Brisbane’s The Calile has been crowned the best hotel in Oceania

Brisbane’s sophisticated urban resort The Calile has been named as one of the best hotels in the world at the inaugural edition of the World’s 50 Best Hotels, announced in London overnight.

The Calile was named The Best Hotel in Oceania, and came in at number 12 on the list, making it the only property from Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Islands to make the prestigious list.

Located in the palm-fringed precinct known as James Street in Fortitude Valley, The Calile is marked by its sweeping mid-century curves, brutalist concrete pillars and lush pool. Designed by local architects Richards & Spence, the 175-room hotel is achingly attractive, thanks to a subtle pink sand and pistachio green palette and miles of marble.

The list comes courtesy of The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy, which saw experts rank and rate hotel operations from arrival to departure, including room comfort, quality of food and beverage offerings and onsite facilities. Gourmet Traveller’s own Victoria state editor Michael Harden serves as chair for Oceania, and is a part of the wider 580-strong judging panel.

Lake Como’s luxury boutique hotel Passalacqua took out the number one spot, just two years after it first opened. Gourmet Traveller visited the property late last year with Harden writing: “Passalacqua is a hotel that succeeds so spectacularly by not feeling like a hotel at all… The philosophy behind it mirrors the overall design approach – eschewing repetitive international hotel tropes for a distinctly, individual Italian approach.”

The Calile co-owner Catherine Malouf attended last night’s ceremony in London, saying: “This is a win for our team, our collaborators, our loyal guests and a win for Brisbane as a destination, and we are humbled to represent the Australian hotel industry on the world stage.”

The win only adds heat to Brisbane’s claim as the hottest destination in Australia right now, following Agnes being named Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year last month.

The Top 10 of the 50 Best Hotels for 2023:

1. Passalacqua, Moltrasio

2. Rosewood, Hong Kong

3. Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, Bangkok

4. The Upper House, Hong Kong

5. Aman, Tokyo

6. La Mamounia, Marrakech

7. Soneva Fushi, Maldives

8. One&Only Mandarina, Puerto Vallarta

9. Four Seasons Firenze, Florence

10. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok

Author Jordan Kretchmer News Editor

A former ballet teacher turned writer, Jordan got her start in the media industry documenting Sydney’s music and nightlife scene, writing for Time Out Sydney, The Guardian and Broadsheet. She soon realised she preferred food to festivals and embarked on learning as much as she could about the hospitality industry. In 2019 she joined Gourmet Traveller as a writer, where she’s tasked with finding the hottest new restaurant openings, hotels worth checking in to and snacks worth seeking out. With a robust appetite for learning about the intricacies of food and how we use it as an expression of human culture, Jordan loves eating food as much as she does cooking it. She also loves a good chat about how to make the perfect sandwich, what’s the best chip or where to find the best seafood pasta on the planet.

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