The two most-read editorials this year weren’t about new openings or emerging destinations. Instead, they were two of the most enduring names in hospitality: The Ritz Paris and Raffles Singapore.

These hotels are institutions in their own right, grande dames that have weathered wars, new ownership and the relentless churn of hospitality trends while remaining resolutely themselves. Both have helped shape the cultural identity of their respective cities for over a century and remain touchstones of luxury hospitality worldwide. These features explored the lives, legends, and reinventions behind both.

Their enduring appeal suggests that in a fast-paced, ever-evolving world, heritage and storytelling remain as important as ever in luxury travel.

What do Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Marcel Proust and wartime spies have in common? The Ritz Paris.

Few hotels have been as deeply entwined with history or played host to as many legends. Our feature follows its remarkable lineage from César Ritz's determined vision in 1898, through to its storied guests and political intrigue, uncovering the layered history behind its gilded façade. Discover how one hotel became a witness to some of Europe's most turbulent decades and why it continues to define Parisian elegance more than a century on.

Read the full editorial here.

The Raffles Singapore is a landmark in its own right. 

While Singapore transformed from British colonial outpost to global metropolis beyond its tropical courtyard walls, Raffles discreetly played host to a 20th-century who's who: Queen Elizabeth II, Michael Jackson, Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor… and one unfortunate tiger!

This feature traces Raffles’ remarkable evolution from a modest boarding house to a 115-suite luxury institution. It follows the hotel through golden ages and decline, narrow escapes from the wrecking ball, and painstaking restoration. Along the way, it shows how Raffles endured to become a symbol of a slower, more gracious era of travel, and proof that not everything needs to change with the times.

Read the full editorial here.

After two stories rooted in heritage and history, two wildly different design-forward properties also captured our members’ attention: Amangiri in Utah, USA and Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Spain's Rioja region. Both redefine what a hotel can be, as not just a place to stay, but a destination in itself.

This reveals that ASMALLWORLD Members clearly appreciate tradition and heritage as much as they’re drawn to designs and concepts that boldly depart from them. 

Tucked into the desert of southern Utah, Amangiri is a masterpiece of minimalism, a unique resort carved into canyon walls so seamlessly that it’s difficult to determine where architecture ends and geology begins.

Built to disappear into the landscape rather than conquer it, Amangiri is a lesson in restraint and a reminder that architecture doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful.

The result is something quite unlike anything else in luxury hospitality, utilising silence, scale and texture to achieve something genuinely rare for its guests: a sense of stillness so complete it borders on meditative.

Amangiri may not be for everyone… but that’s the point!

Read the full editorial here.

At the opposite end of the spectrum sits the delightfully divisive Hotel Marqués de Riscal.

When Frank Gehry was asked to design a hotel in the middle of a sleepy Spanish wine town, no one expected it to look quite like this... a tangle of metallic pink and gold ribbons, erupting amid vineyards in defiance of its bucolic surroundings.

It really shouldn’t work - a deconstructivist sculpture hotel in a medieval town, and yet it does!

This feature explores how a traditional winery became one of Spain’s most striking modern landmarks, and how bold design turned a quiet corner of La Rioja into an unlikely destination for architecture lovers.

Read the full editorial here.

From the soulful serenity of Greece's lesser-known islands to the untamed beauty of Cambodia and Vietnam, two of this year's most popular travel editorials showcased multi-centred journeys.

This reveals that our members are clearly intrigued by travel that offers contrast, variety, and substance over more predictable, ‘easier’ travel itineraries.

Set your course for the Greek islands, with this sailing odyssey that charts a course through the glittering Aegean, threading through lesser-known gems like artistic Hydra (where Leonard Cohen found inspiration) and volcanic Milos, with its lunar-white beaches and emerald sea caves.

You’ll experience the quieter corners of even the famous islands, like Santorini's ancient Akrotiri ruins preserved in volcanic ash, before venturing to the sacred, uninhabited island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo. Discover whitewashed villages clinging to cliffs, secluded swimming spots accessible only by boat, and the harbourside tavernas you must try for a side of Greece few travellers ever experience. 

Read the full editorial here.

They may be neighbours, but Cambodia and Vietnam offer strikingly different experiences, making them an ideal pairing for a travel itinerary.

Begin among Cambodia's misty jungle Angkor temples and end in Hanoi’s beautifully chaotic swirl of street food and French colonial architecture.

This immersive itinerary from our travel experts rewards the adventurous and the curious, showcasing how to experience both countries at their finest.

Read the full editorial here.

Two of the year's most-read articles had an unusual thread: both were about events you can only experience in the dark.

One showcased where to experience Europe’s 2026 total solar eclipse, the other explored Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, which transforms the night sky into a glowing sea cloud of floating wishes each February.

Together, they suggest that ASMALLWORLD Members are drawn to nocturnal spectacles that are atmospheric, rare and genuinely spectacular.

On 12 August 2026, a rare total solar eclipse will plunge parts of Iceland and Spain into eerie midday twilight, as the moon completely obscures the sun for a brief, breathtaking moment. Seen from the right locations, it’s an extraordinary, once-in-a-generation spectacle - and one worth planning properly.

Eclipse tourism is already in full swing, as many travellers have already secured prime viewing locations and booked sought-after properties. This comprehensive guide reveals where the eclipse lasts longest, where viewing conditions are most reliable, and which properties offer clear views before availability disappears.

Read the full editorial here.

Each February, thousands of glowing lanterns rise into Taiwan's night sky during the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. In this centuries-old tradition, handwritten wishes are released into the darkness on illuminated paper lanterns. It's one of Asia's most enchanting spectacles, blending ancient lunar customs with collective hope and renewal.

This guide explores the cultural significance behind the event, what else to discover in the scenic hillside district of Pingxi, and how to experience it authentically - from tasting symbolic yuanxiao rice dumplings to securing the best vantage points for the spectacle.

Read the full editorial here.