As we mark 35 years of championing independently minded stays, we’re thrilled to unveil the 2025 SLH Award Winners — a global collection of exceptional hotels that are redefining boutique hospitality. Selected by our travel experts, voted on by our passionate community, and reviewed by our mystery inspectors, these are the stays that captured hearts, minds, and imaginations this year. Most ‘Liked’ Hotel: The Retreat Koh Chang, Thailand Hotel of the Year: Breidenbacher Hof, Germany Considerate Ho

At SLH, we believe there’s a hotel for everyone - from barefoot beach villas and summit-level chalets to nature-immersed retreats with sustainability at their heart. Our hotels are as characterful as you. To bring this to life, we searched the world for characterful people to pair with our hotels. Through four casting calls, twelve independently minded travellers were chosen for the trip of a lifetime and became the faces of our campaign. Here’s how it went… https://slh.com/characterfulasyou/ |

Today marks the beginning of Small Luxury Hotels of the World's 35th anniversary year. Founded in 1990 on a belief that boutique is the truest luxury, SLH has grown over 35 years into a collection of more than 650 independently minded hotels across 90 countries, united by character and defined by individuality. We begin our anniversary year by celebrating everything that makes SLH special. Our new brand film is a tribute to the people, places and moments that define us. And this is only the begi