One night in Bangkok? Check into the so-called “best hotel in the world.”
An exclusive list of just fifty elite lodgings compiled by a noted organization has been announced — and the Capella Bangkok, “a calming riverside oasis” at the heart of the “cacophonous” Thai capital has been ranked number one.
The World’s 50 Best Hotels, compiled by the same group responsible for the splashy World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards each year, is a collection of jaw-droppingly attractive — and often shockingly expensive — hostelries from every corner of the globe, including two in NYC.
Bangkok’s long-running reputation for hotel hospitality appears to be in safe hands at the 101-room Capella, opened in 2020. All rooms face the Chao Phraya River at the property, which reviewers said “exudes the elegance of a grande dame” while offering the “intimacy of a boutique hotel.”
Voting on the list is conducted by 600 people sitting anonymously on regional panels of hoteliers, travel journalists and seasoned luxury travellers, according to the organization.
Votes are based on stays within a previous 18-month voting period. Voting is reportedly confidential, all the way up until the list announcement.
“It gives us enormous pleasure to share the list of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024 and to celebrate Capella Bangkok’s ranking as No.1,” Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels said in a written statement.
“This year’s dynamic list underscores the appetite for a range of experiences, from busy city breaks to far-flung escapes, and honours the dedication and passion of the staff who make these exceptional experiences possible, while highlighting the remarkable breadth of talent in the industry worldwide,” Sleight said.
Rates at the Capella Bangkok start at $600 per night, the organization noted.
New York was nudged toward the nether regions of the prestigious list by dazzling spots like the “sumptuous” Passalacqua on Lake Como in Italy (No. 2), tucked into an “18th-century villa whose former premises housed Pope Innocent X.”
The highest the Big Apple could manage was No. 30, a slot awarded to the Upper East Side’s storied Carlyle, which reviewers called “an enduring symbol of elegance and sophistication in a discerning city.”
On 57th Street, the austere Aman — famed locally for the cast of characters involved in its development and a $135 million penthouse on the residential side that was the city’s most expensive property sold in 2023 — landed at No. 37.
Inhabiting the Beaux-Arts Crown Building, the “hushed eyrie” wowed reviewers with its “understated luxury.”
The World’s 50 Best Hotels in 2024
- Capella Bangkok, Bangkok
- Passalacqua, Lake Como
- Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Cheval Blanc, Paris
- The Upper House, Hong Kong
- Raffles Singapore, Singapore
- Aman Tokyo, Tokyo
- Soneva Fushi, Maldives
- Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
- Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island
- Claridge’s, London
- Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Bangkok
- Raffles London at The OWO, London
- Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok
- Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
- Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá, Mexico
- Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, France
- Maroma Riviera Maya, Mexico
- Four Seasons Firenze, Florence
- Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi
- Desa Potato Head, Bali
- Bulgari Tokyo, Tokyo
- The Lana, Dubai
- Rosewood São Paulo. São Paulo
- The Calile, Brisbane, Australia
- The Siam, Bangkok
- Park Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto
- Mount Nelson, Cape Town
- One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit
- The Carlyle, New York
- La Mamounia, Marrakech
- Four Seasons Madrid, Madrid
- Capella Singapore, Singapore
- Four Seasons at The Surf Club, Surfside, Fla.
- Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
- Eden Rock, St. Barths
- Aman New York. New York
- Royal Mansour, Marrakech
- Amangalla, Galle
- Le Bristol, Paris
- Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland
- Castello di Reschio Lisciano, Niccone
- Suján Jawai, Rajasthan
- Singita – Kruger National Park, Kruger National Park, South Africa
- Six Senses Zighy Bay, Zaghi
- The Connaught, London
- The Brando, Tetiaroa
- Hotel Esencia, Tulum, Mexico
- The Tasman, Hobart, Tasmania
- Kokomo Private Island, Yaukuve Levu Island
