In a world increasingly obsessed with algorithms, it’s somewhat comforting to know that one of them has impeccable taste. La Liste—the global authority known for separating the caviar from the codswallop—has unveiled its 2025 list of the world’s finest hotels. And, in true French fashion, they’ve done so with a mix of mathematical rigour and unapologetic flair.
From a Parisian townhouse so polished you could eat foie gras off the floor, to a jungle retreat accessible only by boat, the 2025 list proves one thing: true luxury is not dead—it’s just gone incognito, hiding behind handcrafted cocktails and biometric spa menus.
How It Works: Trust the Algorithm (This One, At Least)
La Liste’s hotel rankings aren’t cobbled together from Instagram likes and travel influencer tantrums. Instead, they rely on a sophisticated algorithm that analyses over 400 global sources, ranging from Michelin Guide reviews and Condé Nast write-ups to guest feedback scrawled on napkins (well, probably). This clever bit of software sifts through the spin to identify the hotels that live up to the hype.
So, who cuts in 2025? Ten hotels that span continents and defy convention.
EUROPE: Velvet Drapes and Vintage Decadence
La Réserve Paris, France – A lesson in Parisian perfection. Think 19th-century glamour meets the kind of service where the butler knows your blood type before you’ve checked in.
The Connaught Hotel, London – With more polished wood than a royal yacht and a cocktail list that reads like Shakespeare with a twist, The Connaught is heritage redefined.
The Savoy, London – You don’t book The Savoy. You inherit it. With over a century of whispered scandals and martini-fuelled mischief, this London icon is more institution than hotel.
Cheval Blanc Paris – Situated within the old La Samaritaine department store (now so chic it hurts), Cheval Blanc is where LVMH’s designers were given the instruction: “No budget. No mercy.”
Il San Pietro di Positano, Italy – If James Bond retired, this is where he’d come to sip Negronis and contemplate the curvature of the Amalfi coastline. Built into a cliff, with an elevator through solid rock.
J.K. Place Capri, Italy – Less hotel, more impossibly stylish cousin’s seaside home, the kind that serves you aperitivo on a terrace draped in bougainvillea while pretending it’s all casual.
La Liste Hotel Winners Mosaic 2025
ASIA: Grandeur with a Gong
Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok – Bangkok’s grand dame. If walls could talk, these would whisper royal gossip and recite poetry. Service is still so sharp it could slice sashimi.
The Peninsula Shanghai – Art Deco meets hyper-modern wizardry. The only place you can sink into a velvet armchair while controlling the curtains with your voice.
AMERICAS: High-Tech, High-Touch
The Peninsula Chicago – Where Asian service meets Midwestern charm. Rooms so intuitive they practically tuck you in.
Rosewood Mayakoba, Mexico – You arrive by boat, and that’s just the beginning. Each suite floats somewhere between jungle reverie and beachside dream. It’s as if the Garden of Eden got Wi-Fi.
Trendspotting: What’s Hot in Hospitality for 2025
Thanks to La Liste’s annual data deep-dive, we now know that luxury is evolving faster than your hotel app can update.
- Ultra-Luxury Without Apology: If you thought pillow menus were extravagant, brace yourself for underwater yoga, scent concierges and diamond-infused spa treatments.
- Eco as Art Form: No longer content with bamboo straws, hotels are now part of their environments—literally. Think resorts built into cliffs or disguised as trees.
- Tech You Don’t See: From mood-matching lighting to beds that monitor your REM cycles, smart rooms are getting smarter—and more invisible.
- Wellness as a Religion: Guests don’t just want a massage. They want DNA-based diets, cryotherapy, and a shamanic drum circle by moonlight. Holistic is the new normal.
- Cultural Cred: Hotels are leaning hard into local authenticity. Not with kitschy costumes, but with artisanal everything—from pottery to pâté.
- Grand Visionaries: The best hotels aren’t just places to sleep. They’re architectural manifestos wrapped in visionary tourism plans. The Red Sea’s Desert Rock Resort isn’t a resort—it’s a monument to possibility.
La Liste’s Special Awards: Because Gold Stars Matter
Beyond the top ten, La Liste hands out its annual Special Awards, recognising everything from heart to hardware:
- Innovation Award: Shebara Resort and Desert Rock Resort, both in Saudi Arabia, are proof that you can combine solar panels, sculpture, and serious ambition.
- Hotel Opening of the Year: Highlights include Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab in Dubai, Romeo Roma in Italy, and Four Seasons Mallorca in Spain. Grand entrances, all.
- Style & Design: From Maison Heler’s surreal rooftop manor to The StandardX Melbourne’s arty anarchy, design is having its wild moment.
- Ethical & Sustainable: Shinta Mani Wild in Cambodia and The Datai Langkawi in Malaysia lead the charge for travel that gives back.
- Heart & Soul: This goes to places that move you, like Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, where conservation and community blend into something significant.
- Discovery Gems: Smaller, off-radar spots like 21 Carpenter in Singapore and Kisawa Sanctuary in Mozambique remind us that magic still exists far from the madding crowd.
Final Word from the Front Desk
“Hotels are no longer just places to stay,” says Philippe Faure, La Liste’s founder. “They have become cultural landmarks, ecological laboratories, and creators of unforgettable experiences.”
And he’s right. In 2025, the best hotels do more than fluff pillows. They dream big, give back, and invite guests to be part of something unforgettable.
If travel is the most outstanding teacher, then these hotels are the world’s most luxurious classrooms.
By Sandra Jones
