BLAND IS BEST

THE WORLD'S 50 BEST HOTELS LIST DICTATES WHERE TO STAY. DO ITS JUDGES EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT?

- BEN RYDER HOWE

SOME OF THE MOST influential hospitality rankings in the world are produced in a homely office park in Crawley, an exurb of London. There amid the square bushes, under a stream of jets taking off and landing at Gatwick Airport, sits the headquarters of the 50 Best brand. “We want to become the reference point for the best travel experiences across the world,” says William Drew, the head of content for 50 Best, which in addition to its restaurant rankings publishes lists of hotels, bars, and vineyards. Drew, 53, is a cheerful former journalist who edited men’s magazines, including FHM and Arena, during the early aughts. “I got very lucky,” he says. “I managed to get out of that.”

Travel lists used to be the province of old-school, ad-stuffed glossy publications like Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. These days, lists have spread beyond travel magazines and seem to be offered by everyone and everything: bloggers, TikTokers, ChatGPT. Virtually every magazine has a travel list, from Esquire to Architectural Digest to Men’s Journal. The lists themselves have splintered into sub-lists and mini-lists.