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The United States has more than 50,000 hotels and prides itself on top-flight customer service — but when it comes to the best hotels in the world, Mexico has its contentious neighbor to the north beat, a new ranking finds.
The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 list features just two U.S. entries — LA's Hotel Bel-Air at No.42 and New York's The Mark at No.43 — while Mexico boasts four, including one in the coveted top 10.
Chablé Yucatán in Chocholá comes eighth, followed by Maroma, A Belmond Hotel in Riviera Maya (No.33), One&Only Mandarina in Riviera Nayarit (No.39) and Las Ventanas al Paraíso in Los Cabos (No.44).
According to CEO & Co-Founder at Costa Rican Vacations, Casey Halloran, who has spent 25 years in Central America planning upscale vacations, America’s poor results are because its luxury hotels are “five-star, but have no character”.
He added: “Mexico and much of Latin America are building properties that tell a story... where the architecture has a strong sense of place, and the service feels like friendship, not protocol.”
Despite Mexico’s soulful hotels, it’s Asia that leads the way globally, with an impressive 20 properties on the list, including the overall winner — Rosewood Hong Kong, which towers over Victoria Harbour on the Kowloon waterfront.
Opened in 2019, the 65-story, 413-room property boasts extraordinary views of the Hong Kong skyline and is home to eleven restaurants and bars, an impressive harbour-view infinity pool and the renowned multi-level Asaya wellness facility.
Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World's 50 Best Hotels, commented: "We are delighted to celebrate Rosewood Hong Kong's No.1 spot — a property that has featured in the top three since the inception of the awards in 2023.
"This exceptional hotel offers world-class service and sensational guest experiences in the heart of one of the world's most bustling and dynamic destinations. Rosewood Hong Kong's positioning as No.1 further consolidates Asia as a leading luxury travel destination for both business and leisure travellers."
The No.2 spot goes to Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, a 299-room urban riverside retreat in the heart of the city's creative district. Elsewhere in the Thai capital, last year's No.1, Capella Bangkok, surrounded by lush gardens and also on the Chao Phraya River, takes the No.3 spot.
Further underscoring Asia's dominance is Raffles Singapore (No.5), which has climbed one place, and Desa Potato Head in Bali, No.18 and the recipient of the Eco Hotel Award.
Three hotels in the list are located in Dubai: Atlantis The Royal (No.6) – the winner of the Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel Award 2025 — Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab (No.20) and The Lana (No.35).
Europe, meanwhile, boasts 17 of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025, with five inclusions in the UK, and France and Italy each having four properties featured on the list.
The UK's winning properties are Claridge's (No.16), The Connaught (No.29), Raffles London at The OWO (No.31) and The Emory (No.32) — all in London — plus Estelle Manor (No.47 in Oxfordshire.
Across the Channel, Le Bristol in Paris (No.19) climbs 21 places, while Cheval Blanc Paris (No.21) and Hôtel de Crillon (No.23) also feature, along with new entry Hôtel du Couvent (No.27) in Nice.
Italy's entries are Passalacqua in Lake Como (No.4), Four Seasons Firenze in Florence (No.9), Bulgari Roma in Rome (No.22), and Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole (No.26).
The ranking is compiled by an international panel of hoteliers, travel journalists, hospitality educators, business travellers and travel aficionados.
The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025
- Rosewood Hong Kong — Hong Kong, China
- Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River — Bangkok, Thailand
- Capella Bangkok — Bangkok, Thailand
- Passalacqua — Lake Como, Italy
- Raffles Singapore — Singapore
- Atlantis The Royal — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Mandarin Oriental Bangkok — Bangkok, Thailand
- Chablé Yucatán — Chocholá, Mexico
- Four Seasons Firenze — Florence, Italy
- The Upper House — Hong Kong, China
- Copacabana Palace — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Capella Sydney — Sydney, Australia
- Royal Mansour — Marrakech, Morocco
- Mandarin Oriental Qianmen — Beijing, China
- Bulgari Tokyo — Tokyo, Japan
- Claridge's — London, United Kingdom
- Four Seasons Astir Palace — Athens, Greece
- Desa Potato Head — Bali, Indonesia
- Le Bristol — Paris, France
- Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Cheval Blanc Paris — Paris, France
- Bulgari Roma — Rome, Italy
- Hôtel de Crillon — Paris, France
- Rosewood São Paulo — São Paulo, Brazil
- Aman Tokyo — Tokyo, Japan
- Hotel Il Pellicano — Porto Ercole, Italy
- Hôtel du Couvent — Nice, France
- Soneva Fushi — Baa Atoll, Maldives
- The Connaught — London, United Kingdom
- La Mamounia — Marrakech, Morocco
- Raffles London at The OWO — London, United Kingdom
- The Emory — London, United Kingdom
- Maroma, A Belmond Hotel — Riviera Maya, Mexico
- The Calile — Brisbane, Australia
- The Lana — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo — Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Janu Tokyo — Tokyo, Japan
- The Taj Mahal Palace — Mumbai, India
- One&Only Mandarina — Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
- Singita, Kruger National Park — South Africa
- Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong — Hong Kong, China
- Hotel Bel-Air — Los Angeles, United States
- The Mark — New York, United States
- Las Ventanas al Paraíso — Los Cabos, Mexico
- The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon — Tokyo, Japan
- Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto — Kyoto, Japan
- Estelle Manor — Witney, United Kingdom
- Grand Park Hotel Rovinj — Rovinj, Croatia
- Hotel Sacher Vienna — Vienna, Austria
- Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve — Bali, Indonesia