The Readers’ Choice Awards are back for 2025, and next on the hitlist for our globetrotting audience is Asia. With a hefty bunch of skyscraper-studded cities, Asia is one of those dynamic, ever-evolving regions which never seems to go to sleep, and the hotels are no exception. Endlessly sparkling boltholes line every sweeping avenue, and the relentless list of noteworthy openings may sometimes feel hard to keep track of – although Sri Lanka’s Uga Halloowella is one shiny new Asian address which caught the attention of our readers below.
Your appreciation of good design threads through our Asia category too, with garlands going to Chengdu’s The Temple House for its modern riff on courtyard architecture and Hong Kong’s The Upper House for its timeless Asian minimalism by interior architect André Fu. A special mention goes to Park Hyatt Kyoto too, with its angular take on the tatami aesthetic successfully retaining the crown as Japan’s best hotel for the second year in a row. Nor is it all about the glitz and glamour, as elsewhere, Bhutan is growing in popularity, with its hotels climbing high for their serene location and community investment.
These are the Top 10 hotels in Asia, according to the 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards. The scores below are percentages representing overall average levels of satisfaction.
1. The Upper House, Hong Kong (99.71)
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The international and global-minded Chinese crowd know a hidden gem when they see one. The Upper House doesn’t announce itself loudly. Lying low-key in the shadows of the neon-signed JW Marriott, this is the first hotel project by hotshot interior architect (and local boy) Andre Fu, whose influence is evident from the moment you’re wafted away from the lobby on dimly lit escalators lined with luminous bamboo lanterns. It’s all very calm and restful, while on the main floors, the hotel does its best to give you Victoria Harbour views at every opportunity.
2. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok (99.60)
Bangkok’s first hotel is still, despite some extremely stiff competition from any number of more recent arrivals, its best – as well as one of the finest examples anywhere on earth of a grande dame that knows exactly how to grow old gracefully. Arrive by boat and you’ll see the hotel from the Chao Phraya River, as nature intended. Your sentimental heart will swell at the sight of a two-story white Victorian box that looks all the more adorable alongside the steel and glass towers that surround it. Palms sway. A jazz band is playing. Laughter rings out above the music, Champagne corks pop, somebody greets you by your name.
3. Raffles Singapore (99.38)
Walking into Raffles Singapore is like entering the setting of a thousand fables. A place beloved by literary titans, socialites and Hollywood stars, a monument to the city’s extraordinary heritage and the birthplace of the Singapore Sling – this landmark hotel has enough stories to fill a library. Originally a 19th-century beach house, this grand palace provides a sharp contrast to the gleaming modernity of the city’s skyscrapers and, more than 130 years after its founding, it remains an enclave for those seeking an elevated experience in the city.
4. Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh (99.29)
Once known simply as “Le Phnom,” Raffles Hotel Le Royal has been Phnom Penh’s defining word in opulence ever since its doors first swung open in 1929. Indeed, for many years this grande dame was the Cambodian capital’s only luxury lodging and hosted everyone from royalty to celebrities. VIP guests over the years have included actor Charlie Chaplin, writer Somerset Maugham and style icon Jackie O.
5. JW Marriott, Hong Kong (99.27)
JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong sits in the heart of Admiralty, Hong Kong’s commercial hub. With direct access to four MTR lines — the East Rail, the Tsuen Wan, the Island and the South Island — and easy connections from Shenzhen through the Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau stations, reaching the hotel is a breeze. Its strategic location makes the hotel a haven for business and leisure travelers. Established in 1989, it’s close to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and iconic landmarks, such as the Peak, Statue Square, Tai Kwun and PMQ.
6. Capella Singapore (99.17)
There’s an instant and near-inexplicable sense of calm that washes over you, upon walking into the flagship hotel of the Singaporean-owned Capella group. You’re on Sentosa, the tranquil island just 20 minutes drive from the mainland that feels so far removed from the chaos, almost all the country’s billionaires now call it home. Which helps. As does the property itself which, despite stretching across 30 acres, still feels utterly private.
7. COMO Uma Punakha, Bhutan (99.00)
Mystical. To arrive, you drive past the majestic Punakha Dzong which looks like a fortress from a storybook. The actual hotel exterior is far less grand but no less striking. Set in a terraced hillside overlooking a bend in the Mo Chu river, it looks like it could belong to wealthy farmers or land owners. The exterior is simple, rather than grand—all locally sourced stone and wood with enormous picture windows to soak in the view of the valley. Its remote location and the quiet of the surrounding nature immediately casts a spell upon guests. You’re so in the moment you almost forget to take out your phone to snap a photo.
8. Park Hyatt Kyoto (98.95)
A compact, Jenga-like structure built cleverly into the maze of Kyoto’s temple-dense Higashiyama ward. Park Hyatt‘s structure is a partnership of the Pritzker, Takenaka (a 17th-generation construction family responsible for many of Japan’s temples), and Kyoyamato families, with Tony Chi as interior designer.
9. The Tokyo Station Hotel (98.92)
The Tokyo Station Hotel turned 100 years old in 2015 and this grand dame has certainly aged gracefully, albeit with quite a few nips and tucks. The historic hotel located within Tokyo’s iconic Central Station dazzles due to a full restoration completed a few years ago.
10. Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo (98.63)
Walk past the long black stone table topped with an elegant pine tree-inspired work of art and the floor lanterns with shaggy white shades to descend the stairs to the 37th floor, where a trio of stacked fireplaces at Sense Tea Corner lights up a dramatic wall of fire. It counters a dim, sexy plum and gray lounge area across the way that rests above a black shallow pool with a spiraling water feature. Zip up to the wood-filled 38th-floor lobby of Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo to discover a stylish hot spot.
