Tatler Best Awards: Asia's Hospitality Guide

Tatler Best is a prestigious hospitality awards program recognizing the top 100 hotels, restaurants, and bars across the Asia-Pacific region. Formerly known as the Tatler Dining Awards, the program draws on over 40 years of editorial heritage and a 400-member jury of food writers, editors, and industry experts.

Tatler Best evolved from the Tatler Dining Awards, which began publishing dining guides in Hong Kong in 1984. The program rebranded in 2024 to encompass hotels and bars alongside its established restaurant coverage. The jury of over 400 members—including Tatler editors, food writers, journalists, and selected community members—votes on venues they've personally visited within the preceding 18 months. Coverage spans Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The program operates a strict 'no pay-to-play' policy, distinguishing it from awards that sell participation or premium listings. Regional jury co-chairs oversee the process across each market.

Tatler Best represents one of Asia's most established hospitality recognition programs, with editorial roots stretching back to Hong Kong in 1977. The program's 400-member jury combines editorial expertise with community taste-making, and the no-pay-to-play policy means inclusion is earned rather than purchased.

The 2024 rebrand from Tatler Dining Awards to Tatler Best expanded the program to cover hotels and bars alongside restaurants—a reflection of how Asia-Pacific's hospitality landscape has matured beyond pure dining into integrated luxury experiences.

For travelers evaluating restaurants, hotels, or bars in the Asia-Pacific region—particularly in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Southeast Asian markets—a Tatler Best recognition carries real weight among the region's high-net-worth dining community. The jury's 18-month recency requirement ensures assessments reflect current performance, not historical reputation.

Tatler was founded in Hong Kong in 1977 under the Edipresse Group and published its first dining guide in 1984. For four decades, the Tatler Dining Awards served as the primary fine dining recognition program across Asia's luxury markets.

The 2024 rebrand to Tatler Best expanded the scope to include hotels and bars alongside restaurants, reflecting the group's view that hospitality excellence extends beyond the kitchen. The awards program covers the Asia-Pacific region through Tatler's established editorial network, with particular strength in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Southeast Asian markets.

Each regional market has dedicated editors who curate master lists of candidates for jury consideration. The jury itself represents a cross-section of food media, hospitality professionals, and culturally influential community members—a composition that captures both expert assessment and consumer perspective.

The program's longevity gives it institutional memory that newer awards lack. Tatler editors have tracked the evolution of Asian dining from the 1980s through the current era of global culinary exchange.

Tatler Best uses a jury of over 400 individuals—Tatler editors, food and travel writers, journalists, influencers, and selected members of the Tatler community. Regional editors curate a master list of venues, and jury members vote on establishments they have personally visited within the last 18 months.

The requirement for recent personal experience prevents proxy voting and ensures evaluations reflect current performance. Top-scoring venues form the Tatler Best 100 lists for hotels, restaurants, and bars, with additional 'Best in Class' awards for specialized categories.

The process is overseen by regional jury co-chairs who manage voting integrity within their markets. The no-pay-to-play policy is enforced across all categories—venues cannot purchase inclusion, premium placement, or enhanced listings.

A Tatler Best recognition carries particular weight in Asia-Pacific's luxury hospitality market because of the program's 40-year editorial heritage and its audience demographics. Tatler's readership skews toward high-net-worth individuals and frequent luxury travelers, making the awards a powerful endorsement within that specific consumer segment.

For venues, the recognition provides marketing material that resonates with an affluent audience that values curated, expert-vetted recommendations over mass-market popularity rankings. The jury-based model, combined with the no-pay-to-play policy, positions Tatler Best as a credibility benchmark in a region where pay-for-recognition schemes are common.

The program's influence is strongest in its core markets—Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok—where Tatler's editorial brand is deeply established. In newer markets like Vietnam and Indonesia, the recognition is growing in stature as those dining scenes mature.