Since these awards began in the late 1990s, few regions have evolved as much as the Gulf states, with hotels rising as if conjured by jinn from the sand. Oman is a favoured destination, with Adrian Zecha’s The Chedi Muscat – a game-changer when it opened in 2003, and still admired for its minimal rooms and maximal service – joined recently by the Mandarin Oriental, Muscat, which picked up points for its Silk Road-inspired menus. Our Habitas Ras Abrouq has ramped up Qatar's hotel scene, with acclaim for its oryx-grazed desert location, but it was Dubai that ruled the roost, with the Beyoncé-serenaded Atlantis The Royal making the biggest splash.