The only European hotel to make the top five, Passalacqua sits on the western shore of Lake Como, where pastel villas tumble down to the water and bell towers echo across the hills. Passalacqua Hotel/Press Association/dpa

If your travel wish list is running dry, there’s fresh inspiration courtesy of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025, which held its award ceremony in London in late October.

Now in its third year, the awards have become one of the travel industry’s most telling barometers of taste.

The list, which spans 22 destinations across six continents, is compiled from the votes of more than 800 anonymous experts – a mix of hoteliers, travel writers, educators and frequent travellers – each asked to nominate the stays that impressed them most in the past two years.

So if you’re looking for some inspiration for your 2026 getaway – here are the top five hotels the experts recommend…

5. Raffles Singapore, Singapore – No 5

Coming in at number five is one of the world’s most recognisable hotels – and one that arguably invented the idea of the luxurious grand tour retreat.

Raffles Singapore first opened its doors in 1887, welcoming travellers arriving by steamer to what was then British Malaya. Over the decades it has hosted everyone from Rudyard Kipling to Elizabeth Taylor, becoming as much a part of Singapore’s identity as the Merlion or the Marina Bay skyline.

After a meticulous restoration in 2019, the white-stucco landmark reopened with its old-world glamour intact.

Behind the famous façade are 115 suites, each with a personal butler, set around leafy courtyards that provide a rare hush in the middle of the city.

There are new touches too: restaurants from French Michelin star chefs Alain Ducasse and Anne-Sophie Pic, refreshed interiors and discreet technology tucked behind the original teak shutters.

The Long Bar – birthplace of the country’s national drink the Singapore Sling – still draws a steady stream of curious visitors, though the hotel itself feels far more poised than its sugary signature cocktail.

Raffles’ enduring appeal lies in its balance: a piece of living history that remains relevant, managing to feel timeless rather than trapped in time.

4. Passalacqua, Lake Como, Italy – No 4

The only European hotel to make the top five, Passalacqua sits on the western shore of Lake Como, where pastel villas tumble down to the water and bell towers echo across the hills.

The 18th-century villa has long been part of local legend – once home to renowned composer Vincenzo Bellini – but it was the De Santis family, owners of nearby Grand Hotel Tremezzo, who restored it to life.

After reopening in 2022 following a meticulous three-year restoration, the house has been transformed into an intimate, 24-room retreat that feels closer to a private residence than a luxury resort.

Breakfast is laid out in the kitchen, the scent of coffee mingling with the view of the lake; guests wander the terraced gardens where citrus trees and olive groves frame the water below.

Everything here has been made with care – from hand-painted headboards to bespoke Murano glass lamps – and there’s a sense that nothing is rushed.

Passalacqua once again took home the Best Boutique Hotel award, and it’s easy to see why: in a region known for lavish and opulence, it offers something quieter and far rarer – the luxury of stillness.

3. Capella Bangkok, Thailand – No 3

In third place, Capella Bangkok, which was voted last year’s number one, continues to prove that smaller doesn’t mean simpler.

Opened in 2020 on a tranquil stretch of the Chao Phraya River, it sits just a few doors down from its larger neighbour, the Four Seasons – but offers a very different experience.

Where the Four Seasons is grand and architectural, Capella feels intimate, almost residential. With just 101 rooms and suites, all facing the river, it’s a study in quiet elegance.

Designer Bill Bensley has blended soft neutrals, rattan and polished teak to echo the city’s colonial-era charm without falling into outdated nostalgia.

Guests are each paired with what the hotel call a “Capella Culturist”, who tailors their stay to the rhythm of local life, arranging anything from early-morning temple visits to longtail boat rides through Bangkok’s network of canals.

It’s an approach that has become the hotel’s signature: personal, unhurried and distinctly human.

2. Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Thailand – No 2

Taking second place, its award perhaps inspired by the third season of acclaimed TV show “The White Lotus”, is the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – which has become a star in its own right.

One can easily imagine its sun-drenched courtyards and glassy pavilions providing the backdrop for a new round of twisted tales and poolside revelations.

Opened in 2020, the hotel occupies a long, low stretch of riverfront in the city’s creative district. Designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, it unfolds as a sequence of courtyards, pools and open-air galleries that blur the boundary between city and sanctuary. The mood is modern and the epitome of quiet luxury.

Inside, Yu Ting Yuan – the hotel’s contemporary Cantonese restaurant – has earned a Michelin star, while the spa and wellness facilities draw both visitors and locals. Every detail, from the scent of lemongrass drifting through the lobby to the reflections of the river on the marble floors, feels luxe.

Bangkok may be one of Asia’s most frenetic cities, but within these walls, life slows to the steady rhythm of the Chao Phraya – proof that serenity and style can coexist.

1. Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong – No 1

Claiming the top spot, Rosewood Hong Kong is not just the city’s finest hotel but a symbol of its resurgence.

Since opening in 2019, the 65-storey tower on the Kowloon waterfront has become a marker of modern Hong Kong – confident, creative and cosmopolitan.

Designed by Taiwanese-born American designer Tony Chi, the building rises like a shard of glass over Victoria Harbour, its interiors a masterclass in understatement: pale oak, warm light, and sculptural art from local and regional names. It’s the antithesis of the city’s flashier tendencies – a retreat that looks outward rather than inward.

The 413 rooms and suites occupy the upper floors, with panoramic views stretching across to Hong Kong Island. Below, there are 11 restaurants and bars, an infinity pool seemingly suspended above the harbour, and Asaya – the hotel’s vast wellness centre that has set new standards for urban spa design.

Guests can book private Asaya Lodges on a secluded terrace, complete with sleep-therapy chambers and their own treatment rooms.

Its rise to number one confirms what many travellers have suspected for a while: Hong Kong’s hospitality scene is back and it’s setting the global pace.

Raffles Singapore has hosted everyone from Rudyard Kipling to Elizabeth Taylor, becoming as much a part of Singapore’s identity as the Merlion or the Marina Bay skyline. Raffles Singapore/Press Association/dpa

Taking second place, its award perhaps inspired by the third season of acclaimed TV show “The White Lotus”, is the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – which has become a star in its own right. Raffles Singapore/Press Association/dpa

The 413 rooms and suites of the Rosewood occupy the upper floors, with panoramic views stretching across to Hong Kong Island. Raffles Singapore/Press Association/dpa

Opened in 2020 on a tranquil stretch of the Chao Phraya River, the Capella Bangkok sits just a few doors down from its larger neighbour, the Four Seasons – but offers a very different experience. Raffles Singapore/Press Association/dpa