Capella Sydney crowned Oceania’s best as two Aussie stays make World’s 50 Best Hotels

Australia punched above its weight at this year’s World’s 50 Best Hotels, with Capella Sydney debuting at No.12 and taking out Best Hotel in Oceania, while Brisbane style icon The Calile landed at No.34 after a nine-spot slide.

Unveiled at a glitzy ceremony at London’s Old Billingsgate on Thursday, the 2025 list finally put Rosewood Hong Kong on top after hovering in the top three since the awards launched in 2023. It’s the third edition from the 50 Best stable (the folks behind the influential restaurants and bars rankings), compiled by UK publisher William Reed Business Media.

Bangkok was the night’s scene-stealer: Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River took second, last year’s No.1 Capella Bangkok was third, and Mandarin Oriental Bangkok came in seventh—three hotels in the top 10 is a serious flex for the Thai capital.

Back home, Capella Sydney continues its rapid rise since opening in 2023. Set in the beautifully reimagined former NSW Department of Education building in the CBD’s heritage sandstone pocket, the 192-room, $300 million property leans into meticulous restoration, art-laced interiors and indulgent touches—think a luxury spa, indoor rooftop pool and deep-soak tubs. General manager Marc von Arnim said the team was “humbled and proud to be part of this extraordinary list of the world’s finest hotels”. On the food-and-drink front, the ground-floor trio—Aperture, Brasserie 1930 and McRae Bar—keeps guests and locals lingering, while the adjacent Lands by Capella events precinct in the historic Department of Lands building is slated to open in February with eateries, bars and boutiques from developer Pontiac.

Brisbane’s The Calile remains Australia’s most recognisable design-forward resort-in-the-city, now at No.34.

Meanwhile in South Australia, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island—rebuilt and reopened after the 2020 bushfires—was named the American Express Travel “One To Watch”, a nod to properties tipped to break into the top 50 soon. Not every local favourite held on: Hobart’s The Tasman, No.49 last year, fell out of the top tier in 2025.

Special gongs sprinkled across the list included Lake Como’s Passalacqua (No.4) repeating as Best Boutique Hotel, Bali’s Desa Potato Head taking the Eco Hotel Award, Mandarin Oriental Qianmen in Beijing (No.14) earning the Nikka Best New Hotel Award, and Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal (No.6) crowned Best Beach Hotel.

How does the voting work? The academy spans 580 jurors across nine regions—hoteliers, travel writers, hotel educators and seasoned luxury travellers—each submitting seven votes based on stays during the two years to April 2024. Oceania is chaired by Melbourne-based critic Michael Harden. The awards have copped criticism over European tilt and diversity in the past; organisers say they’ve implemented changes, including a 50/50 gender balance among jurors. There’s no “pay to play” and any hotel can be voted for—no entry criteria beyond being open and experienced by voters.

The World’s 50 Best Hotels for 2025

1. Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2. Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok
3. Capella Bangkok, Bangkok
4. Passalacqua, Lake Como
5. Raffles Singapore, Singapore
6. Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
7. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Bangkok
8. Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá
9. Four Seasons Firenze, Florence
10. Upper House Hong Kong, Hong Kong
11. Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro
12. Capella Sydney, Sydney
13. Royal Mansour, Marrakech
14. Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing
15. Bulgari Tokyo, Tokyo
16. Claridge’s, London
17. Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens
18. Desa Potato Head, Bali
19. Le Bristol, Paris
20. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai
21. Cheval Blanc Paris, Paris
22. Bulgari Roma, Rome
23. Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
24. Rosewood São Paulo, São Paulo
25. Aman Tokyo, Tokyo
26. Hotel Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole
27. Hôtel du Couvent, Nice
28. Soneva Fushi, Maldives
29. The Connaught, London
30. La Mamounia, Marrakech
31. Raffles London at The OWO, London
32. The Emory, London
33. Maroma, Riviera Maya
34. The Calile, Brisbane
35. The Lana, Dubai
36. Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Monaco
37. Janu Tokyo, Tokyo
38. The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
39. One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit
40. Singita – Kruger National Park, Kruger National Park
41. Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Hong Kong
42. Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
43. The Mark, New York
44. Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Los Cabos
45. The Tokyo Edition Toranomon, Tokyo
46. Hotel The Mitsui, Kyoto
47. Estelle Manor, Witney
48. Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, Rovinj
49. Hotel Sacher Vienna, Vienna
50. Mandapa, Bali

Jonathan Jackson, 3^rd November 2025