Revealed: World’s top 10 cities with the most five-star hotels

Dubai has been ranked second in the world for the highest number of five-star hotels in the world, according to the latest wealth report issued by Knight Frank.

The ranking – compiled by Five Star Alliance – looks at the top cities worldwide with the most number of five-star hotels in 2017. It found that London topped the list with 75, followed by Dubai with 61 and New York with 59.

No other regional city featured on the ranking.

The report also looked at the top cities worldwide for average spend per overnight visitor ( as of 2016). While the Australian city of Melbourne was ranked first with $1,925, Dubai came second with a spend of $1,917 and Sydney came third with $1,829.

However, Dubai’s overnight visitors were found to be the biggest spenders overall, with a total expenditure of $28.5bn. New York was in second place, with visitors notching up a $17bn spend.

Also read: Dubai to overtake London for tourist arrivals by 2025

Dubai has seen major growth in the hospitality sector even as it moves towards achieving its tourism vision of attracting 20 million tourists annually by 2020.

In a study last month, Dubai Tourism forecast that the emirate’s hotel room supply would grow 11.1 per cent a year during the 2017-2019 period to reach 132,000.

While the emirate has been focussing on its mid-market offerings in recent years, the luxury segment continues to occupy the biggest space in Dubai’s hospitality market.

In December last year, what was claimed to be the ‘most expensive hotel’ in Dubai, opened its doors to the public. The Bulgari Resort is part of a wider project under development by holding company Meraas.

It features 101 hotel rooms and suites and 20 hotel villas with luxury Italian furniture and views of the Dubai skyline or Arabian Gulf from an exclusive seahorse-shaped island location off of Jumeirah Road.

Read more: Dubai’s ‘most expensive’ hotel opens

Earlier this year, another luxury hotel – claiming the title of the world’s tallest hotel – opened in the emirate. Gevora hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, rising 356 metres and 53 centimetres high, offers 528 rooms for guests.

TOP 10 CITIES WITH THE MOST FIVE STAR HOTELS (2017)

1. London
Number of hotels: 75

2. Dubai
Number of hotels: 61

3. New York
Number of hotels: 59

4. Paris
Number of hotels: 56

5. Miami
Number of hotels: 46

6. Los Angeles
Number of hotels: 39

7. Bangkok
Number of hotels: 33

7. Shanghai (Shared ranking)
Number of hotels: 33

9. Washington DC
Number of hotels: 32

9. Rome (Shared ranking)
Number of hotels: 32

(Source: Five Star Alliance)