No. 11 The Peninsula, Bangkok

Score: 95.72

An ingenious W-shaped design gives all 370 rooms in this 37-story tower views of the Chao Phraya River and the city beyond. Though located on the Thonburi side across the water from most of the tourist attractions, the complimentary water taxis offer an atmospheric and convenient way to skip the notorious Bangkok traffic. The patrician elegance of the rooms, all raw silk, teak and marble, never sacrifices function for form. Intuitive bedside panels control temperature, lighting, sound and entertainment systems, and even the phone. The riverside Thipthara has some of the city's most ambient dining in candlelit open-air salas, which the restaurant brought from the ancient capital of Ayutthaya and reassembled on the riverbank. Equally impressive is the 21,000 square-foot ESPA spa's Thai massages and the Peninsula Academy, which offers everything from Thai cooking to dance to floral arrangement classes.

See the full results of the 2012 World’s Best Awards.