Best hotel in the world is ‘rare oasis’ with private pools, personal butler — and rates from $600 per night

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

1 Capella Bangkok, Bangkok

2 Passalacqua, Lake Como

3 Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong

4 Cheval Blanc, Paris

5 The Upper House, Hong Kong

6 Raffles Singapore, Singapore

7 Aman Tokyo, Tokyo

8 Soneva Fushi, Maldives

9 Atlantis The Royal, Dubai

10 Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island

11 Claridge’s, London

12 Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Bangkok

13 Raffles London at The OWO, London

14 Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok

15 Hôtel de Crillon, Paris

16 Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá, Mexico

17 Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, France

18 Maroma Riviera Maya, Mexico

19 Four Seasons Firenze, Florence

20 Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi

21 Desa Potato Head, Bali

22 Bulgari Tokyo, Tokyo

23 The Lana, Dubai

24 Rosewood São Paulo. São Paulo

25 The Calile, Brisbane, Australia

26 The Siam, Bangkok

27 Park Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto

28 Mount Nelson, Cape Town

29 One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit

30 The Carlyle, New York

31 La Mamounia, Marrakech

32 Four Seasons Madrid, Madrid

33 Capella Singapore, Singapore

34 Four Seasons at The Surf Club, Surfside, Fla.

35 Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles

36 Eden Rock, St. Barths

37 Aman New York. New York

38 Royal Mansour, Marrakech

39 Amangalla, Galle

40 Le Bristol, Paris

41 Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland

42 Castello di Reschio Lisciano, Niccone

43 Suján Jawai, Rajasthan

44 Singita – Kruger National Park, Kruger National Park, South Africa

45 Six Senses Zighy Bay, Zaghi

46 The Connaught, London

47 The Brando, Tetiaroa

48 Hotel Esencia, Tulum, Mexico

49 The Tasman, Hobart, Tasmania

50 Kokomo Private Island, Yaukuve Levu Island