Everything you need to know about the No.1 at The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025.
On 30 October 2025, the hotel world’s glitterati gathered in London for the reveal of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025, where Rosewood Hong Kong took the No.1 spot.
Located on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, this gleaming glass ‘vertical estate’ occupies 43 floors of the Rosewood Tower, offering vistas that stretch across the city’s iconic harbour and Kowloon Peak.
Harbour view rooms overlook Hong Kong Island and beyond
Inside, 413 rooms and suites embody low-key luxury, framed by panoramic, cinematic views. 11 bars and restaurants cover everything from Holt Café’s upmarket spin on the city’s cha chaan tengs to world-class Indian street food at Chaat. 
Chaat, Rosewood Hong Kong's award-winning Indian street food restaurant
Come evening, there’s Darkside – a sultry cocktail spot named after Hong Kong’s mainland side, which was ranked No.17 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list.
Add to that a 25-metre infinity pool, the mind-stilling Asaya Spa by Guerlain, a tapped-in concierge, plus personal butlers for suite guests, and it’s easy to see why this glossy retreat, set among Hong Kong’s dense cityscape, has been named The World’s Best Hotel 2025.
Golden hour across Victoria Harbour at Rosewood Hong Kong
This is the second year in a row that a hotel in Asia has taken the No.1 spot, decided by the votes of more than 800 global experts, from hoteliers and media to seasoned travellers, each of whom is asked to nominate their seven best stays in the past two years.
Rosewood Hong Kong has been circling the top spot since The World’s 50 Best Hotels’ inception, placing No.2 in 2023 and No.3 in 2024. Was the win expected? "No, not at all," says Angus Pitkethley, director of sales and marketing at Rosewood Hong Kong. "When you look at the list, it's just incredible to be included. We were very fortunate to be in the top three for the last few years, so to come out as number one is a real surprise and honour."
Rosewood Hong Kong's Angus Pitkethley
Hong Kong isn’t short on world-class hotels, with three placing among this year’s 1-50, including Upper House at No.10 and new entrant Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong at No.41, while on the inaugural 51-100 list The Peninsula Hong Kong claimed No.54 and the Four Seasons Hong Kong took No.84.
Dazzling location aside, what does it take to be a cut above? "It's the people," says Pitkethley. "We have an incredible team back at the hotel, who are not only passionate about hospitality, but passionate about Hong Kong. When guests come to stay with us, what makes their stay so special is that we're able to connect the place, the city, and of course the experience of the hotel, bringing their time in the city to life. I think that's our secret sauce."
And for anyone with cursor hovering over a booking for the newly crowned property, it's a stay in one of the hotel's 91 suites that you won't want to miss, Pitkethley adds.
"They all have these phenomenal views. We have an incredible butler team, and they're absolutely part of our secret. Hong Kong is back! And we are really at the fore of what makes the city so phenomenal. Kowloon is the new heart of Hong Kong, so come and see it for yourself."
The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025
The 2025 list reflects the hotel scene’s evolving landscape, with six of the top 10 hotels in Asia, alongside two in Europe and one each in the Middle East and North America. The Thai capital is on a high, with the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River and Capella Bangkok ranked second and third respectively. Meanwhile, Passalacqua on Lake Como came in at No.4, while Raffles Singapore took fifth place.
The world's leading hoteliers at Old Billingsgate in London
There are also 20 new entries, plus a roster of special award winners, including: Atlantis The Royal, which took the Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel Award 2025; Mandarin Oriental Qianmen earned the Nikka Best New Hotel Award 2025; Singita – Kruger National Park, which received the inaugural Johnnie Walker Art of Design Award; and Soneva Fushi, which won the SeiBellissimi Art of Hospitality Award 2025 for its intuitive approach to service.
The courtyard at Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, winner of the Nikka Best New Hotel Award
Awarded to a property 50 Best believes is poised to join the list, the American Express Travel One To Watch Award 2025 went to Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island in Australia, where 25 glass-fronted suites stretch along the coastline, offering laid-back, authentically Australian hospitality. Whistlepig’s Highest Climber Award went to Royal Mansour in Marrakech, which scaled 25 places in the list this year, while the Lavazza Highest New Entry Award was taken by Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Palace. For its environmental credentials, Desa Potato Head in Bali won the Eco Hotel Award, and Four Seasons earned the Ferrari Trento Most Admired Hotel Group Award for its significance and enduring impact within the industry.
Spanning Asia to Africa, this year’s list reminds us that the world’s best hotels aren’t just places to sleep. It's the details that set the great apart, says Pitkethley. "When you have people in your hotel, you treat them how you would in your own home. It's that sense of care, pride, looking out for those details that can make a difference. I think that's what hospitality is."
Missed The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 awards ceremony? Catch up here.
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