Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau celebrated its third annual Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific on the evening of 18 June 2025 at the Capella Bangkok, recognising the best hotels, resorts, airlines, cruises, spas, destinations and more across the Asia-Pacific region for 2025. For the first time, the Luxury Awards separated river cruises and ocean cruises, introduced a favourite hotel brand category, and launched its first-ever Icon Award. The event was attended by prestigious hospitality leaders, including Vice Presidents, General Managers, and Directors of Sales and Marketing from the industry’s most celebrated brands, including the Four Seasons, Six Senses, The Ritz-Carlton, and Aman.
The 2025 Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific spanned over 25 categories and 15 countries and territories, with the names of the winners chosen based on the results of votes casted by over 285,000 readers. The category types and whether winners are placed in top-10 or top-five lists vary by country to account for the different sizes and strengths of the industries in different places. Nominees for the awards were selected by Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau’s editors and expert contributors across the region, and voting was open from January 2025 through April 2025.
The evening commenced with Björn Rettig, CEO of BurdaLuxury and Jeninne Lee-St.John, Editor-in-Chief of Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau taking to the stage to highlight why Asia-Pacific remains one of the world’s most celebrated regions, and the contribution of its people and places in cementing its reputation as Number 1 in the world of hospitality.
“I am thrilled to be hosting the third annual Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific,” said Rettig. “We are honoured to pay tribute to some of the world’s most remarkable destinations and celebrate the extraordinary experiences that continues to place Asia-Pacific as the pinnacle of global hospitality. The focal point of the Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific has always been about forging a community built on excellence and shared passion, and it is incredibly exciting to be able to see the people and hear the stories that makes this such a remarkable industry.”
“The hotel industry has been growing like crazy, with so many new openings in the past year,” said Lee-St.John. “That’s why it’s so impressive to see so many of you smartly innovating and evolving in order to stay ahead of the competition. Big investments in wellness and sustainability, new guest experiences, entire property overhauls. I always say that luxury is about the people. So, this year, we’ve introduced our first-ever Icon Awards, honouring a person who’s starting a revolution in hospitality.”
Ronald Akili, Founder of Potato Head Desa was the recipient of the brand’s first-ever Icon Awards.
The evening included a drum performance from Thai Suvarnabhumi.
In conjunction with this announcement, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau have also released a special print edition for its Summer 2025 edition: Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific and Beaches + Islands Special Issue, available on newsstands across Southeast Asia.
2025 Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific: Number 1 Winners by Country and Category
AUSTRALIA
Best Beach + Island Hotels: JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa
Best Country Hotel + Lodges: El Questro Homestead
Best City Hotels: Capella Sydney
Best Hotel Pools: Lake Argyle Resort
Best Hotel Spas: Chi, The Spa at Shangri-La Sydney
Best Hotel General Managers: Ravinder Dhesi (JW Marriott Gold Coast)
CAMBODIA
Best Beach, Island + Upcountry Hotels: Cardamom Tented Camp
Best City Hotels: Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor
Best Hotel Pools: Shinta Mani Angkor & Bensley Collection Pool Villas
Best Hotel Spas: Six Senses Krabey Island
Best Hotel General Managers: Dagmar Lyons (Raffles Hotel Le Royal)
HONG KONG
Best Hotels: Regent Hong Kong
Best Hotel Pools: Fullerton Ocean Park
Best Hotel Spas: Yun Wellness at Island Shangri-La Hong Kong
Best Hotel General Managers: Luc Bollen (The Park Lane Hong Kong, Autograph Collection)
INDONESIA
Best Beach Resorts: The Mulia Resort & Villas Bali
Best Upcountry Hotels: Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Best City Hotels: Park Hyatt Jakarta
Best Hotel Pools: The Apurva Kempinski Bali
Best Hotel Spas: The Ritz-Carlton Bali
Best Hotel General Managers: Ram Hiralal (Jumeirah Bali)
Japan
Best Beach, Island + Upcountry Hotels: Park Hyatt Niseko
Best City Hotels: The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
Best Hotel Pools: ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa
Best Hotel Spas: Evian Spa at Palace Hotel Tokyo
Best Hotel General Managers: Masaru Watanabe (Palace Hotel Tokyo)
Laos
Best Hotels: Amantaka
Best Hotel Pools: AVANI+ Luang Prabang
Best Hotel Spas: Rosewood Luang Prabang
Best Hotel General Managers: Max Chin (AVANI+ Luang Prabang)
Macau
Best Hotels: Galaxy Hotel
Best Hotel Pools: Galaxy Macau Grand Resort Deck
Best Hotel Spas: Banyan Tree Macau
Best General Managers: Joanne Chan (Banyan Tree Macau)
Malaysia
Best Beach, Island + Upcountry Hotels: The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat
Best City Hotels: EQ Kuala Lumpur
Best Hotel Pools: The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
Best Hotel Spas: The Banjaran Hot Springs Retreat
Best Hotel General Managers: Fiona Hagan (Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabulu)
Maldives
Best Resorts: Soneva Jani
Best Resorts for Families: InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort
Best Most Outrageous Villas: The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, John Jacob Astor Estate
Best House Reefs: W Maldives – North Ari Atoll
Best Resort Pools: Villa Nautica
Best Resort Spas: Soneva Jani
Best Hotel General Managers: Raffaele Solferino (Grand Park Kodhipparu)
New Zealand
Best Country Hotels + Lodges: Rosewood Cape Kidnappers
Best City Hotels: Park Hyatt Auckland
Best Hotel Spas: Earth Energies Sanctuary
Philippines
Best Beach, Island + Upcountry Resorts: Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu
Best City Hotels: Raffles Makati
Best Hotel Pools: Shangri-La Boracay
Best Hotel Spas: Shangri-La Mactan
Best Hotel General Managers: Joegil Magtanggol Escobar (Discovery Coron)
Singapore
Best Hotels: Raffles Singapore
Best Hotel Pools: Marina Bay Sands
Best Hotel Spas: The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Best Hotel General Managers: Melvin Lim (Pan Pacific Singapore)
South Korea
Best Beach, Island + Upcountry Hotels: JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa
Best City Hotels: Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
Best Hotel Pools: Signiel Busan
Best Hotel Spas: JW Marriott Hotel Seoul
Best Hotel General Managers: Silvio Rosenberger (JW Marriott Hotel Seoul)
Thailand
Best Beach + Island Resorts: JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa
Best Upcountry Hotels: Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
Best City Hotels: Capella Bangkok
Best Hotel Pools: 137 Pillar Suites & Residences Bangkok
Best Hotel Spas: Kamalaya
Best Hotel General Managers: Patrick Both (Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok)
Vietnam
Best Beach + Island Resorts: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort
Best Upcountry Hotels: Anantara Hoi An
Best City Hotels: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Best Hotel Pools: JW Marriott Phu Quoc
Best Hotel Spas: Tinh Wellness Sanctuary + La Veranda Phu Quoc
Best Hotel General Managers: Phan Trong Minh (Azerai La Residence Hue)
Transportation
Best Airlines: Singapore Airlines
Best Airports: Singapore Changi Airport
Best Ocean Cruises: Silversea Cruises
Best River Cruises: Avalon Waterways
Best Region-Wide
Best Hotel Brands: Capella
Best Hotel Loyalty Programs: Accor Live Limitless
Best Integrated Resorts: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Best Travel Agents + Specialists: Khiri Travel
Destinations
Best Cities: Tokyo
Best Islands: Bali, Indonesia
Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau’s Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific featured the support of Evian, Panpuri, Bootleggers and Patron.
For the full list of winners, please visit Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia Hong Kong and Macau’s official website.
Connect with Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau on social media @travelandleisureasia to stay up to date on the latest trends in travel, hospitality, and lifestyle.
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About Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau
Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau explores destinations through the perspective of the individuals that make travel so special, finding creative ways to tell meaningful stories and celebrate authentic luxury experiences. The Asian edition of the world’s leading travel brand, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau is the go-to source of travel inspiration, with an audience of luxury travellers, high-net-worth individuals, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. Travel + Leisure globally, and in this region specifically, enjoys a remarkable history of credibility and is the bible of luxury travel in Asia and abroad.
About BurdaLuxury
BurdaLuxury is one of Asia’s most vibrant and progressive media houses. Our portfolio includes a variety of successful regional publishing brands in lifestyle and luxury markets across Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Our portfolio of brands includes Prestige, Lifestyle Asia, PIN Prestige, AUGUSTMAN, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Macau, Travel + Leisure India & South Asia, HELLO! Magazine Thailand, and Architecture + Design. BurdaLuxury is part of the Hubert Burda Media family, one of the largest media companies in Germany. Burda is active in 14 countries, employs around 11,000 people, and publishes over 500 products.
