As any other traveler, the truth is that I am really concerned about the best hotels that I can choose when I travel, but where are the best ones in the world?
Sustained economic growth has its cultural benefits—among them a high volume of international travelers and, consequently, a large number of world-class hotels. At least that's one way to look at this year's list of the world's 10 top hotel cities, as determined by the Forbes Traveler 400 board of experts, who rated nearly 800 of the world's finest hotels on the basis of their rooms, service, decor, cuisine, public areas, recreational options and, of course, location.
All 10 entries on this year's list have ranked among their region's most powerful cities at some point in their history. Not surprisingly, all ten also developed sophisticated, increasingly globalized cultures—and world-class accommodations.
At the apex, we find London, with no fewer than 14 separate entries on the Forbes Traveler 400 list. Not surprisingly, the majority of the British capital's finest hotels are within a 30-minute stroll of Buckingham Palace, and walking distance from many of the cultural and historic highlights of the city. Many were founded while the British Empire was at its peak, so the sense of royal legacy lives on in each one.
Doesn't it make us think twice?
