It opened just over a year ago, but a luxurious 24-key Italian property has already been named the best hotel in the world.
Passalacqua, which overlooks Lake Como, beat off stiff competition to receive the top spot on the first-ever edition of the , which was announced at an awards ceremony in the U.K. on Tuesday night.
Open since June 2022, the boutique hotel owned by the De Santis family 鈥 local hoteliers 鈥 was one of 21 Europe-based hotels included on the list, along with the Four Seasons Firenze in Florence, which came in ninth place.
Asia also did well in the rankings, with 18 hotels from the region making the list, including second, third, fourth and fifth place, awarded to Rosewood Hong Kong, Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, The Upper House in Hong Kong and Aman Tokyo, respectively.
Taking the No. 25 spot, Aman New York, another relatively new addition to the hotel scene, was the highest US entry, while the five-star Equinox New York, located at Hudson Yards, came in at No. 48.
Host city London was well-represented, with stalwarts like Claridge鈥檚 (No. 16), The Connaught (No. 22) and The Savoy (No. 47) making the list, along with the more recent NoMad London (No. 46), the first international outpost from the NoMad Hotel brand.
Rosewood S茫o Paulo, a former medical complex turned luxury hotel, was the only South American to make the list, coming in at No. 27, while urban resort The Calile in Brisbane was the sole Australian entry at No. 12.
The highly-anticipated list honoured 50 hotels from 35 destinations across the world.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big recognition,鈥 Valentina De Santis, owner of winning hotel Passalacqua, told CNN Travel at the ceremony, which was held at London鈥檚 historic Guildhall building.
鈥淏ecause we are a family-owned independent hotel. And we鈥檙e quite small. We just opened one year ago.鈥
鈥淚t was really unexpected. And it was beyond our wildest dreams to get to the top part of the top 25. So we couldn鈥檛 be prouder.鈥
The hotel鈥檚 general manager Silvio Vettorello said the award was 鈥渢he best gift.鈥
The De Santis family, who also own Lake Como鈥檚 Grand Hotel Tremezzo, purchased the 18th-century property, a former home of composer Vincenzo Bellini, in 2018.
It opened last year after undergoing a three-year renovation and has earned rave reviews.
鈥淚t was a villa where a very noble family from Lake Como were spending holidays,鈥 says De Santis, who describes Passalacqua as a 鈥渓ove affair.鈥
鈥淎nd this is what we want to bring guests. So the biggest compliment that we can receive is that they feel at home (there).鈥
Several hotels received special awards, including two UK properties. Gleneagles (No.32) an 850-acre estate located in the heart of Scotland, received the Art of Hospitality Award. The Newt in Bruton, Somerset, which came in at No.37, was given the Best Boutique Hotel Award.
At No. 11, The Capella Bangkok, set along Bangkok鈥檚 Chao Phraya River, was the highest-ranked hotel to open within the two-year voting window, and subsequently received the Best New Hotel award.
The smallest property to make the list was Singita Lodges in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, which came in at No.15 and also received the Eco Hotel Award.
The Lodge at Blue Sky, a remote lodge in the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah, was named 鈥淥ne To Watch,鈥 an award given to hotels that the 50 Best organization believes have the potential to appear on the list in the future.
鈥淎fter seeing the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality industry, it鈥檚 been especially fulfilling to see so many hoteliers from around the world gather in London to celebrate each other鈥檚 achievements under one roof for the first-ever awards ceremony of The World鈥檚 50 Best Hotels,鈥 Tim Brooke-Webb, managing director for the World鈥檚 50 Best Hotels, said in a statement.
鈥淥ur heartfelt congratulations go out to each and every hotel on the list, and we hope this list inspires travel lovers to book somewhere truly spectacular for their next trip.鈥
The World鈥檚 Best Hotel list is decided by the World鈥檚 50 Best Hotel Academy, which is made up of 580 hotel industry experts, including hoteliers and travel journalists, from across the globe.
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