Inside Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List Party in Dubai

Condé Nast Traveler celebrated its 2025 Gold List in Dubai, with a glittering party against the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, which marks its 25th anniversary, as well as being featured on the prestigious Gold List. The evening, which included a "Touch of Gold" dress code, was hosted by Condé Nast's CEO Roger Lynch, chief content officer and global editorial director of Vogue, Anna Wintour, and Condé Nast Traveller's global editorial director Divia Thani. The list is created annually by Condé Nast Traveler and is a selection of hotels and cruises that its discerning editors across the world deem as their own personal favorites.

The event marked Wintour's first visit to Dubai, a trip she described as a "revelation”. “I had known that this city was a great place to come for a lovely vacation in a fantastic hotel,” she said. “But I am not sure I expected what I found, which is a completely global city and a totally diverse one, too, as the best of cities in the world are.”

Also in attendance at the Gold List party were Lebanese accessories designer Karen Wazen, Indian fashion designers Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra, Tunisian model and actress Rym Saidi, business leader and philanthropist Ingie Chalhoub, Tunisian artist eL Seed and supermodel Imaan Hammam.

Held at Jumeirah Beach Hotel's Nuska Garden in partnership with Jumeirah, HSBC, Buccellati, NIO, Grey Goose and Le Clos, the party marked the first time the Condé Nast Traveller's Gold List has been celebrated with a global event, bringing together editors, hoteliers, travel industry professionals and friends of the brand from around the world.

Winners from this year's Gold List traveled from London, Paris, Amsterdam, Mallorca, New York, California, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Australia and all over Africa and the Middle East to join the celebrations.

Guests posed with NIO's glambot, displayed alongside a sleek black ec6 model set against a suitably gold backdrop. Grey Goose mixed up a selection of specially created cocktails at its pop-up bar and, at its Goose Bumps station, served bumps of Ars Italica Caviar alongside sips of premium Grey Goose Altius. Guests sipped champagne provided from Le Clos, and browsed stunning pieces from Buccellati's latest collections at the Buccellati Lounge.

As part of HSBC and Condé Nast's The Exchange partnership – a new video series showcasing global creative talents – the event saw the premiere of the first episode, The Sound Exchange, featuring Emirati artist, Maitha Hamdan, American orchestrator, Macy Schmidt and the Sinfonietta orchestra, blending music and art into a fresh reinterpretation of classical performance. The Gold List party marked the first time the artwork and music were showcased together in a live performance. The Sinfonietta orchestra entertained guests as the sun set, while later, Dubai-based DJ, Parvané Barret, kept the party going.

Roger Lynch, Condé Nast's CEO, welcomed guests to the party, before introducing Anna Wintour to the stage, who described Condé Nast Traveller's Gold List as a “trip around the world by itself".

“There are plenty of travel lists in our business, but the amazing thing about the Gold List—and this goes for Traveler as a whole—is its point of view," she said. "Journalistic, adventurous, discerning, amusing.”

Speaking of the importance of the Gold List, Traveler's global editorial director, Divia Thani, said: "Our editors spend all their time on the road, experiencing the best of the best. So when they choose their favorites, our audiences really listen.

“It's the first time we are celebrating our Gold List hotels in such a big way, and it really underscores how important this list is to our audiences around the world. When we first thought about this event many months ago, we unanimously agreed that we had to do it here in Dubai, against the beautiful backdrop of Burj Al Arab, which is celebrating its 25-year anniversary and really shows how a hotel is not just a hotel. It can herald a new beginning for a destination, put a place on the map and truly become an icon.”

Speeches were concluded with a dazzling gold fireworks display, which lit up the skies over the Arabian Gulf. Guests left with a goodie bag featuring an Elie Saab fragrance, skincare from Sunday Riley, premium tea from AVANTCHA, a Grey Goose Oyster spoon, a Buccellati coffee table book and more information on HSBC's The Exchange program.

A version of this story originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller Middle East.