Sitting amongst the likes of Four Seasons Bangkok and Raffles Singapore, The Calile in Brisbane has managed to make the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels list for 2023.
The Calile, which featured at number 12 on the list but also wins The Best Hotel in Oceania, opened in October 2018 on the high-end James Street. It was designed by Brisbane-based architects Richards & Spence, with a distinct Miami and Palm Springs theme.
The hotel features 175 rooms, with a starting rate of $330 per night. But while the green and pink-themed suites are suitably specky, the hotel’s pool and dining precinct are the main attraction. The hotel’s botanical – Instagrammable – pool deck boasts seven cabanas, which can booked for dinner or cocktails.
Then there are the hotel’s six restaurants: Hellenika, Same Same, Sushi Room, Bianca, SK Steak and Oyster, and the Lobby Bar.
“It is not just us of course, just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to create a hotel,” The Calile wrote in a blog post in response to the accolade.
“We do not exist in a vacuum, and we value highly the vital part that our community plays in making us a better place daily. We are surrounded by a collection of restaurants, boutiques, cafés, retail and beauty havens as well as galleries and creative organisations, within James St and our wider community – all when combined create a powerfully compelling place quite unlike any other in Australia. We dedicate this award to our people, and our place.”
The hotel added that its mission is still to “create a welcoming, holistic and collaborative hotel that honours our place, cares for our community and imparts memorable stays through both considered design and responsive, thoughtful service”.
The World’s 50 Best Hotels is voted on by a panel of 580 global industry experts across nine voting regions.
The World’s Best Hotel 2023
Top of the World’s 50 Best Hotels was Passalacqua in Lake Como. Also taking out the top spot for the Best Hotel in Europe, Passalaqua is set in an 18th-century villa in Moltrasio and boasts just 24 rooms, starting from $1,300 per night.
The former home of composer Vincenzo Bellini, Passalaqua sits on seven acres of gardens with olive groves, roses and magnolia, features a spa and wellness centre and a “to-die-for pool”.
World’s Top 50 Hotels for 2023
1.Passalacqua, Moltrasio
2.Rosewood, Hong Kong
3.Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River
4.The Upper House, Hong Kong
5.Aman, Tokyo
6.La Mamounia Marrakech
7.Soneva Fushi Maldives
8.One&Only Mandarina Puerto Vallarta
9.Four Seasons Firenze Florence
10.Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
11.Capella, Bangkok
12.The Calile, Brisbane
13.Chablé Yucatán,Chocholá
14.Aman, Venice
15.Singita Lodges, Kruger National Park
16.Claridge’s, London
17.Raffles, Singapore
18.Nihi Sumba,Wanokaka
19.Hotel Esencia,Tulum
20.Le Sirenuse,Positano
21.Borgo Egnazia,Savelletri
22.The Connaught,London
23.Royal Mansour, Marrakech
24.Four Seasons, Madrid
25.Aman, New York
26.The Maybourne Riviera,Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
27.Rosewood, São Paulo
28.Capella, Singapore
29.Le Bristol,Paris
30.Park Hyatt, Kyoto
31.La Réserve, Paris
32.Gleneagles, St Andrews, Scotland
33.Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes
34.Cheval Blanc,Paris
35.Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens
36.Soneva Jani, Maldives
37.The Newt, Bruton
38.Amangalla,Galle
39.Hoshinoya, Tokyo
40.Desa Potato Head, Seminyak
41.Eden Rock, St. Barths
42.The Siam, Bangkok
43.Badrutt’s Palace, St. Moritz
44.Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
45.The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra
46.NoMad, London
47.The Savoy, London
48.Equinox, New York
49.Six Senses Ibiza, Portinatx
50.Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
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