Two Aussie hotels make World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 list

The results

Climbing two places from no.3 in 2024, Rosewood Hong Kong took home this year’s crowning title of the world’s best hotel. Rising 270 metres above Victoria Harbour, the coveted 413-key address is a shining beacon of art, design and swoon-worthy water views. It has attracted Hong Kong’s elite and a continuous stream of well-heeled travellers since its grand opening in 2019.

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River took out second place. (Image: Supplied)

Asia continued its winning streak with 19 other hotels noted on the list – the highest number of any continent. These included Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River and Capella Bangkok in second and third place respectively. Bali’s Desa Potato Head (no.18) was also presented the Eco Hotel Award after a rigorous audit by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Close on Asia’s heels was Europe with 17 top 50 rankings and North America with six.

The Aussie hotels that made the list

Capella Sydney was named the 12th best hotel in the world. (Image: Supplied)

Capella Sydney was named The Best Hotel in Oceania 2025, scoring a strong 12th place in the overall rankings. Housed in an Edwardian sandstone building once home to the Department of Education, the heritage-listed icon exudes contemporary opulence with its grand architectural bones and curated local artwork. Expect personalised touches, intriguing objets d’art and intimate elegance across 192 rooms and suites.

Pastel hues bring a playful energy to The Calile Hotel. (Image: Supplied)

Meanwhile, The Calile Hotel, located in Brisbane’s hip hood of Fortitude Valley, was accoladed no.34 in the global rankings. This marks the third consecutive year it has been featured on the list, with the hotel awarded no.12 in 2023 and no.25 in 2024. It’s not hard to see why. The hotel leans hard into a modernist Miami-meets-Palm-Springs energy with 175 guest rooms and suites dressed in pastel palettes. But the pièce de résistance is the breathtaking botanical pool deck, where guests can kick back beneath cute-as-a-button sage umbrellas.

The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 list

Rosewood Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok

Capella Bangkok, Bangkok

Passalacqua, Lake Como

Raffles Singapore, Singapore

Atlantis The Royal, Dubai

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Bangkok

Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá

Four Seasons Firenze, Florence

Upper House Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro

Capella Sydney, Sydney

Royal Mansour, Marrakech

Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing

Bulgari Tokyo, Tokyo

Claridge’s, London

Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens

Desa Potato Head, Bali

Le Bristol, Paris

Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai

Cheval Blanc Paris, Paris

Bulgari Roma, Rome

Hôtel de Crillon, Paris

Rosewood São Paulo, São Paulo

Aman Tokyo, Tokyo

Hotel Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole

Hôtel du Couvent, Nice

Soneva Fushi, Maldives

The Connaught, London

La Mamounia, Marrakech

Raffles London at The OWO, London

The Emory, London

Maroma, Riviera Maya

The Calile, Brisbane

The Lana, Dubai

Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Janu Tokyo, Tokyo

The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai

One&Only Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit

Singita – Kruger National Park, Kruger National Park

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles

The Mark, New York

Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Los Cabos

The Tokyo Edition Toranomon, Tokyo

Hotel The Mitsui, Kyoto

Estelle Manor, Witney

Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, Rovinj

Hotel Sacher Vienna, Vienna

Mandapa, Bali

How the 50 Best voting works

The World’s 50 Best Hotels is an annual ranking of the top hotel venues across the globe as voted for by a panel of more than 800 global industry experts. To ensure the panel provides a fair representation, the Academy Chairs are split across 13 geographical regions, with each chair selected as a travel and hotel expert in their region. The 13 Academy Chairs each select a voting panel from their region comprising a balance of hoteliers, travel journalists, hotel educators and consumer travel connoisseurs.

Peppers Gladstone proves its worth its salt, blending five-star comfort with access to the Great Barrier Reef.

Peppers Gladstone is the first five-star property to open within the Gladstone region. Full stop.  Whether you want to base yourself in the town itself or head out on day trips to some of the neighbouring islands or beaches in central Queensland, the hotel is right in position.

I hadn’t been to Gladstone since I was about 11, one of four kids in the back of a VW kombi van on our annual summer holiday down south. My Dad, an English subject master, encouraged us to make up a sing-song of the place names as we bounced along the Bruce Highway to Brisbane. And Gladstone was both part of the chorus line – Gladstone, Miram Vale, the sun breaks through, Gin Gin and Bundaberg we’re coming for you – and an engaging geography lesson. The staccato tune has stayed with me ever since.

Decades on, the prospect of returning to Gladstone made me nostalgic for the carefree East Coast road trips of my childhood. Peppers Gladstone opened in Gladdie, as the town is affectionately known, in February 2025.

Location

the Port of Gladstone Harbour as captured from above — The hotel’s location offers convenient access to the Great Barrier Reef. (Image: Mark Fitz/Tourism and Events Queensland)

You can’t tell the story of Gladstone without acknowledging its role as a major export hub for billions of dollars’ worth of coal and liquid natural gas. While the Port of Gladstone Harbour Tour is one of the most popular tours in town, visitors to the region should also widen that circle to include its abundance of pristine beaches, untouched islands and subtropical hinterland. Gladstone is right now caught in the crosshairs of being a major multi-commodity port and a jumping-off point to the southern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef.

Gladstone is about a six-hour drive north of Brisbane and hour-long flight from the state’s capital.

the Tannum Sands as captured from above — Stretches of golden sand at Tannum Sands. (Image: Mark Fitz/Tourism and Events Queensland)

Staying at Peppers Gladstone gives visitors access to Heron Island and Lady Musgrave Island at the southern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef. It’s also a launch pad to pristine beaches like Agnes Water, 1770 and Tannum Sands. Green thumbs will also enjoy a jaunt to the 83-hectare Tondoon Botanic Gardens, which has 3000 plant varieties, a Japanese tea garden, sculptures, herbarium and lake.

General manager Craig Conley is somewhat of an evangelist for the area’s attractions and says the Peppers property is a great example of the area’s evolution.

Peppers Gladstone shares its footprint with Mantra Gladstone and marks the first new-build hotel to open in the region in more than a decade. It is, says general manager Craig Conley, a clear sign that the Capricorn Coast town is evolving as a place to linger.

Style and character

the lounge in Peppers Gladstone — The interior is awash with earthy tones.

Accor, in collaboration with Yaralla Sports Club, launched the five-star hotel in early 2025 to provide a five-star accommodation option for visitors in town for business or leisure.

“Peppers Gladstone has helped put the town on the map,” says Conley. “And, being a dual-branded property, it offers guests a choice between the familiar comforts of a Mantra property and the elevated experience of Peppers,” he says.

The property speaks to its locale. And each room is themed – Outback, Coastal, City, Rainforest – reflecting the diversity of the surrounding landscape. We’re in an Outback room, which is all earthy tones and textured wallpaper, and a reminder that we’re deep in the agro-industrial Queensland countryside.

“The Peppers experience is about community and connection. It feels like a hub for the local community,” says Conley.

Given Gladstone is a town built around heavy industry, the Accor property is designed to accommodate some of the executives who are visiting the town on business.

Facilities

the pool at Peppers Gladstone — The magnesium swimming pool beckons for a relaxing dip.

The outdoor terrace includes a heated magnesium swimming pool with complimentary drinks at the pool deck bar (during select hours). Guests are also invited to access an eight-seater cinema room and well-appointed nearby gym. There’s also secure undercover parking, wi-fi and an indoor-outdoor space near the pool and terrace designed for all seasons. Guests staying at Peppers Gladstone can also watch their favourite sporting team on the big screen at the adjacent Yaralla Sports Club.

Rooms

Designed by BSPN Architects and constructed by Mettle Projects, Peppers Gladstone offers a range of different accommodation options, from King Studio Rooms to Superior Two-Bedroom Apartments. All guestrooms feature fully equipped kitchens, king-sized beds, large flatscreen TVs with screen-casting capabilities and a minibar stocked with complimentary non-alcoholic drinks.

a look inside the bathroom with a tub at Peppers Gladstone — Each suite comes with spacious bathrooms.

Peppers Gladstone is essentially a 32-room hotel. But the dual-branded hotel concept means the property itself can accommodate more than 150 guests, thanks to an additional 60 rooms as part of Mantra Gladstone, making it perfectly suited for weddings and large gatherings.

Food and drink

the on-site bar at Peppers Gladstone — Pull up a chair at the on-site bar for a drink or two.

Onsite restaurant Encore is open for breakfast and dinner.  Breakfast is served between 5.30am and 9am and includes a live cooking station for omelettes and eggs cooked to order and includes buffet favourites like fresh fruit, yoghurt, pastries as well as grilled bacon, chipolatas and grilled vegetables. Dinner is served buffet-style and the menu changes daily. It also includes the option of a stone-grill where you can cook your wagyu, salmon or eye fillet to your liking at a stone grill delivered to your table (for an additional $6.50). There’s also the adjacent Shingle Inn, popular for burgers and salads.

The pool deck is also open for a beverage at the end of the day where you can supervise the children in the swimming pool. Nearby Ward’s Brewery is a top spot to test the barometer of this true-blue borough. The pub has a big screen promotion of Lady Musgrave Island and the Great Barrier Reef playing on a loop and is filled with travellers plotting their next move. Peppers Gladstone also has a member’s lounge, which is a welcoming space for a hot or cold beverage.

Does Peppers Gladstone have access for guests with disabilities?

Yes, Peppers Gladstone is wheelchair accessible.

Is Peppers Gladstone family-friendly?

a mother and child exploring Tondoon Botanic Gardens — Take your little ones to Tondoon Botanic Gardens for a refreshing stroll. (Image: Mark Fitz/Tourism and Events Queensland)

Yes, the hotel is family-friendly. It’s also located near to protected beaches and islands that are perfect for little ones who are learning to snorkel. Take a stroller to explore the city’s open spaces with a wander along the Millennium Esplanade at Tannum Sands Beach, which has a playground and barbecues, and East Shores Parklands, which has a waterfront boardwalk, green space, barbecues and water play area.

Details

Best for: Large groups and business or leisure travellers.
Address: Corner Wood & Bell St, Barney Point

Price: From $240 per night.