Passalacqua, a luxury boutique hotel in Lake Como, Italy, has been awarded the top spot in the inaugural list of The World’s 50 Best Hotels.

Produced by William Reed, which also publishes The World’s 50 Best Restaurants (launched in 2002) and The World’s 50 Best Bars (since 2009), the 50 Best Hotels list is created by the The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy, a group of more than 580 independent leaders, each selected for their international hotel scene expertise.

Revealed at an awards ceremony at London’s Guildhall, the new global ranking highlights outstanding hotel experiences from 35 destinations across six continents worldwide. See the full list of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023 here.

Passalacqua (shown above) is located in an 18th century villa with terraced gardens running down to the water. The Academy reported that its owners, the De Santis family, have created an exquisite 24-room property with the feel of a private home. No.2 on the list is Rosewood Hong Kong, in the city’s Victoria Dockside arts and design district with views over the harbour.

Four properties in Asia sit at the top end of the list: Rosewood Hong Kong(No.2), Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River (No.3), The Upper Housein Hong Kong (No.4) and Aman Tokyo (No.5). Highest on the list within 20 metres of a beach, Soneva Fushi(No.7) is named the Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel.

Singita Lodges, Kruger National Park, is one of three hotels on the African continent to make the ranking, alongside La Mamounia (No.6) and Royal Mansour (No.23), both in Marrakech.

London boasts four hotels on the list: Claridge’s(No.16), The Connaught (No.22), NoMad London (No.46) and The Savoy (No.47), while two other UK properties were also winners: Gleneagles in Scotland (No.32), recipient of the Art of Hospitality Award and The Newt in Somerset (No.37), recipient of the Carlo Alberto Best Boutique Hotel Award.

Additional awards given out at the ceremony were:

SevenRooms Icon Award: Winner – Sonu Shivdasani OBE, co-founder and CEO of Soneva, and founder and former CEO of Six Senses
Nikka Best New Hotel Award: Winner – Capella Bangkok (No. 11)
The Flor de Caña Eco Hotel Award, audited by The Sustainable Restaurant Association: Winner – Singita Lodges (No.15) in South Africa