Ranking method
The same questions for every hotel, answered in sentences rather than numbers.
- The overnight stay is the only thing that sets the order.
- Positions are argued in prose and never scored.
- Nobody can buy an entry or a higher spot.
The stay is the whole subject
We care about the hours a guest actually spends there, from the first lift ride to the last coffee: the address, the look of the place, how restful the bedroom proves and which sights sit a short stroll away. Casinos are written down alongside the gym and the valet stand, and they carry zero weight in the order.
Words, not numbers
You will not see stars, points, percentages or averaged guest reviews on this site. Each position is an editorial call, and the reasons behind it are written out in plain sentences.
Positions cannot be bought
No hotel, brand or agency can purchase an entry or a better spot. Links leaving the site point to official hotel pages and carry no commission codes or booking tools.
The questions we ask of every hotel
| Area | What we look for |
|---|---|
| Setting | Would you travel to this place even without the hotel, and could you explore it by tram, ferry or simply walking? |
| Building | Does the design, age or location give the hotel a character you would remember a year later? |
| Rooms | Floor space, daylight, outlook, quiet, and whether quality differs sharply between wings or towers. |
| Beyond the room | Somewhere to swim, a treatment room, planted courtyards, a decent dinner, a stage, a day trip: reasons to come that have nothing to do with chips. |
| Best match | The kind of traveller who will be happiest there, summed up in the "Best for" line of each entry. |
How often the list is reviewed
A full read-through happens on a regular calendar, and any news of a rebrand, a big refurbishment or a shutdown triggers an extra one. The month beside the list's title records our latest fact check.