From Thailand to London, here are the best 50 hotels in the world. In Italy the family formula wins

The best hotel in the world (and in Asia) is Chapel Bangkok. This was decreed by the Academy of the World's Best 50 Hotels 2024 at a ceremony on 17 September in the beautiful Guildhall, London's former City Hall. John Blanco, general manager of the Thai hotel, received the unexpected accolade with much emotion. "I think it should be attributed to our authenticity and our fabulous staff, 360 people who go to work every day happy to make our guests happy," says the manager, emphasising the fact that a passionate and well-treated staff makes a difference to the approach and atmosphere of the hotel. This first award is also an opportunity to learn more about Capella, one of the ultra-luxury hotel groups that has helped redefine the standards of high hospitality.

In this second edition, Italy is also on the podium with Passalacqua in second place, as well as "Best Hotel of Europe" and "Best Boutique Hotel". The eighteenth-century villa on Lake Como, where Vincenzo Bellini finished writing his Norma, has become a hotel that is classic in appearance but innovative in research, materials, family hospitality and cuisine, winning over those who have visited it. "I did not expect this position, after last year's result (they were first!, ndr), and I hold on to it," said Valentina Desantis, owner with her family of the hotel. "My motto is: 'If you can dream it, you can do it'. And it seems to me that it is working'. The list of the 50 Best Hotels is mobile, like that of the restaurants: on the other hand, one cannot always maintain the first position, nor can one say that going down in the ranking means getting worse. As stated in the official selection criteria, the 600 Academy voters choose their favourites from among the hotels they have visited in the last two years. It is therefore natural that there should be a change at the top.

In third place ranks Rosewood Hong Kong, kicking off a long list of Asian hotels - they are the most numerous, 19 out of 50 - famous for their generous hospitality and high service. European hotels follow with 13 positions, North America with 9, Africa with 4 as well as Oceania and one in South America (Rosewood Sao Paulo, which is also 'Best Hotel in the area). In eighth place, as in 2023, is the Soneva Fushi, the only resort in the Maldives to enter the Top 50, and still winning the Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel Award, which rewards the highest ranked hotel that is less than 20 metres from a beach.This year's list includes 15 new establishments, spread across 12 new countries including Oman, French Polynesia and Fiji.

Compared to last year, some icons of the Italian hotellerie such as Le Sirenuse, Borgo Egnazia and Aman Venice have left. On the other hand, the Four Seasons in Florence remains, comparable in beauty and richness to an art museum. Although missing from the list are cities such as Venice and Rome, where among other things a number of noteworthy hotels have opened in recent years, two new entries deserve recognition: Castello di Reschio (42nd place) in Umbria, and Borgo Santandrea (20th) in Costiera Amalfitana. It is striking how, in a scenario dominated by large, fund-managed groups, small, independent hotels emerge above all in Italy.

One could therefore almost speak of an Italian model of luxury hospitality, characterised by family-run structures. This is what Maurizio Orlacchio, co-owner of Borgo Santandrea, says: 'Our concept was conceived as a house on the coast rather than a classic hotel. We chose not to work with contracts, but with the best of Italian craftsmanship, to customise each room with pieces from the family collection, evoking the wonderful 1950s by Gio Ponti. Thanks to this, we have been published in many magazines, even non-sector ones, attracting wider interest. And we put the spotlight back on the Coast, where a new hotel had not opened for more than twenty years. I think it was this mix of factors that led us to the nomination and entry into the ranking of the best in the world'.