This year's September ranking covered 31 cities. To present a more geographically inclusive guide to premium hotels, we've combined the top picks from the original 31 cities with hotels in 44 additional cities that, although they didn't quite make September's top 75, did finish first in their respective metropolises while meeting our voting guidelines. Returning to the best-by-city lineup this year after failing to make the list in 2001 are Amman's Jordan InterContinental, Beirut's Vendôme InterContinental and Tel Aviv's David InterContinental. A number of hotels on last year's best-by-city list were sidelined this time, including Ankara's Sheraton & Towers, Lima's Sonesta Hotel el Olivar and Warsaw's Marriott.
BEST HOTELS BY CITY 2002
Abu Dhabi: InterContinental
Amman: Jordan InterContinental
Amsterdam: Amstel
InterContinental*
Athens: Astir Palace (Vouliagmeni)
Atlanta: Ritz-Carlton Buckhead*
Bangkok: Oriental*
Barcelona: Ritz-Carlton Arts*
Beijing: Grand Hyatt
Beirut: Vendôme InterContinental
Berlin: Adlon Kempinski
Bombay: Taj Mahal
Boston: Four Seasons*
Brussels: Conrad
Budapest: Hilton
Buenos Aires: Alvear Palace*
Cairo: Méridien
Cape Town: Mount Nelson
Chicago: Four Seasons*
Copenhagen: D'Angleterre
Dallas: Mansion on Turtle Creek
Dubai: Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Edinburgh: Balmoral
Frankfurt: Hessischer Hof*
Geneva: Des Bergues
Hamburg: Vier Jahreszeiten
Hanoi: Sofitel Metropole
Hong Kong: Mandarin Oriental*
Houston: Ritz-Carlton
Istanbul: Çirag(breve)an Palace Kempinski*
Jakarta: Hilton
Johannesburg: Sandton Sun &
Towers InterContinental
Kuala Lumpur: Mandarin Oriental*
Kuwait City: Sheraton & Towers
Lisbon: Four Seasons Ritz*
London: Lanesborough*
Los Angeles: Beverly Hills*
Luxembourg: Royal
Madrid: Villa Magna*
Manama: Royal Méridien
Manila: Makati Shangri-La*
Melbourne: Grand Hyatt
Mexico City: Four Seasons*
Miami: Mandarin Oriental
Milan: Principe di Savoia*
Montreal: Ritz-Carlton
Moscow: Kempinski Baltschug
Munich: Bayerischer Hof*
Muscat: Al Bustan Palace
InterContinental
New Delhi: Oberoi
New York: Four Seasons*
Paris: Ritz*
Philadelphia: Ritz-Carlton
Phoenix: Arizona Biltmore
Prague: InterContinental
Rio de Janeiro: Copacabana Palace
Riyadh: InterContinental
Rome: Hassler Villa Medici*
St. Petersburg: Grand Hotel Europe
San Francisco: Ritz-Carlton*
Santiago: Hyatt Regency
São Paulo: Caesar Park
Seattle: Four Seasons*
Seoul: Grand Hyatt*
Shanghai: Grand Hyatt*
Singapore: Ritz-Carlton Millenia*
Stockholm: Grand Hotel
Sydney: Park Hyatt*
Taipei: Sherwood
Tel Aviv: David InterContinental
Tokyo: Okura*
Toronto: Four Seasons
Vancouver: Four Seasons
Vienna: Imperial
Washington: Hay-Adams*
Zurich: Baur au Lac*