Flying into Australia or New Zealand’s largest airports is a common way to visit the two countries. Sydney Auckland and Sydney, respectively. These hubs offer not only the gateway to their respective countries, but also thriving urban centres with top-notch dining, vibrant cultural institutions and elegant hotels to help guests make most of their stay away from home. According to Travel + Leisure Readers, the best hotels are located in the bustling downtown areas of Australia and New Zealand, where all the best sights and attractions are easily accessible.
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How voting works
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe—to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. The 2025 survey was completed by nearly 180,000 T+L subscribers. Over 657,000 votes were cast for over 8,700 different properties (hotels cities cruise lines etc.).).
Based on their location, hotels were classified into resort hotels, city hotels, inns, or safari lodges. They were also rated according to the following criteria:
- Rooms/facilities
- Location
- Service
- Food
- Value
The respondents were asked to rate each characteristic. They could select excellent, superior, above average (average), below average (below average) or poor. The final scores are the averages of all these responses.
Timothy Kaye/Courtesy Capella Bangkok
What Readers Loved
Sydney and Auckland show that a city’s central business district can offer so much more than just drab architecture and banking institutions. Perhaps that’s why—yet again—all of this year’s reader favorite hotels can be found within the bounds of these cities’ CBDs.
Sydney has swept the top three spots this year. The hotel is located near many of Sydney’s top attractions including the Sydney Harbor, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Symphony Orchestra and more. The winners of the past year were Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, which ranked No. Park Hyatt Sydney (No. The reader’s favorite hotels, Park Hyatt Sydney (No. In the 2025 survey, they are ranked No. 2 and No. The survey for 2025 ranked the hotel at No. This hotel’s waterfront position is a particular highlight, as many of its 155 beautifully decorated rooms and suits have balconies overlooking the harbor. The outdoor spaces, as one WBA pollster said, are “unbeatable”. It’s in the best city hotel location.
T+L’s readers fell in love with two hotels located in Auckland CBD for similar reasons. “We loved this space for watching boats, morning breakfast, spacious rooms, and cocktails outside,” said one voter of Hilton Auckland (No. 5). Guests are in a great location to visit the New Zealand Maritime Museum. It offers scenic sails, as well rotating exhibits. Sky Tower is also nearby, where you can enjoy 360-degree panoramic views of the city from its 60th-floor Sky Deck.
WBA voters have voted for the winning hotel to be the newest, which debuted in 2023. However, it has already cemented itself as one the best hotels in the region. Find out why by reading on.
The Winner
Capella Sydney
Timothy Kaye/Courtesy Capella Bangkok
It took the Singapore-based Capella Hotel Group seven years to transform Sydney’s historic Department of Education building into a serene, 192-room hotel—its first outside of Asia—but the effort is paying dividends in WBA voters’ eyes. The art collection on the ground floor introduces guests. Australia’s The hotel offers a wide range of cultural experiences to help travelers better understand Sydney. Walking tours provide unexpected insights on everything from Sydney’s coffee and architecture culture to its history, including Aboriginal heritage. One reader said it was “not to be missed!”
The full list
1. Capella Sydney
Reader Score 95.79
2. Park Hyatt Sydney
Reader Score: 94.93
3. Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
Reader Score: 91.20
4. Park Hyatt Auckland
Reader Score: 90
5. Hilton Auckland
Reader Score: 86.07
