Palm attended The World’s 50 Best Hotels Webinar to learn more about the voting system and what makes a hotel, or hotel experience, the ‘best’. The Webinar was led by Emma Sleight, Head of Content at World’s 50 Best and Erica Schecter, Director of PR at World’s 50 Best. They were joined by four academy chairs: Hrvoje Petric, Central & Eastern Europe, Cecilia Nunez, Latin America North (inc. Caribbean), Samantha Brooks, USA & Canada West, and Jesse Ashlock, USA & Canada East.

The World’s 50 Best Hotels has quickly become one of the most talked-about accolades in global hospitality. Launched in 2023, the ranking celebrates exceptional hotels and hotel experiences across the world regardless of size, style or scale. Now approaching its fourth edition, the brand continues to evolve, with the recent introduction of a 51–100 list in 2025, expanding recognition further.

The list is voted for by the academy, a gender-diverse collective of over 800 travel and hospitality experts, divided into 13 regions, each led by an Academy Chair.

Academy Chairs are respected hospitality professionals who volunteer for the role. Their responsibilities include recruiting voters within their region and ensuring at least 25% of members are refreshed annually. The appointment process is rigorous, involving months of interviews and background checks.

Each Academy member casts seven votes for the best hotel experiences they’ve personally had within the three-year voting window. Voters must have stayed at the property for at least one night and cannot vote for hotels they are connected to, more than three properties within the same hotel group, or hotels that are closed or planning closure.

Voting is strictly anonymous and confidential. Hotels cannot nominate themselves, and 50 Best does not disclose when voting takes place, in a  deliberate move to prevent lobbying.

There is no fixed criteria defining ‘best’, with no benchmarks for room count, facilities or amenities. Instead, the ranking reflects the personal perspectives of seasoned travellers, journalists and hospitality insiders, making it dynamic and ever-evolving.

50 Best maintains a strict anti-lobbying stance. Any offers of free stays in exchange for votes are against the rules and should be reported.

In addition to the ranking, several special awards recognise excellence across design, sustainability, hospitality and innovation. Some awards are Academy-voted (such as the Art of Hospitality and Icon of Hospitality Awards), others are decided by independent experts, including Eco Hotel and Art of Design Awards, whilst others are data-driven, such as Highest Climber.

The brand also extends into 50 Best Discovery, an online collection of curated city guides featuring hotels, bars and restaurants that received votes.

Academy Chairs stress that storytelling and guest experience matter more than trends. Hotels succeed by delivering authentic hospitality rather than “trend-hopping.”

The advice is simple: treat every guest as if they could be a voter. Since voters remain anonymous, genuine service is key.

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