Venice might have started charging tourists to visit, but now the so-called 'floating city' boasts an additional attraction to lure travelers into paying the fee: the world’s best hotel.
On Thursday, French organization La Liste—famed for its ranking of the world’s top restaurants and guide to more than 35,000 eateries around the globe—published it inaugural World’s Best Hotels list.
The new list ranks the top 1,000 hotels in the world, with La Liste drawing up its ratings based on a comprehensive analysis of more than 300 travel guides, as well as reviews, media coverage and third-party rankings.
Taking the crown was Hotel Cipriani, a Venetian icon that was opened in the 1950s by the inventor of the Bellini cocktail.
The five-star hotel, which describes itself as “an oasis of serenity,” has become popular with A-listers over its seven-decade history, with George and Amal Clooney, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Angelina Jolie among the slew of famous guests it has hosted.
The Cipriani, which is owned by luxury hotel and travel group Belmond, promises its guests a range of “indulgences” which include Michelin-star dining, “unrivalled” views of Venice, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, private boat tours around the city’s picturesque canals, and a spa that focuses on “sustainable, ethical pampering.”
In an emailed statement to Fortune Hotel Cipriani's managing director, Marco Novella, said he was thrilled with the hotel’s position at the top of La Liste’s ranking.
“The hotel’s iconic history, combined with the longstanding gastronomic identity, the loyalty of our guests, the professionalism of the team, and the innovations in progress make our property a point of reference for the most discerning travelers, to whom I extend my sincere gratitude,” he said.
Stays at the hotel can cost upward of $2,000 per night during the peak summer season.
Hotel Cipriani’s parent company is also the owner of La Liste’s highest-ranked hotels in Portugal, Brazil, Laos and Russia.
Elsewhere in the ranking, The Peninsula Chicago, the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in Mexico, and Cheval Blanc St-Barth came in joint second place.
The beachfront Cheval Blanc in the French Caribbean is owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH and offers rooms, suites and villas overlooking the ocean, two restaurants, a spa and various excursions.
In joint third place were several hotels including L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, La Reserve in Paris, and London’s famous Savoy—another celebrity hotspot whose famed guests have included Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire and Queen Elizabeth II.
