DUBAI – The inaugural list of The World’s 50 Best Hotels would be launched in September 2023 by 50 Best.
The list would be highlighting outstanding hotel experiences across the world that will shape the aspirations of millions of consumers, travellers and hoteliers.
The launch of The World’s 50 Best Hotels will mark the first time since 2009 – when The World’s 50 Best Bars made its debut – that 50 Best unveils a new global ranking and awards programme, marking the pioneering brand’s first official foray into travel.
The launch of The World’s 50 Best Hotels is another step in 50 Best’s journey towards becoming the ultimate global reference point for the very best hospitality experiences across the world, encompassing restaurants, bars and now hotels.
Tim Brooke-Webb, Managing Director of 50 Best has stated that the firm has become a reliable name in the market.
“Over the past 20 years we have become the international market leader in providing the most reliable lists of expert-curated restaurants and bars on the planet. To us, it seems like a natural fit to complete the circle, uniting restaurants, bars and hotels. Hospitality is what we’re passionate about and we feel now is the perfect time to shine the spotlight on hotels, particularly as they rebuild after the effects of the pandemic. Our aim with these awards is to define, lead and amplify the conversation on the future of hospitality. We want to create a unifying platform for the world’s best hotels and the amazing individuals behind them but also for travel-loving consumers, helping them to choose the very best places to stay,” Webb said.
The first-ever list of The World’s 50 Best Hotels will be revealed in a live countdown, alongside a series of special awards, culminating in the announcement of The World’s Best Hotel 2023. The ranking will reflect the best travel experiences collated from 580 anonymous voters – a balanced mix of hoteliers, travel journalists, educators and experienced international travellers – headed up by a group of industry-leading Academy Chairs across nine regions globally.
The interesting aspect of the ranking is that any hotel in the world is eligible for votes and it does not have to fit any criteria or tick any pre-ordained boxes to be considered. Voters are simply asked for their seven best hotel experiences across the two-year polling period.
Mark Sansom, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, says: “We believe that there is a huge gap in the market for a truly egalitarian hotels ranking. We have planned for years to ensure our awards are as transparent and inclusive as possible, consulting with experts in travel to create a robust system that stands out across the industry, drawing on our experience in the restaurant and bar ecosystems. Unlike other awards, there is no cost for entry, shortlisting or attendance. The result will be a list of the most memorable hotel experiences across the world, celebrating immense talent and hard work, while inspiring hotel teams to deliver the best service possible. It will deliver travel-hungry consumers a bona fide list of the 50 best properties in the world, selected by an experienced and wide-ranging panel of hotel experts.”
The 50 Best Voting Academy
The Academy is the mechanism used to create The World’s 50 Best Hotels list. None of the employees of 50 Best nor any sponsors associated with the awards votes has any influence over the results.
To ensure the 580-voter-strong Academy provides a fair representation of the global hotel scene, the Academy Chairs are split across nine geographical regions, with each Chair selected as an expert on the travel scene in their region, with outstanding hotel sector contacts.
These Chairs each selects a voting panel, ensuring a balanced selection of hoteliers, travel journalists, hotel educators, business travellers and travel aficionados. A minimum of 25% of the panel will be renewed each year. All voters, aside from the Academy Chairs, will remain anonymous to eliminate the possibility of lobbying.
The Academy Chairs by region are as follows:
- Cecilia Núñez, Latin America, including the Caribbean
- Danielle Demetriou, Japan and South Korea
- Isabella Sullivan, Middle East and Africa
- Jeninne Lee-St John, Southeast Asia
- Kee Foong, China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan
- Lauren Ho, Europe
- Michael Harden, Oceania
- Yolanda Edwards, US and Canada
- Zinara Rathnayake, South Asia
How the Voting Works
The inaugural ranking of The World’s 50 Best Hotels will reflect the best hotel experiences based on the votes of 580 anonymous Academy members, each selected for their expert opinion of the international hotel scene.
Members of the 50 Best organisation do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that hotels cannot apply to be on the list. No sponsors have any influence on the list. Members of the 50 Best organisation do not have any financial interest in the ranked hotels. Voters cannot select hotels in which they have any financial interest.
The Academy Chairs each select a voting panel from their region, ensuring a balanced selection of hoteliers, travel journalists, hotel educators and travel aficionados.
In 2023, each Academy member will vote for seven hotels in order of preference based on stays experienced in the two-year voting period up to April 2023. Voting is carried out individually and strictly confidentially on a secure site and remains confidential before the list announcement. Academy Chairs are not privy to, and have no knowledge of, the votes cast by the voters in their respective regions; furthermore, they are not official spokespeople for the 50 Best brand.
