Capella Bangkok is on the top, the highly anticipated list celebrates hotels across six continents worldwide
SUJÁN JAWAI has been ranked No. 43 in the global ranking of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024. Following a successful debut in 2023, the second edition of The World’s 50 Best Hotels was announced at a captivating awards ceremony in London and includes industry-defining hotels from across six continents worldwide.
Capella Bangkok, overlooking Thailand’s majestic Chao Phraya River, takes the top spot on The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024 list, climbing 10 places from No.11 in the 2023 list, to also clinch The Best Hotel in Asia 2024 title. Opened in 2020, the contemporary Capella Bangkok is surrounded by lush gardens and exudes the elegance of a grand dame property combined with the intimacy of a boutique hotel. The dramatic, layered architecture 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.
The awards ceremony once again brought together the global travel and hospitality community to celebrate the world’s best hotels. Held at the historic Guildhall, the event showcased exceptional hotel experiences that will inspire consumers, travellers, and hoteliers globally.
SUJÁN JAWAI, Rajasthan, India’s pioneering wilderness camp, is defined by the magical intermingling of wildlife and rural village life that has coexisted peacefully side by side for centuries. While leopards are the predominant iconic species in the area, one may also see antelopes, hyenas, crocodiles, and several other smaller mammals. The area is also home to over 250 species of birds, from the migratory greater flamingos and sarus cranes to resident raptors and bee-eaters: Truly, a bird paradise. Encounters with wildlife are punctuated by engagements with local communities and a deep immersion into the local culture.
The camp comprises eight luxurious tented ‘Rock Suites,’ the Family ‘Felidae’ Suite, and The Royal ‘Panthera’ Suite complete with a private swimming pool and private butler.
Located in one of India’s most spellbinding landscapes between the cities of Jodhpur and Udaipur within a backdrop of billion-year-old granite rock formations, SUJÁN JAWAI is home to one of the finest leopard viewing experiences in the world. It is also a camp that benefits local communities and plays a critical role in preserving indigenous wildlife and their natural habitats. With just 10 tents, SUJÁN JAWAI is exemplary in its dedication to conservation. Its Founders Jaisal and Anjali Singh have ensured that the local communities understand the camp’s objectives and benefit from its existence as it was designed to improve the quality of living, education and prosperity of the local communities, in addition to the hugely extensive rewilding project.
Tim Brooke-Webb, Managing Director for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, comments: “We’re thrilled to be back in London celebrating the second edition of The World’s 50 Best Hotels. Bringing together so many influential figures from the travel industry to honour and celebrate the world’s finest hotel experiences is truly a special moment. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to every hotel on the list, each of which has clearly made a lasting impression on our Academy of travel experts. We hope 2024’s list inspires travel lovers to choose a truly spectacular destination for their next trip.”
The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024 was revealed as part of a live countdown from No.50 to No.1. The ranking is complemented by a host of special awards and reflects the very best travel experiences around the globe, collated from the votes of 600 anonymous experts. This voting panel – the 50 Best Hotels Academy – comprises a balanced mix of hoteliers, travel journalists, educators, and seasoned luxury travellers, led by a group of industry-leading Academy Chairs.
The No.2 spot goes to Passalacqua, set in an 18th-century villa amongst spectacular terraced gardens on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como. The hotel is additionally awarded the Carlo Alberto Best Boutique Hotel Award 2024. This award is given to the hotel that places highest on the list and fits all the criteria of a boutique property. 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. The towering Rosewood Hong Kong in the city’s Victoria Dockside arts and design district takes the No.3 spot.
Asia leads the way in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024 with 19 ranked hotels in total, while Bangkok solidifies its reputation as a global travel hub, boasting four hotels on the list: Capella Bangkok (No.1), Mandarin Oriental Bangkok (No.12), Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River (No.14) and The Siam (No.26).
Further enhancing Asia’s presence, Japan has three hotels featured including Aman Tokyo (No.7), Bulgari Tokyo (No.22) – which also wins the Nikka Best New Hotel 2024 – and Park Hyatt Kyoto (No.27). The Nikka Best New Hotel Award goes to the highest-ranked hotel on the list that opened within the 18-month voting period.
Europe boasts 13 of The World’s 50 Best Hotels, with France, the UK and Italy each featuring four properties on the list. Some of the high-ranking entries include Cheval Blanc Paris (No.4) and Hôtel de Crillon (No.15) in Paris, Claridge’s (No.11) and Raffles London at The OWO (No.13) in the UK capital and Four Seasons Firenze (No.19) in Italy.
North America is home to nine winning properties: Maroma (No.18) is one of four hotels in Mexico to make the ranking, including Chablé Yucatán (No.16), One&Only Mandarina (No.29) and Hotel Esencia (No.48). In New York, The Carlyle enters at No.30, while Aman New York is No.37. Four Seasons at The Surf Club in Florida and LA’s Hotel Bel-Air are new additions for 2024, ranking No.34 and No.35 respectively. Eden Rock in St Barths, meanwhile, has climbed five places to claim the No.36 spot on the list.
Africa now boasts four hotels on the list: new entry Mount Nelson (No.28) in Cape Town, La Mamounia (No.31) and Royal Mansour (No.38) in Marrakech, and Singita – Kruger National Park (No.44). Oceania has gone from one to four properties featured, including Brisbane’s The Calile (No.25), The Brando (No.47) in French Polynesia, Hobart’s The Tasman (No.49) and Kokomo Private Island (No.50) in Fiji.
As The World’s 50 Best Hotels returns for its second year, three new awards are announced. Atlantis The Royal in Dubai picks up the Highest Climber Award, moving 35 positions from No.44 to No.9. Raffles London at The OWO (No.13) receives the Lavazza Highest New Entry Award 2024.
Aman wins the Ferrari Trento Most Admired Hotel Group. Independently voted for as a special award as part of the overall voting process, this accolade honours an exceptional hotel group which has implemented extraordinary measures, innovations or improvements over the past 18 months that have demonstrably and meaningfully impacted the hospitality sector. Aman is recognised for ensuring that its global locations work to integrate into local cultures and heritage. The group’s holistic sustainability practices are also highlighted, such as a circular approach to reducing waste employed at many of its properties.
Placed highest on the list and within 20 metres of a beach, Soneva Fushi (No.8) in the Maldives is named winner of the Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel Award for the second year in a row.
The newly reopened Maroma in the Riviera Maya in Mexico, takes the No.18 spot and is also the winner of the Flor de Caña Eco Hotel Award. Deeply embedded into the soul of the Yucatán, Maroma made a much-anticipated return in 2023 following a careful restoration with Mayan design, traditions and culture at its forefront. Building on its legacy of care for the community and environment, Maroma offers ground-breaking sustainability initiatives: from the protection of the endangered Melipona bee – critical to the ecology of the Yucatán Peninsula – and an onsite nursery that produces over 2,000 endemic plants to a comprehensive conservation programme. As with its other global awards, 50 Best worked closely with the Sustainable Restaurant Association on the Flor de Caña Eco Hotel Award, inviting all hotels on the list to submit an application outlining their sustainability initiatives and credentials for rigorous review.
Sonia Cheng, CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group, is voted by the Academy as the winner of the SevenRooms Icon Award, celebrating her achievements in the hotel sector over the last 16 years, including the regional and international expansion of Rosewood Hotel Group. Cheng is recognised as a true inspiration to other hoteliers for her significant contribution to ensuring environmentally friendly and sustainable policies are at the heart of group, as well as for launching Rosewood Impacts, a corporate social impact initiative committed to empowering people in the industry.
The evening also celebrated those honoured with special awards that were pre-announced in the run-up to the ceremony, including The Peninsula Istanbul, set along the dazzling Bosphorus waterfront, which was named the American Express Travel One To Watch winner earlier in the month. Royal Mansour Marrakech (No.38) was announced on 20 August as the winner of the No.3 Gin Art of Hospitality Award, which celebrates a hotel’s outstanding service and attention to detail. (PRNewswire)
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