From Amalfi to Bangkok, 50 Best Unveils Its First Extended Hotel List
The extended 51–100 list highlights rising independents, legacy icons, and new benchmarks for global hospitality.
Photo: Courtesy of Southern Ocean Lodge
The World’s 50 Best Hotels has, for the first time, gone beyond its namesake count. Ahead of unveiling the 2025 Top 50 later this month, the organization released an extended ranking—places 51 to 100—spotlighting more of the properties shaping global hospitality.
Drawn from votes by more than 800 independent hoteliers, travel journalists, and luxury travelers, the expanded list adds nuance to a ranking often dominated by familiar flagships. This year, 13 independent hotels made the cut, alongside icons and new builds that illustrate where the market is moving: smaller footprints, deeper storytelling, and high-touch personalization that transcends brand identity.
Europe leads with 17 entries, including nine in Italy—among them Borgo Santandrea on the Amalfi Coast (No. 53) and Casa Maria Luigia (No. 82), Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore’s 12-room culinary retreat outside Modena. Asia follows closely with 16 placements, topped by Aman Nai Lert (No. 51), the brand’s first urban outpost in Bangkok.
North America counts 12 properties, and New York City claims four of them: Aman New York (No. 61), The Carlyle (No. 64), Fifth Avenue Hotel (No. 75) and the Greenwich Hotel (No. 77). That cluster underscores the city’s current luxury balance between heritage and experimentation—where long-established addresses share equal footing with inventive newcomers backed by serious design intent and culinary capital.
The inclusion of Southern Ocean Lodge (No. 69) on Australia’s Kangaroo Island—rebuilt and reopened just this year—and the century-old Huka Lodge in New Zealand (No. 88) shows the awards’ geographic reach and renewed focus on destination storytelling. And while stalwarts like The Peninsula Hong Kong (No. 54) and Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc (No. 57) remain benchmarks, the list’s momentum is toward properties with sharper identities and cultural resonance.
“As we enter our third year, we are delighted to honor even more of the world’s most outstanding hotels,” said Emma Sleight, head of content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels. “From this year and beyond, we will be able to showcase an even larger pool of hotels and territories, and celebrate the exceptional teams who bring them to reality.”
The official 2025 Top 50 will be revealed on Oct. 30 at Old Billingsgate in London and streamed live on 50 Best’s YouTube channel.
