50th) in Fiji.

Lavishing praise on winner Capella Bangkok, which opened in 2020, the awards says: ‘It’s surrounded by lush gardens and exudes the elegance of a grand dame property combined with the intimacy of a boutique hotel.’

Last year’s winner, Passalacqua, set in an 18th-century villa amid ‘spectacular’ terraced gardens on the shores of Italy ‘s Lake Como, comes second 

Rosewood Hong Kong in the city’s Victoria Dockside arts and design district takes the No.3 spot 

Flying the flag for France is Cheval Blanc Paris, which comes an impressive fourth overall 

The highest-ranked UK hotel is Claridge’s in London, which comes 11th 

The Lavazza Highest New Entry Award 2024 goes to Raffles London at The OWO (13th)

It adds: ‘The dramatic, layered architecture at Capella Bangkok ensures all 101 rooms face the water, while riverside villas and suites also include their own private pool. 

‘The renowned Auriga spa is an enclave of relaxation whilst “Capella Culturalists” – personal butlers with a direct line to the city’s finest and most diverse activities – are on hand to help guests get under the skin of the destination.’

Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, comments: ‘It gives us enormous pleasure to share the list of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024 and to celebrate Capella Bangkok’s ranking as No.1.

‘This extraordinary hotel is a rare oasis in the middle of Thailand’s bustling capital, offering world-class service while retaining the intimacy and personality of a boutique hotel – making it a worthy winner of the top prize.

THE WORLD’S 50 BEST HOTELS FOR 2024 

1 Capella Bangkok

2 Passalacqua, Lake Como, Italy

3 Rosewood Hong Kong

4 Cheval Blanc Paris

5 The Upper House, Hong Kong

6 Raffles Singapore

7 Aman Tokyo

8 Soneva Fushi, Maldives

9 Atlantis The Royal, Dubai

10 Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island, Indonesia

11 Claridge’s, London

12 Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

13 Raffles London at The OWO

14 Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

15 Hôtel de Crillon, Paris

16 Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá, Mexico

17 Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, France

18 Maroma, Riviera Maya, Mexico

19 Four Seasons Firenze, Florence, Italy

20 Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi, Italy

21 Desa Potato Head, Bali

22 Bulgari Tokyo

23 The Lan, Dubai

24 Rosewood São Paulo, Brazil

25 The Calile, Brisbane, Australia

26 The Siam, Bangkok

27 Park Hyatt Kyoto

28 Mount Nelson, Cape Town

29 One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

30 The Carlyle, New York

31 La Mamounia, Marrakech, Morocco

32 Four Seasons Madrid

33 Capella Singapore

34 Four Seasons at The Surf Club, Florida

35 Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles

36 Eden Rock, St. Barths

37 Aman New York

38 Royal Mansour, Marrakech

39 Amangalla, Galle, Sri Lanka

40 Le Bristol, Paris

41 Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland

42 Castello di Reschio, Lisciano Niccone, Italy

43 Suján Jawai, Rajasthan, India

44 Singita – Kruger National Park, South Africa

45 Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman

46 The Connaught, London

47 The Brando, Tetiaroa, French Polynesia

48 Hotel Esencia, Tulum, Mexico

49 The Tasman, Hobart, Australia

50 Kokomo Private Island, Yaukuve Levu Island, Fiji

Source: www.theworlds50best.com/hotels

 

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Gleneagles has been named as the 41st best hotel in the world. Pictured above is one of its luxury bedrooms

Way to glow: Swanky Mayfair hotel The Connaught (above) comes 46th

The USA is home to nine winning properties, with The Carlyle in New York coming out top for the USA at No.30 

Soneva Fushi, pictured above, in the Maldives has been named the eighth-best hotel on the planet

Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles has been named as earth’s 35th best hotel

‘This year’s dynamic list underscores the appetite for a range of experiences, from busy city breaks to far-flung escapes, and honours the dedication and passion of the staff who make these exceptional experiences possible, while highlighting the remarkable breadth of talent in the industry worldwide. 

‘We look forward to the continued evolution of The World’s 50 Best Hotels in 2024 and beyond.’

The gongs were handed out last night at an awards ceremony at the historic Guildhall in London.

Borgo Santandrea on Italy’s Amalfi coast – this is the 20th best hotel on the planet, according to the World’s 50 Best Hotels list

Four Seasons Firenze in Florence comes 19th in the 2024 best hotels ranking

No.36 on the list – Eden Rock, St. Barths. It came 41st in the 2023 ranking

Aman New York is one of the high-flyers for American, coming 37th overall

Oceania has gone from one to four properties featured, including Brisbane’s The Calile (25th), pictured above

The Tasman in Hobart, Australia, comes 49th on the list. One of its swanky bedrooms is pictured above

The list is created from votes from ‘The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy‘, with the voting panel made up of ‘hoteliers, travel journalists and seasoned luxury travellers’.

Other gongs handed out included the Highest Climber Award, which went to Atlantis The Royal in Dubai after it moved from 44th to ninth, and the Lavazza Highest New Entry Award 2024, which went to Raffles London at The OWO (13th).

Aman won the Ferrari Trento Most Admired Hotel Group award.

Scroll down for more pictures of winning entries…

Mount Nelson hotel in Cape Town has come 28th. It’s one of four African hotels on the list

Rosewood Sao Paulo, pictured above, has come 24th in the prestigious ranking

La Mamounia in Marrakech, Morocco, has come 31st in the ranking. The image above shows why it’s so highly regarded

Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman (above) ranks 45th in the World’s Best Hotels list for 2024

In at 48th is Hotel Esencia in Tulum, Mexico. It’s one of four hotels in Mexico to make the ranking

Behold Singita – Kruger National Park, South Africa. It has come 44th in the global round-up

Above is the world’s 29th best hotel – the One&Only Mandarina in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island, Indonesia is the 10th best hotel on earth, according to the World’s Best panel 

In at 33rd place is Capella Singapore, which snakes around lush greenery in a beautiful coastal spot

Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá, Mexico, has come 16th in the ranking, which is decided by a voting panel made up of ‘hoteliers, travel journalists and seasoned luxury travellers’

The Highest Climber Award went to Atlantis The Royal in Dubai after it moved from 44th to ninth