The Peninsula

ACTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- It's official -- the Peninsula Hong Kong is the number one hotel in the world, according to luxury lifestyle magazine Robb Report in its 10th annual "Best of the Best" listing.

The winners are chosen by committee with input from the magazine's writers, said contributing travel editor Stanley H. Murray, who adds that the winners aren't chosen out of the blue.

"You stay there," in the case of the top hotel, Murray said. "You discover its idiosyncracies, its foibles. You discover the excellence of its staff, the depth of the staff."

"The Pen is just a venerable institution with history," Murray said. "Asian service is far superior to Western, and the Pen is the epitome of it."

The Peninsula rose from a third-place finish last year to take the top honors.

A Hong Kong restaurant, Vong, took top honors in its category, and British Airways ("Dependability -- end of discussion," Murray said) was rated the best of the best airlines.

French chef Alain Ducasse -- "the only chef in the world with six Michelin stars," said Murray -- was chosen the top chef. Ducasse reigns over Louis XV at the Hotel du Paris in Monte Carlo, and took over Joel Robuchon's establishment on Avenue Raymond Poincare in Paris -- both three-star restaurants.

Several of the magazine's winners changed over last year's listing, prompting Robb Report publisher Daniel J. Phillips to conclude that the survey "confirms that 'the best' is not earned by tradition and a recognizable brand name."

"Our selections show that quality surpasses recognition of a familiar label or maker," Phillips said.

Robb Report's Best of the Best is top-of-the-line accommodations and recreation -- it reports an average income of $755,000 for its readers, and claims 63 percent of the world's billionaires among its readership.