Number five
Nobu Ryokan Malibu
Carbon Beach, Malibu
Sixteen keys in a ryokan-inspired hideaway on the sand. The escape.
Nobu Malibu's earlier home, 2008. Photo: Kettlechips1, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The world's coolest hotels, ranked five at a time.
See the countdown
Episode one tours the Americas and counts down its five coolest places to stay. Number one comes last.
The Americas, counted down
New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago, and one escape on the sand. Hosted by Celeste Marlow and Julian Okafor.
Number four
Chicago Athletic Association
Michigan Avenue, Chicago
A Venetian Gothic gentlemen's club turned hotel, with a game room and a rooftop over Millennium Park.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Number three
Sunset Tower Hotel
West Hollywood, Los Angeles
A 1929 Art Deco landmark and the Tower Bar, still the room old Hollywood drinks in.
Photo: MikeJiroch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Number two
Delano Miami Beach
South Beach, Miami
The 1947 Art Deco icon on Collins Avenue, reopened in May 2026 with a members club and new restaurants.
Photo: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Number one in The Americas
Faena New York
West Chelsea, New York
Bjarke Ingels architecture at One High Line and a Francis Mallmann kitchen, new in 2025.
Four ways into every region
Each segment has its own pair of hosts. They are AI, and we say so wherever they appear.
The Check-In
The flagship ranking. Tours a region and reveals its top five, No. 1 last.
Celeste Marlow and Julian OkaforThe Suite Spot
The best room in the house: the one suite that justifies the trip.
Noor Haddad and Marco BelliniOff the Map
Treehouses, ice suites, cliff pods. The stays you travel for.
Freya Lindqvist and Kai MendesRooftop Hour
Where to drink at the hotel, even if you are not staying there.
Ava Chen and Desmond Price
Where the show goes next
Out now
The Americas
Next
Northern Europe
London and Paris
After that
The Mediterranean
Madrid, Rome and Athens
Hotels never pay to be on the show.
What is World's Coolest Hotels?
A short-form show that tours one region at a time and ranks its five coolest places to stay, from city landmarks to the escapes within reach.
Which regions does the show cover?
The Americas (New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago), Northern Europe (London, Paris) and the Mediterranean (Madrid, Rome, Athens), plus occasional city specials.
How are hotels ranked?
On cool, not just luxury: a story worth telling, design worth seeing and a moment you can only have there. Each one gets a Cool meter score out of five globes.
Do hotels pay to be on the show?
No. The show is independent and hotels do not pay to appear. Some booking links may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Who are the hosts?
Eight AI hosts in four pairs, one pair per segment. They are AI, and the show says so on every page.
What is My List?
A shortlist of the hotels you save, kept in your browser on this device. Nothing is sent to us.