Now researching Valencia · 129 properties screened · 2 of 10 chosen Follow along
- Florence
- Lisbon
- Amsterdam
- Berlin
10 exceptional stays for every destination
Curated excellence
We look at every property in a destination, one by one, and keep only the ten we would book ourselves.
1,371 properties screened 35 published 4 destinations
On the list
Why only ten
When everything scores a 9/10, the number stops meaning anything.
Booking sites list hundreds of properties in every destination, most rated within a point of each other. Scores that close can’t tell you where to stay. We go through all of them, one by one, and keep only ten: the ones we would book ourselves.
Our research & evaluation process-
I
Every property, screened by hand
We check the booking sites against Google Maps, because some of the best hotels aren’t on them. For example, in Florence alone, that meant 418 properties.
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II
Scored, then scored again
Every shortlisted property is scored on five weighted criteria by each editor on their own. We check in every quarter and reassess the whole list once a year.
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III
One standard for every stay
A small boutique hotel and a five-star palace pass the same evaluation. Stars and room rates don’t earn a place on the list; the stay does.
Every property we’ve screened
1,371 properties researched
Each dot is a property we screened, all our destinations combined. The orange ones made the list: 2.6% of everything we looked at.
Latest additions
New to the list
Hotel Telegraphenamt
Former Telegraph Office
Museum Island
Hotel Zoo Berlin
Kurfürstendamm
Rooftop Bar
Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium
Museum Quarter
Akasha Spa
Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Maurits at the Park
Oosterpark
Former University
Valverde Lisboa Hotel & Garden
Avenida da Liberdade
Tropical Garden
Verride Palácio de Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina
River Views
In the making
Valencia, Spain
129 properties screened so far. Two have already earned their place. Leave your e-mail and we’ll let you know when the stays are revealed.
Phase IV of VI · Review checkpoint
The journal
Stories from our destinations
What is 10 Stays?
A shortlist of ten hotels for every published destination. Instead of showing you hundreds of options and leaving you to sort through them, we do the sorting first: we find every property there, score the strongest on quality, character and the stay itself, and publish the ten that hold up. Each hotel comes with what makes it worth staying in and a direct link to book with the hotel itself.
How do you choose the hotels?
We start with the data. Three editors list every property worth considering, then check guest reviews from Google, Tripadvisor, Booking and others, across all time, the past year and the last quarter. We aim for 4.5/5 or 9/10 and above, as a guide rather than a cut-off: scores differ between platforms and periods, and the rest of the evaluation counts too. A steady recent decline ends a property’s run, however good it looks.
Then we judge what the numbers miss. The properties that remain are scored on design, what makes them unique, location, and amenities and service. Each editor scores independently, the scores are averaged, and the highest-scoring hotels are invited. Once on the list, every hotel is checked each quarter and reassessed once a year. How we evaluate
Why ten?
A short list sets a high bar. Ten is enough to cover different budgets, styles and neighbourhoods: a design hotel in the old town, a quiet place by the water, somewhere small and personal. And it is few enough that every hotel has to earn its place.
It also means you can read a whole destination in a few minutes and compare every option properly, instead of scrolling past pages of near-identical rooms.
How often do you add destinations?
When the research is done. Each destination goes through a full research cycle before we publish it: we choose where to look, list every property, narrow it down through first impressions and reviews, and score the rest in depth. That takes time, and we would rather publish one destination well than several in a hurry.
You can follow the current one, Valencia, as it takes shape, or leave your e-mail to hear when it is revealed.
Is 10 Stays only for luxury hotels?
No. Many of the hotels on the list are at the top of their market, but price never decides a place. A small hotel with thoughtful design and attentive service can earn a spot as easily as a five-star resort.
What matters is whether a hotel stands out in its destination: a building with a story, a view that defines the place, a way of looking after guests that people remember. That is why each list covers a range of prices, not just the most expensive end.