Our pick of the five best hotels on earth right now. Three come straight from the top of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026. Two are landmark resorts that happen to include a casino; for those we explain plainly how the gaming floor works, what the entry rules are, and how to enjoy the rest of the resort without it.
Adults only for gaming. Two of these resorts contain casinos. Gambling there is restricted to people aged 21 and over and is subject to local law. Meridian does not offer or link to any gambling service. Our information on the casino floors is factual, for travellers' awareness, with responsible gambling resources below.
Our top three all sit in the top five of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2026, voted by more than 800 hospitality experts who must have stayed recently.
Method · 2
Landmark status
Our fourth and fifth places are resorts that define their cities' skylines and draw visitors who never set foot on the gaming floor.
Method · 3
Independence
No hotel paid to appear. Order reflects our editors' view of the complete stay: rooms, food, service and setting.
Showing 5 of 5
Victoria Harbour from the Kowloon waterfront · Original illustration
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Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Rosewood Hong Kong
World's 50 Best Hotels 2026 · No. 1CityHarbour viewsWellness
Why it's here: named the best hotel in the world for the second year running. On the Victoria Dockside waterfront in Kowloon, it faces the full sweep of Hong Kong Island's skyline. Interiors by designer Tony Chi feel like a private collector's residence, and the service is consistently precise without being formal.
Opened
2019
Keys
About 400
Airport
HKG
Local time
--:--
The Legacy House · refined Cantonese cooking with harbour views
DarkSide · a jazz bar regularly ranked among Asia's best
Asaya · an integrated wellness floor with pool, spa and fitness
Victoria Harbour · the Star Ferry and the Avenue of Stars are on the doorstep
Good to know. Ask for a harbour-view room on a high floor to watch the nightly city lights. Airport Express to Kowloon station takes about 20 minutes, then a short taxi. Best months: October to December, when the air is drier and cooler.
Sunset on the Chao Phraya River · Original illustration
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Charoenkrung, Bangkok, Thailand
Capella Bangkok
World's 50 Best Hotels 2026 · No. 2RiversideFine diningCalm
Why it's here: a low-rise retreat on the banks of the Chao Phraya, where every room faces the river. It brings an unusual stillness to one of Asia's busiest cities, and its Charoenkrung neighbourhood is Bangkok's creative quarter, full of galleries, old shophouses and street food.
Opened
2020
Keys
About 100
Airport
BKK
Local time
--:--
Côte by Mauro Colagreco · Mediterranean cooking from a celebrated chef
Phra Nakhon · Thai home-style dishes on a riverside terrace
Riverfront pool and spa · treatments inspired by traditional Thai healing
By boat · Wat Arun, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho are short river rides away
Good to know. Use the river instead of the roads: boats beat Bangkok traffic. Cover shoulders and knees at temples. Suvarnabhumi Airport is about 45 to 60 minutes by car. Best months: November to February, the cool, dry season.
Terraced gardens above Lake Como · Original illustration
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Moltrasio, Lake Como, Italy
Passalacqua
World's 50 Best Hotels 2026 · No. 5VillaGardensRomance
Why it's here: an 18th-century villa on the west shore of Lake Como, restored and opened as a hotel in 2022, and named the world's best hotel in 2023. With only around two dozen rooms set among terraced gardens, it feels like staying at a family estate rather than a hotel.
Opened
2022
Keys
About 24
Airport
MXP
Local time
--:--
Terraced gardens · fountains, grottoes and lawns stepping down to the lake
Lake days · private boats to the villages of Bellagio, Varenna and Tremezzo
Long lunches · classic Italian cooking with produce from the gardens
Villa gardens nearby · Villa del Balbianello and Villa Carlotta
Good to know. The hotel opens seasonally, roughly spring to autumn. Milan Malpensa is about an hour by car. Best months: May, June and September, when the gardens are lush and the lake is calm.
Marina Bay at night, with the SkyPark above · Original illustration
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Marina Bay, Singapore
Marina Bay Sands
Integrated resort · Has a casinoSkylineFamiliesShopping
Why it's here: three towers joined at the top by a ship-shaped SkyPark, home to one of the world's most photographed infinity pools. Since opening in 2010 it has become the symbol of modern Singapore. The resort is a small city in itself: museum, theatres, a shopping mall, celebrity-chef restaurants, and Gardens by the Bay next door.
Opened
2010
Keys
About 2,500
Airport
SIN
Local time
--:--
SkyPark infinity pool · on the 57th floor, for hotel guests only
ArtScience Museum · the lotus-shaped museum on the waterfront
Gardens by the Bay · the Supertree Grove and its free evening light show
Spectra · a free light and water show over the bay most evenings
The casino · Information
How the gaming floor works
The casino occupies several levels of the resort and is separate from the hotel lobby, pool and restaurants. Singapore regulates its two casinos strictly, and you can enjoy the whole resort without entering.
Minimum age
21
Foreign visitors
Free entry; bring your physical passport
Singapore citizens & PRs
Pay a government entry levy (S$150 per day, or an annual levy)
Dress
Smart casual; no beachwear or flip-flops
Hours
Open 24 hours
Safeguards
National exclusion and visit-limit schemes
Responsible play. Gambling is optional and should only ever be entertainment. Set a time and money limit before you go in. In Singapore, the National Council on Problem Gambling helpline is 1800-6-668-668.
Good to know. Changi Airport is about 20 minutes away by car. Book a high-floor room facing the bay for the skyline at night. Singapore is warm all year; February to April tends to be a little drier.
The fountains at night · Original illustration
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The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Bellagio
Resort · Has a casinoShowsArtDining
Why it's here: named after the village on Lake Como, Bellagio brought Italian elegance to the Las Vegas Strip in 1998, and it is still the city's most graceful resort. Its free attractions alone make it worth a visit: the dancing fountains on its eight-acre lake and a glass-roofed conservatory that is replanted for every season.
Opened
1998
Keys
About 3,900
Airport
LAS
Local time
--:--
Fountains of Bellagio · free water shows set to music, every half hour in the afternoon and every 15 minutes in the evening
Conservatory & Botanical Gardens · free, with displays that change through the year
Gallery of Fine Art · rotating exhibitions from major collections
O by Cirque du Soleil · an aquatic show in a theatre built around a pool
The casino · Information
How the gaming floor works
As in most Las Vegas resorts, the casino floor sits at the heart of the building, and you'll walk through it to reach restaurants and the conservatory. You never need to play to enjoy the resort.
Minimum age
21 to gamble or linger on the gaming floor
Entry
Free; carry photo ID
Dress
Casual by day; smarter in the evening restaurants
Hours
Open 24 hours
Families
Children may pass through with adults but not stop
Also note
Smoking may be permitted in parts of Las Vegas casinos
Responsible play. Decide your limit before you start and never chase losses. In the United States, the confidential helpline 1-800-GAMBLER offers free support 24 hours a day.
Good to know. Harry Reid International Airport is about 15 minutes by taxi. Ask for a fountain-view room. Best months: March to May and October to November; summer days regularly pass 40°C.
Side by side
The top five compared
Rosewood Hong Kong
Capella Bangkok
Passalacqua
Marina Bay Sands
Bellagio
Setting
Harbourfront city
Riverside city
Lakeside villa
Bayfront integrated resort
Desert resort on the Strip
Scale
About 400 keys
About 100 keys
About 24 keys
About 2,500 keys
About 3,900 keys
Casino
No
No
No
Yes, 21+
Yes, 21+
Best months
Oct–Dec
Nov–Feb
May, Jun, Sep
Feb–Apr
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
Airport
HKG · ~20 min train
BKK · ~45–60 min
MXP · ~1h
SIN · ~20 min
LAS · ~15 min
Best for
Design, food, city life
Calm, culture, food
Couples, gardens
Families, views, shopping
Shows, art, nightlife
Currency
HKD
THB
EUR
SGD
USD
Visiting a casino resort
Enjoy the resort, set the rules
Integrated resorts are designed so that most of what they offer, from pools and museums to restaurants and shows, has nothing to do with gaming. If you do decide to play, a few simple habits keep it fun.
Treat it as entertainment, with a fixed budget you're comfortable losing, set before you arrive.
Leave cards in the room and bring only that budget in cash.
Set a time limit. Casinos rarely have clocks or windows.
Never chase losses or play to win money back.
Know the age rules: both casinos on this page require players to be 21 or over.
Get support early if gambling stops being fun: Singapore 1800-6-668-668 · USA 1-800-GAMBLER.
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