HALEKULANI NUMBER ONE HOTEL IN THE WORLD

SOURCE: Gourmet Magazine

April 26, 1999
The Halekulani in Honolulu, Hawaii has been chosen as the number one hotel in the world according to Gourmet's "Rooms at The Top,'' a comprehensive survey of readers. The results of this survey are published in the May 1999 issue. The Halekulani also won in the category of best guest rooms.

U.S. properties commanded five winning places in the listing of the 10 best hotels in the world. In addition to Halekulani, they were: The Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida; The Boulders in Carefree, Arizona; The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia; and The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The other leading hotels are scattered across the globe. Italy, France, Hong Kong, Thailand and the West Indies each have a place on the list. More than 150 hotels, resorts and inns in 27 countries were ranked in the published report which hits newsstands on April 27th. This is the third year Gourmet magazine has released its annual influential readers' survey on the hotels of the world.

The survey determined preferred hotels for special-interest travel as well: Readers chose Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa as their favorite family resort, while naming The Regent Hong Kong as the best for business. For romance, The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California was tops. For the best pool in the world, the Hotel Ritz in Paris was tops. The Ashford Castle, Cong, County Mayo in Ireland ranked the highest in design/architecture, outpacing properties in the United States and Italy. And the Chateau Lake Louise was voted number one for view and grounds.

Readers chose The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, as their top choice for golf and tennis. They also named the workout center as the best in the world. The Hyatt Regency Beaver Creek in Aspen, Colorado was chosen as the top hotel for skiing and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in Hawaii for the best beach. The readers' favorite spa is the Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma, California, and their choice for a hideaway is the Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. In the area of food, readers named The Oriental, Bangkok as tops for room service and bar. The top award for restaurant dining was given to The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas.

Following are the Top 10 in the World, in order of ranking:

1. Halekulani, Honolulu, Hawaii
2. The Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand
3. Villa D'Este, Cernobbio, Italy
4. The Regent, Hong Kong, China
5. Hotel Ritz, Paris, France
6. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Florida
7. The Boulders, Carefree, Arizona
8. The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
9. The Phoenician, Scottsdale, Arizona
10. Four Seasons Resort Nevis, Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies