Travel + Leisure readers are diverse people with different personalities, interests, and interests manifesting in their preferred hotels worldwide. Their selections for the list of this year’s you’ll discover hotels located in the top cities of the world: Paris, Rio, Mumbai, and New York City. There are also Lake Como haunts, Caribbean beaches, and luxurious safari lodges run by wildlife experts from the local area. There’s a hotel with only nine rooms and a third with over 90,000.
How Voting Works
Each year, in the World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to share their thoughts on travel experiences worldwide — to give their opinion about the best cities, hotels, resorts, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and much more. Nearly 165,000 readers participated in the survey in 2023; the increase was close to 25% over pre-pandemic levels. More than 680,000 votes were cast over more than 8,500 distinct properties (hotels, cities, towns, cruise lines, hotels, etc. ).
Hotel rooms were classified as tourist hotels, city hotels, or safari lodges based on their location, amenities, and facilities and were specifically rated based on the standards listed below:
- Rooms/facilities
- Location
- Service
- Food
- Value
Respondents can score excellent, over average or under average, or even poor for each characteristic. Final scores represent averaging of the responses.
What Readers Loved
The places included on this year’s list of readers’ top hotels across the globe read like an overview of timeless holiday alternatives, so it’s a surprise that the nation which is featured on the list is one of the readers’ most favored destinations and also the one that T+L has named the 2020 Destination of the Year. Italy has a whopping nine hotels on the list, topped by the Il Sereno Lago in Como (tied with No. 4). The T&L’s 2022 destination of this Year Mexico Mexico, came in just behind, having eight properties (including another one, No. 4 the Hotel Xcaret Arte) as well as Indonesia, France, India, South Africa were also very popular. Some cities or regions were notable and were particularly popular: All of the four Greece properties are in Santorini, Four of the five Indonesian properties are located in Bali, and each of the 3 England properties is in London, their home.
The list covers 30 countries over five continents, which includes those that are only sometimes visited in the eyes of U.S. travelers but are worthy of a visit, including Malaysia, Uganda, and Uruguay among the list. The top hotels in the United States include 11 states and Washington, D.C. The most sought-after? California, Colorado, and Massachusetts, with three of each.
Numerous reader-favorite hotels performed well, including Auberge Resorts Collection with seven properties (led by Goldener Hirsch, who is the third property that is tied with the top of the list at. 4). Rosewood, Oberoi, and Four Seasons are next at Four Seasons, which the distinction of being the year’s No. 1 hotel. Local or regional hotel chains were also influential -they include Grace Bay Resorts in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Greek brands Andronis and Katikies Brazil’s Fasano, and the South African Royal Portfolio — as did numerous independent properties such as Secret Bay (No. 24) which is a beach-front boutique holiday resort located in Dominica. The famous Babylonstoren (tied to No. 14) is surrounded by South African farmland.
Below is a complete rundown of the 100 top hotels worldwide as voted in the eyes of T+L readers.
The Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul in Sultanahmet is one of the most stunning spots in Istanbul’s Old City.
The Full List
1. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet: Istanbul, Turkey
Following a two-year overhaul through London company Goddard Littlefair, the most elegant accommodation in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet area is regarded as the top hotel around the globe as per T+L readers. One of the respondents said the hotel was “the most beautiful spot in the Old City,” located just a few steps from Sultanahmet Square — home to landmarks such as The Blue Mosque and the German Fountain. The 65 suites and rooms at the Four Seasons come with neutral hues, rich wood, and leather accents. Some rooms feature Ottoman-inspired art, vibrant Turkish carpets, and other fabrics. The redesign also brought various dining options that are new and diverse: Avlu, a modern Anatolian restaurant set in a courtyard garden that is designed to look like the atmosphere of an Ottoman tent and the all-day mezze restaurant Lingo Lingo; Sureyya, an outdoor lounge that offers Turkish wine along with Hagia Sofia views; and the hotel’s patisserie La Pistache, with both French desserts as well as Turkish sweets. The perfect stay doesn’t end without a sauna and scrub in the Kurna Spa’s classic Hammam.
2. The Bushcamp Company’s Mfuwe Lodge: South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
This lodge’s most popular has 18 air-conditioned chalets, each with decks, pools, and a view of Mfuwe Lagoon. What distinguishes it is the wildlife and individuals highlighting the animals: “the guides are incredibly impressive,” said one guest. “They know the park — from the Big Five to the smallest flora — better than I know my own home.”
3. Andaz Bali: Bali, Indonesia
It is situated on the beach of Sanur on the southeast coast of Bali. The two-year-old resort is designed after the traditional Balinese village with roofed thatch pavilions, elaborate wood details, and many spaces for communal areas. The pool, gardens, and ocean surround all 149 bedrooms, suites, and villas.
4. (tie) Playa Vik Jose Ignacio: Jose Ignacio, Uruguay
This art-filled high-design property in Jose Ignacio comes from the luxury South American group Vik Retreats, a fishing-town-turned-seasonal-getaway for chic city-dwellers from Buenos Aires and beyond. Six suites and three two- and three-bedroom homes are just a few steps from Mansa Beach.
4. (tie) Goldener Hirsch, Auberge Resorts Collection: Park City, Utah
“My new favorite hotel in Deer Valley,” said a T+L reader about this recently renovated 68-key hotel. The hotel is close to Silver Lake Express and Sterling Express lifts, among others, and offers plenty of activities in the off-season -such as hiking and Park City cultural events to exquisite Austrian-inspired cuisine by Chef Nicolas Lebas.
4. (tie) Hotel Xcaret Arte: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
The largest property on the list, this adults-only all-inclusive from Mexico’s sustainability-focused Xcaret brand, is a village just south of downtown Playa del Carmen. Its resort officially opened in the summer of 2021 and has 900 suites, ten dining options, and access to Xcaret’s nature parks in the region.
4. (tie) Il Sereno Lago di Como: Torno, Italy
Forty modern suites featuring interiors designed by Milanese artist Patricia Urquiola have floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the lake’s sparkling waters. You can enjoy it from the infinity pool with a water’s edge or venture out on one of three wooden boats ordered from Cantiere Ernesto Riva in nearby Laglio.